After a thrilling Cascadia rivalry win at home, Seattle Reign are back on the road this weekend to take on Bay FC. The match at PayPal Park kicks off on Saturday, April 26, at 7 PM PT and will air on ION, which is available for free over the air in most markets and on several free streaming apps, including Tubi, Pluto TV, and Roku.
The Reign will again be without Jess Fishlock, who continues to recover from a lower leg injury and is still a couple of weeks away from returning. However, the team will have another chance to feature Lynn Biyendolo, who tied the NWSL all-time assist record last weekend when she assisted Maddie Dahlien's first professional goal.
The Reign have yet to get any points against Bay FC, who joined the league in 2024. They lost 3-2 on the road to Bay last April and gave up a penalty at home last fall, losing 1-0. Can they change that trend this weekend?
Head-to-Head
- The Reign are 0-2-0 all-time against Bay FC, who joined the league in 2024.
- That includes a 0-1-0 record on the road.
- The Reign have scored 2 goals while conceding 4 in this matchup.
Recent results
- Bay FC and Seattle Reign are both 2-2-1 after five matches. They got results in the exact same order as well.
- Last week, Bay defeated the North Carolina Courage, 1-0.
- Both teams have scored five goals and conceded five.
2024 results
- Bay FC advanced to the playoffs in their first NWSL season, finishing in 7th place.
- They scored 31 goals and conceded 41, finishing with an 11-14-1 record.
- The Reign ended in 13th place with a 6-15-5 record.
Offseason moves
- Bay FC's offseason was relatively quiet. They parted ways with a few key players, most notably young defender Savy King, who went to Angel City, and Deyna Castellanos, who signed with the Thorns.
- They added rookie forward Karlie Lema and rookie midfielder Taylor Huff, who have both been key contributors already this season.
- After spending many years in Portland, Kelli Hubly also signed with Bay FC.
Bay FC players to watch
Kiki Pickett: The lone goal-scorer last week, Pickett moved into the holding midfield role this season after playing outside back last year for Bay FC and has been a starter ever since. She covers a lot of ground and isn't afraid to go in and win tackles in the midfield. She also loves to shoot — and score — from distance. Pickett scored her third NWSL goal last weekend, and all three have come from shots outside the box.
KIKI PICKETT WITH THE ROCKET FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX 🚀😱 Congratulations to the Week 5 Goal of the Week Winner 🥳
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-04-22T18:50:13.723Z
Racheal Kundananji: The Zambian forward has struggled to get on the scoresheet this year, but she's still a big threat for Bay FC when on the field. Kundananji, who usually starts on the wing, is speedy and crafty on the ball and loves to pressure opposing backlines. As you can see from the chart below, she is above the average winger in carries, successful take-ons, non-penalty expected goals, and several defensive categories.
Joelle Anderson: 26-year-old Anderson made the switch this year from midfielder to centerback and seems to be settling in quite well for Bay FC. Lining up alongside veteran centerback Abby Dahlkemper, Anderson leads all Bay starters in completed passes per 90. She also already has one goal and two assists this year from that position. At the same time, this is a new position for Anderson, and there may be opportunities for the Reign's frontline to cause her problems.
What to watch
Possession battle: Bay FC enters the match averaging 53.8% of possession compared to a 43.8% average for the Reign. As the possession numbers indicate, Bay really likes to have the ball, but that's also something the Reign want to do. As head coach Laura Harvey said ahead of the match, the Reign want to control the game with the ball and are working on having more possession.
"I think we want to be defensively stronger than we have been. It's definitely not a tactic of ours [to cede possession]. We want to control the game with the ball more than we want to control it without it, and I think we tend to go through spells in games where we do have a lot of possession and then sort of the game management side of the game ... like I think about Portland and North Carolina, the games that obviously we've won, where I think we had periods in those games where we have really dominated possession and then maybe the game state, we get a little bit stressed and then we start to give it up and and then we have to defend a little bit more."
Bay stretches the field: As Harvey noted in the Reign's pre-match press conference, Bay FC likes to stretch the game "width-wise and vertically," which will make it challenging for the Reign defensively. Bay has attempted the most corner kicks, suffered the third most fouls, and whipped in the fourth most crosses – all signs of how they like to stretch the field and frustrate teams with their speed.
At the same time, their expansive nature in the attack, with fullbacks that push high and wide when Bay has possession, could make them rather vulnerable in transition. This is something the Chicago Red Stars did incredibly well in the first half of their 2-1 win over Bay in April. Can the Reign find some of their own magic in transition this weekend?
Similar styles: Bay and the Reign try to play pretty similar styles. Bay focus on being really hard to break down defensively and have given up the third-fewest shots this season (46, compared to 60 for the Reign) and have the fifth-lowest expected goals against average. On the offensive end, they like to build from the back and maintain possession (see point #1 here!). To steal a line from Harvey last year, this game might come down to the team that brings that bit of quality in their attacking and defensive thirds.
Projected lineup
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Jess Fishlock (leg), Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg), Nérilia Mondesir (leg)
Bay FC
OUT: Princess (excused absence)
QUESTIONABLE: Tess Boade (lower leg)
How to Watch
The Reign will face Bay FC on Saturday, April 26, at 7 p.m. PT at PayPal Park in San Jose. The match will air on ION TV in the U.S. and will stream on NWSL+ for international viewers.
