Valkyratings: Growing pains mean you're growing

Faced with a scary-good defending champion Orlando Pride that have basically scored at will and conceded nothing all season, along with an ongoing carousel of absences, injuries, and minutes restrictions, the Reign tried something new with a very young lineup. And, though the result wasn't there in the end, for long stretches of the game they were kind of cooking. Nérilia Mondésir, Maddie Dahlien, and Phoebe McClernon (exactly who you'd expect) all had some big chances, and it was really just one moment of lapsed defending that sunk the team.

The Reign held Orlando to their lowest score on the season and put the Pride defense under more pressure than any other team has yet managed to.

They also lost, and zero points is zero points no matter the moral victories you can tease out of it, but this wasn't a discouraged and overmatched team falling to a better side. This was a young team showing it can ball with some of the best in the world.

It's in that spirit that we enter our fourth week of Valkyratings. The record may be 1-1-2, but the vibes are looking much better.

Goalkeeper

Claudia Dickey – 7

Another week, another very good showing by Claudia Dickey, who leads the league in PSxg-GA (both overall and per 90), and has faced, on average, the second-most difficult scoring chances in the league. It's actually somewhat frustrating that the Reign haven't been able to get her in the clean sheets column yet, as she's made the Big Save at least once every week and shown a real improvement to her game. She might've had a shot to contest the goal against before it got to Banda, but it was served in (unfortunately) beautifully, a fast, low cross splitting the space between Dickey and Jordyn Bugg to catch Banda in her stride.

Aside from that, she made quality saves in the 14th minute (reading the play well and leaving nothing for Kerry Abello to shoot at), the 21st (parrying aside a wickedly struck Banda shot from a bad angle), and the 45th (leaping to get a fingertip to an Angelina strike from distance that was destined for the top corner), keeping things level early and keeping the score manageable as the first half ticked to a close.

Going forward. I would like Dickey to more assertively stake her claim on low crosses like the scoring play, but that particular cross is the sort that beats defenses consistently. In general, two of the five goals this year she's conceded have been deflections no keeper can do much about, and a third was a low-percentage spectacle. If Dickey continues to play like this for a full season, fans and pundits alike might have to deal with the reality that she's quietly becoming one of the best keepers in the league.

Defenders

Maddie Dahlien – 8 (POTM)

Maddie "Zoomies" Dahlien won 9 tackles. That's not a misprint. The Reign won 18 tackles as a team, and Dahlien won nine of those. She also won three of four duels and added three blocks and six recoveries in a "give me that ball!" tour de force that brought a tear to the eye. If she'd scored that huge chance when she got in behind the Pride defense in the 81st minute, we might have been looking at the first 10 I've ever given. Instead, it's merely a player-of-the-match performance from a player who ran the best defense in the league ragged, pressured them constantly, stole the ball more or less at will, and looked to be having a particularly great time playing off Lynn Biyendolo and Nérilia Mondésir in the second half, as the Reign put together three huge – and very repeatable – chances to tie up the game and just couldn't quite make it happen.

Going forward. Hopefully, Dahlien can bag that first goal soon. She's putting everything else together so quickly, and I've got a feeling that once she scores one, she's going to score half a dozen in short order.

Lauren Barnes – 6 (off 87' for Ana-Maria Crnogorčević)

Luuuuuuuuu Barnes returned to the starting lineup for the Reign, and looked as comfortable and composed as ever, leading the team in touches and throwing quick passes to Dahlien, Meza, Mercado, and Huitema throughout. With most of the high-pressure defending happening in front of her, she didn't rack up the defensive stats, but she was positionally strong and worked well with McClernon and Bugg in keeping the Pride's efforts to high-difficulty or speculative chances, and she led the team in progressive passes and passes into the penalty area, with much of the Reign buildout falling to her foot. While she looked comfortable and composed, the expected deft touch on her long passes was simply not there – in what was clearly a strategic choice, Dahlien and Mercado repeatedly made sharp marauding runs, only for Barnes' pass to miss the mark, whether overcooked, undercooked, or cooked on the wrong stovetop entirely. If she connects on even two or three of those potentially incisive moves in the first half, who knows what this match might've looked like?

