Early Reign FC Observations as NWSL Heads Into International Break
After the first three games of the NWSL season, Seattle Reign FC sits in 6th place with a 1-1-1 record as the league takes a week long break for international fixtures. There’s multiple positives, and a few concerns, after the first three weeks of the season with one result in each category.
Here are the most notable reactions as we enter the first weekend without NWSL games since the season started:
2025 is a stark contrast from 2024
Perhaps the most positive outcome at least from a big picture standpoint in the beginning of the season for Reign FC is how different the beginning of the sschedule has felt compared to last year. 2024 was arguably the worst year in the franchise’s history for many reasons, but the results on the field were the main outcome that represented that. There are so many things that already look different in 2025 even just three games into the season. The first and most obvious was the splashy move to bring in a proven NWSL star in Lynn Biyendolo, which indicated that the financial situation of the club was relatively stable.
However, it’s not just the big name signings that indicate this club is on an upward trajectory, as the signing of Jordyn Bugg shows an approach to go get the next wave of talent, not just the well known names that have had success in the league up until this point. It shows a confidence in the scouting department to get someone that is that young and trust them to be a starting piece in the team right away - and look the part. Along those same lines, Seattle has taken the approach of building from the back forward. One of the biggest issues from the 2024 team was their inability to keep the ball out of their own net, and the signings of Bugg and Madison Curry has shored up the defensive structure which can do wonders for getting more results even when the team performance isn’t there.
The midfield has been a bright spot
While Reign FC has yet to get more out of the forward spot like they had hoped entering this season, one of the bigger question marks revolved around the aging midfield of So-Yun Ji, Jess Fishlock, and Angharad James and if they would be able to keep up with a lot of younger, more athletic groups across the league. Not only have they done that, they have been a bright spot in the early season with Fishlock and Ji getting on the scoresheet and James playing her role very well to keep things locked down as Fishlock and Ji pushes forward.
The experience from the group has been imperative as well for a team that is getting younger at every other position, as having veterans that have played at the highest level before is extremely important for NWSL teams, especially if they can back it up with their play. Tactically, it also looks to be working wonders as there seems to be much more balance in the midfield this year. James is holding down the six role, just in front of the back line, while Ji is able to roam and help on attack and defense as a box-to-box midfielder and Fishlock seems to be turning back the clock with the freedom to be a true playmaker.
Question marks for Jordyn Huitema
The biggest concern leading into the international break for Reign FC has to be the involvement, or lack thereof, of star striker Jordyn Huitema. After starting the opening game of the season against Gotham FC, she was an unused substitute in the win versus North Carolina. Perhaps most concerning about that development is how much more connected the attack looked without her in the lineup. It can be difficult as a striker when you rely on service from your teammates to get opportunities and sometimes it can be a bit of coincidence that in one game there doesn’t seem to be any sort of creativity so the striker has to rely on scraps. Then in the next game, it becomes completely wide open. But there also is something to be said about what a striker can do to both get themselves involved without having to rely on playmakers, and also the ability to affect the game in other ways besides scoring. While the main job for a striker is to put the ball in the net, so many teams, including Seattle, are trending towards the route of a full team offense where it’s all about the process of creating chances with everyone getting involved and whoever is the one that happens to be there to finish it off, they do it.
What does all of that mean for the Reign FC star? Huitema has to find a way to develop her game in multiple ways to both create chances for herself, but also learn how to be a bigger part of the buildup and possibly setting up other teammates. It’s definitely a skill in the bag of the youngster, but it has to be apparent on a more consistent basis.
The youth movement is here
Overall for Reign FC, the biggest development has to be the impact and importance of young players in this team. For so long, in the days of Megan Rapinoe and more, Seattle was a well known team that had their star power come from veteran players and that’s how they would get the majority of their production throughout the season. In the last two years, almost by default with the retirement of the legend, that focus has shifted to a youth movement approach. From substitutions that lead to a game tying goal from a 19-year old on opening night, to an undoubtedly goal of the year contender from your 18-year old center back, to just solid defensive play and a lock down approach from that same 18-year old, Seattle is in good hands both in the present and the future.
