Seattle Reign head to San Jose, California, today in a mid-table battle against Bay FC. The two teams are as evenly matched up as possible at this stage of the season – both are 2-2-1, earned their results in the same order, have the same numbers of goals scored and conceded... the only thing separating them in the standings is disciplinary points, where the Reign come out on top thanks to having earned fewer yellow cards.

The league table is beginning to get stretched, with some clear shield contenders at the top, a clear race for the wooden spoon, and seven teams in the middle only separated by a single point. A win tonight could propel the Reign as high as fourth, while a loss could drop them as low as 11th, depending on other results.

Seattle defeated Portland 1-0 at home last weekend, while Bay beat North Carolina Courage on the road by a matching scoreline. The Reign have yet to beat the second-year club, losing both of their matchups last season – 3-2 in San Jose and 1-0 at home.

Match preview: Seattle Reign vs. Bay FC

The road game kicks off Saturday, April 26, at 7 PM PT.

Sounder at HeartSusie Rantz

Keys to the game

• Look for space in transition
• Don’t let Bay stretch the field
• Maintain defensive shape

Notes

• Jess Fishlock remains unavailable with a leg injury, and during a pregame press conference, head coach Laura Harvey indicated that she’s likely still a few weeks from returning. Nérilia Mondésir is also out with another leg injury.
• A musical wager has been placed this game, with DJ John Richards of KEXP (which now broadcasts over the air in both Seattle and the Bay Area) agreeing to play new Reign anthem “Rise Up” by Brittany Davis on Monday morning if Seattle wins, or “The Bay” by Zion I if Bay FC wins.

Injuries, absences, suspensions

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)

Recent form

Reign: DWLLW (2-2-1, 0 GD; 8th place)
Bay: DWLLW (2-2-1, 0 GD; 9th place)

Officials

Ref: Katja Koroleva; AR1: Darren Bandy; AR2: Christian Clerc; 4th: Michael Zapata; VAR: Greg Dopka; AVAR: Karsten Gillwald

How to Watch

Match date/kickoff time: Saturday, April 26, 7 PM PT

Venue: PayPal Park, San Jose, CA

Broadcast: ION TV (USA; Maura Sheridan & Jordan Angeli), NWSL+ (international)

Is this game available to stream for free in the US? Yes (via ION on Tubi, Freevee, Roku or Pluto TV)

Lineups

Highlights

32’ – Bay forward Racheal Kindananji scores off a double-post shot

51’ - Jordyn Huitema equalizes for the Reign!

Join the discussion in our Discord gamethread (Supporter tier and above), or in the comments below.

This is Seattle Reign at Bay FC; watch with us

Sounder at Heart receives a portion of all sales made from links on this page.