Going forward. While last year suggested Lu no longer has starting every week in her, she certainly remains a very valuable rotational player, and her ability to slot in almost anywhere on the back line and bring implacable savvy, leadership and calm means she'll find minutes this season.

Phoebe McClernon – 6

It happens in a flash. One moment, you've got a hand on Barbra Banda, whom you've kept out of dangerous positions for the entire half, along with an organized defensive line and control of the inside track to goal... and the next she's skipped past you and put home a killer cross and you seem like you were never particularly close to her in the first place. She just does that to defenders, and Phoebe was the latest victim. In what was a bit of a theme for the back line, it was a match where everything except that moment was remarkably good. While she got on the ball less than she has recently (and Barnes got on it a lot more), McClernon was efficient in and out of possession, completing ~93% of her passes and winning every single challenge she went into. She was exactly what you want your central defender in a back three to be: composed, secure on the ball, defensively strong.

Going forward. What's there to say? It's McClernon's spot until something big changes, and we largely know what she's going to bring, though I would like to see her defer to Barnes a little less in future matches where they both play.

Jordyn Bugg – 6

So, Bugg won four tackles, went five for five on duels, and added an interception, a clearance, and five recoveries in a gritty defensive performance. Part of a back three that frustrated the hell out of a very dangerous Orlando attack, Jordyn got almost everything right (the Yates cross that split her and Dickey notwithstanding) out of possession. It was more of a struggle for her in possession, as Orlando successfully harried her and forced her to either pass back to McClernon or push it forward under pressure; her 58% passing does enough to tell you how that went. With Barnes constantly missing on her breakout passes and McClernon characteristically fairly conservative, hurrying and disrupting Bugg was a winning strategy that Orlando kept at throughout.

Going forward. Bugg got a little rattled in possession, but still showed a ton of poise and grit defensively. It's easy to forget she's literally 18 years old when she plays to the level she does.

Madison Curry – 5

Okay, so first, the glaring one. While there was some switching off to go around on Banda's goal, Curry got absolutely cooked by Summer Yates, and if Banda hadn't scored there, she likely would've given up a penalty anyway for her awkward tackle, which Yates played through to deliver the killer cross. (Yates was also injured on the play; I hope she has a quick and uncomplicated recovery.) But that bad moment aside, it was a fairly gritty and dedicated performance by Curry, who like the rest of the back line was given a big defensive ask; she got forward often, challenged hard even after the disaster goal, had some truly lovely passes to put Coco into space, and – small but important note – had some intriguing moments on throw-ins, something the Reign haven't done much with lately.

Going forward. I'm cautiously optimistic about Curry as a long-term solution at fullback/wingback. One real disaster of a play aside, she put in the work against the best team on the continent. There's real upside if Curry and the Reign can put it all together.

Midfielders

Maddie Mercado – 6 (off 69' for Shae Holmes)

Mercado keeps being asked to play different roles between midfield and forward and keeps showing that, yes, she can hack it no matter what you ask of her. Not to say this was a star-making performance, but it was a professional outing in yet another new role asked to run a lot and create danger without having much of the ball. She did a lot of hard running with limited reward (thanks in part to Barnes' struggles with long passing) but was excellent operating as a marauding midfielder higher up the pitch than Sam Meza or Ainsley McCammon, creative in receiving the ball in space and finding the next runner, and her three key passes were tied for tops on the team.

Going forward. I don't know her ideal spot, but Mercado keeps showing that if you put her on the pitch she's going to do good stuff, she's showing chemistry with the veterans and the kids alike, and I think it's getting very hard not to start her no matter who else is available.

Sam Meza – 6

After a difficult outing against Angel City, Meza found her footing against Orlando and did a lot to put her stamp on the game. She might be a long-term answer at holding midfield, something that's been a bit of an enigma for the Reign. The good: she got into the mixer repeatedly and seldom let Orlando advance centrally unchallenged, and when she got a foot to the ball, she was extremely tidy, misplacing only one of 24 passes and always finding the open player to keep possession going a little longer. The not so good: she got into the mixer repeatedly, but also went zero for three on tackles and zero for three in duels. Sometimes you get beaten despite getting to the right place and putting in the right challenge, sometimes you especially get beat when you get to the right place and put in the right challenge but your opponent is Marta Vieira da freakin Silva; Meza's read of the game was very good, and personally I saw more positive than not even in the lost duels.

