After seeing 11 players depart for international duty last week, Seattle Reign is back at Lumen Field for a big match against the Orlando Pride, who were NWSL champions and Shield winners in 2024. The home match kicks off at 4:30 PM PT and will air on ION TV, which is available free over the air in most markets and on several free streaming apps like Tubi, Pluto TV, and Roku.
Lynn Biyendolo was seen in training photos this week, and head coach Laura Harvey confirmed that she will be available for selection, albeit on a minutes restriction. Harvey declined to give an update on other players, noting that some had only just returned from national team camps and would be evaluated at Friday’s training session.
After a tough outing last game at Angel City, Harvey sees Saturday’s game as an opportunity for her young players to show growth against a tough opponent.
“I think that the Angel City game was a good test for us in regards to being young and inexperienced,” she told reporters on Friday. “We’ve experienced something last game that we hadn’t really experienced up to that point. This is another one of those tests – you’re coming up against a top team, we know that, but we also know what our strengths are and we want to try and show that… I think to me, this first part of the season or first half of the season especially, we’ll get to play everybody and we’ll get to really see what this young group can do. Hopefully we can layer in our experience along the way to make that a better experience for the young ones, but there’s no doubt that these young players and these less-experienced players are going to gain a ton from all the exposure that they're getting right now.”
Head-to-Head
- The Reign are 7-4-7 all-time against the Pride.
- That includes a 5-1-3 record at home.
- The Reign have scored 30 goals while conceding 20 in this matchup.
Recent results
- The Orlando Pride are 3-0-0 this season and have scored 10 goals while conceding just 1. They beat the San Diego Wave 2-1 at home in their last match.
- The Reign (1-1-1) lost to Angel City 2-1 on the road before the international break.
2024 results
- Orlando Pride won the NWSL Shield and Championship last year.
- They scored 46 goals and conceded 20, finishing with an 18-2-6 record.
- The Reign ended in 13th place with a 6-15-5 record.
Offseason moves
- The Pride made limited moves in the offseason after a successful 2024.
- Forward Adriana joined a club in Saudi Arabia while several rotational players departed or retired.
- The Pride signed Wake Forest and Canadian defender Zara Chavoshi and another Zambian midfielder, Prisca Chilufya.
Orlando players to watch
Barbra Banda: The Zambian forward already has two goals and an assist this season. She works really hard defensively, is so difficult to push off the ball, and has the speed and technical ability to get around defenders on the wings. She'll always try to play off the defensive line and stretch it; she already has five offside calls this season.
Haley McCutcheon: McCutcheon (neé Hanson) can play just about anywhere but has been used in the midfield this season to get effect. She has two goals. She’s the kind of player who does all the running and hustle work in the midfield, but who also knows when to crash into the box.
Angelina: The former Reign midfielder is an important creative playmaker for the Pride and will always look to push the ball forward.
What to watch
Set pieces: In addition to the two penalties she’s scored this year, Marta is dangerous on set pieces and has already created three goals through set-piece play. Her corner was flicked on by Ally Watt in their opening match, while her free kick was flicked by Banda and accidentally redirected by Gotham defender Lilly Reale. Last week, Banda connected with another Marta corner at the far post. While she didn't score, McCutcheon was there to pounce on the loose ball.
Haley McCutcheon? More like Haley McCLUTCHeon 😮💨
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-03-29T17:26:41.254Z
The Reign will need to tightly mark Pride players on set pieces and clear the ball with some authority.
The Pride press: Unlike last year, when the Pride were comfortable sitting deep and defending, they are putting more pressure on opponents this season. While that might not always come in the form of a high press, the Pride will close down on opponents quickly when they lose the ball — represented by their very low 7.7 passes-per-defensive-action stat. The lower the better with that number, and the Reign are currently at 12.6 this year.
When the Pride win the ball, they have so much speed with players like Banda, Ally Watt, and Julie Doyle to punish teams in transition. On the other end, the Reign did pretty well to transition on the Pride last year and get around this pressure, scoring two goals in both matches against Orlando last year. Do they have it in them again this weekend?
Early energy: The Pride scored early in their first two matches, putting a ball in the back of the net in the 7th minute of their opening game and forcing an own goal in the 2nd minute in their second match. The Reign had success against the North Carolina Courage because they controlled the match from the opening whistle. That didn't happen in their last game against Angel City. It's likely that whichever team establishes rhythm early this weekend, and scores, will be coming away with three points.
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Jess Fishlock (leg), Ji So-Yun (leg), Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg)
Orlando Pride
OUT: Amanda Allen (SEI - shoulder), Simone Charley (SEI – ankle), Julie Doyle (knee), Luana (SEI - illness), Aryssa Mahrt (knee), Rafaelle (thigh)
How to Watch
The Reign will face the Orlando Pride on Saturday, April 12, at 4:30 PM PT at Lumen Field. The match will air on ION TV in the U.S. and will stream on NWSL+ for international viewers.