Going forward. Meza played a down and dirty game, unafraid to mix it up, and extremely clean on the ball when she got it. She might need another match or two to get up to the pace of NWSL defensively, and it'd be nice to see her add some vision going forward as well, but this was a big step and a good reassurance that she has something to contribute.

Ainsley McCammon – 6 (off 69' for Angharad James-Turner)

The youngest player on the field made a strong accounting for herself. McCammon was amongst the more incisive passers for the Reign, translating just 30 touches into four progressive passes, a well-struck shot from distance, a confident give and go with Maddie Mercado, and absolutely demolishing multiple Orlando dribbles. Occupying the same pockets of space above the midfield line that Ji So-yun has been finding joy from in recent matches, McCammon showed well for herself, with excellent vision and positioning, though she also faded into less and less activity as the match wore on and Orlando's disciplined lines worked to limit the Reign's creation from midfield.

Going forward. Ainsley is 17 years old, and we should be patient with her and we should absolutely not put a full season at midfield on her back yet. That said, what she's already shown is really promising stuff. She's a capable, creative midfielder already and she has flashes of vision that suggest something really special in the making.

Forwards

Jordyn Huitema – 5 (off 46' for Lynn Biyendolo)

After a few weeks of absence, Huitema returned to the lineup and played for a half, spending much of that time operating withdrawn beneath a more vertically aggressive Nérilia Mondésir. Against Orlando, she had three progressive passes and a key pass in 45 minutes of play and had a solid chance go begging in the 11th minute; more importantly, she was very strong in holdup play, receiving and laying off the ball for teammates. There was definite rust, and some tentativeness going into challenges, which she'll hopefully shake off with another week of training.

Going forward. With Huitema, Mondésir, Biyendolo, AMC, and Mercado all offering very different looks at forward, it'll be interesting to see what combinations the Reign get the most out of. I remain pretty bullish on Jordyn's potential, and she has a skillset that nobody else on the Reign really does – there should be minutes for her.

Nérilia Mondésir – 6

Note that I really do not care what the lineup card said. Coco played this match as a forward. Also, she played most of this match really freaking well. We're starting to see the tantalizing promise turn into concrete chances, and on the subject of chances, Mondésir was all over a ton of them for the Reign. None came close to her 49th minute effort as she got inside her defender and jumped on the rebound of Dahlien's blistering shot, but unfortunately put it over the bar. Other than that, she won fouls in dangerous places, she won tackles in dangerous places, she set up Lynn Biyendolo, she set up Ainsley McCammon, she set up herself with her ball skills. You could ask that she dribble a little more judiciously, and look for the pass before she tries to take on three defenders at once, and you could ask her to please finish the big chance next time... but mostly? This was a great shift by a player who's showing herself to be pretty special.

Going forward. Heck, I love watching Mondésir on the ball. She adds sauce and flair to a team that was begging for both. There's still some work to do, but she feels like she's inches away from really clicking, and if she covers those inches, she might be a bona fide superstar for the Reign.

Substitutes

Lynn Biyendolo – 6 (on 46' for Jordyn Huitema)

Substituting on for Huitema at the half, Lynn Biyendolo made her first appearance for the Reign, and by Josh, it was worth the wait. Where Huitema offered some very strong holdup play and opportunistic chance creation, Biyendolo added that savvy mix of ruthlessness with her straight-line speed, veteran game understanding, and saucy service that she’s so frequently shown against us in the past. She had four shot-creating actions in 45 minutes, including a beautiful 81st minute ball to Maddie Dahlien, who zoomed in on goal for a spectacular chance that forced a (sadly) spectacular save. Biyendolo was all over the offense as the Reign chased a tying goal, and while they couldn't get it over the line against a resolute Orlando defense, there’s every reason to believe performances like this will yield goals far more often than they don't.

Going forward. Y’all, let’s be real, we knew how good Biyendolo still is, and I for one cannot wait to see her do this for us week after week. Keep Calm with Leg Sleeve On!

Angharad James-Turner – 5 (on 69' for Ainsley McCammon)

Haz came on to spell a fading McCammon later in the match, and had a very Angharad James-Turner sort of runout, where she touched the ball just 10 times, had just two defensive actions, but also completed seven of eight passes and made a blistering set piece run to get a very good chance on goal late. It was a solid and dependable substitute appearance in midfield with the odd bit of offensive contribution, and it's hard to ask much more than that in the circumstances.

Going forward. We've seen a lot of James-Turner already this season, and she's been more good than not, and better than most of last year. There's a lot of value in what she's bringing the team right now, and even if Meza becomes the presumptive starter at holding midfield, there should be plenty of minutes for Haz.

Shae Holmes – 4 (on 69' for Maddie Mercado)

Replacing Mercado after a hard shift, Holmes allowed Dahlien to shift higher up the pitch and get into more consistently dangerous positions, but she herself struggled with finding the game, turning the ball over on more than a third of her touches, and often looking a little lost in a role she hasn't played much of over the past few years. While it wasn't a great day at the office for her, the tactical shift she enabled did create a lot of danger for the Reign, and that's not nothing. Also, she added an immediate extra aerial presence on her side of the field, which helped the Reign tilt play as they ramped up pressure to search for an equalizer.

Going forward. There are a lot of things that Shae does well that allow her to cover at multiple defensive and midfield positions, but I’m not sure if she adds enough at any spot to break into a starting lineup with the team healthy. She might become 2025's most valuable utility sub, though.

Emeri Adames – 5 (on 79' for Madison Curry)

There’s something to be said for how Adames plays in her substitute appearances, something that’s just so joyfully chaotic. Touch the ball six times? Hell yeah, one of them’s going to be a big chance from six yards out, one of them’s going to slip a girl in on goal, two of them are going to be everyday passes to keep possession, and two of them are going to be turnovers. Emeri had a decent shot to tie the game late, but saw her effort blocked, and in limited minutes had limited time on the ball but outsized potential impact.

Going forward. Adames is a long-term investment and a big talent already showing her big upside, but Orlando’s disciplined defense didn’t give her anything easy. These hard, high-leverage, late-match minutes are important ones, but we should also look to start her some, too.

Ana-Maria Crnogorčević – N/A (on 87' for Lauren Barnes)

Crnogorčević checked in for Lauren Barnes for the last few minutes of the match, with the Reign ready to throw it all forward and go for broke. She didn’t touch the ball much, but she did put in an excellent dead ball service that McClernon got her head to, and that on another night could have easily been the tying goal.

Going forward. AMC didn't have a lot of time to influence the match and still influenced the match, and she remains an excellent option for forcing the issue high up the pitch. The Reign have a lot of very different looks at forward, and with a hard schedule and a lot of different teams to face, there should be plenty of moments for Ana-Maria as well.

Referee

Greg Dopka – 5

Center referee Greg Dopka called a fairly loose game, whistling 18 fouls on a night he probably could've whistled 30, and showing no cards. I would have preferred if he'd shown cards on a couple occasions, as there were at least a few moments that warranted one. I would also prefer to see fouls called even if the player with the ball tries to play through the contact that ultimately brings them down, but Dopka clearly didn't agree on that point. With that said, he generally handled things well, his advantage calls generally made sense, and he (annoyingly) correctly waved off a Reign appeal for a handling penalty late in the match.

Going forward. I’m not gonna lie. I don't have any idea what’s actually ‘average’ for a PRO referee at this level. The most consistent thing I’ve noticed about NWSL officiating is that it's incredibly, incomprehensibly inconsistent. Anyway, Dopka was basically fine.

And Another Thing..!

Result aside, this lineup and this strategy largely worked. A loss is a loss but this was about as encouraging a loss as exists. I was on the record last year wanting the Reign to try a similar tactical look more than once, arguing it made better use of the talent actually on the roster and could help get players more frequently into their best positions to be dangerous; I think that’s even more true this year.

More than anything, I hope Laura Harvey is willing to commit to a more assertive game more frequently. In this match, there were six Reign starters spending most of their time in the attacking half. This was also true of the excellent win at North Carolina. Commit to getting bodies forward, commit to creating chaos, commit to putting them under pressure. Be miserable to play against. We have the personnel for it.

And we look our best when we play as though we recognize that.