Dickey Stars in Return as Reign Hold Off Wave for Quality Road Win
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali details a 2-0 win for the Seattle Reign (6-7-2, 10th in NWSL) over the 4th-place San Diego Wave (9-6-2) on Sunday afternoon. Keeper Claudia Dickey managed a career-high nine saves to earn the clean sheet while midfielder Ainsley McCammon became the youngest player in NWSL history to net multiple assists in a single game.
The result put a 3-2 loss in which Seattle blew a 2-0 lead to Gotham last week behind the Reign as leading scorer Maddie Mercado (17’) scored for a third straight game while center back Jordyn Bugg (20’) netted her first goal of the season. Head coach Laura Harvey also became the first coach in league history to reach 100 regular-season wins with the same club.
The Reign head to Bay FC next on August 1 before returning to Lumen Field on August 9 for a bout with Angel City FC. Seattle is two points out of a playoff spot at the midway point of the season.
Reign Allow 3 Goals in 16 Minutes, Blow 2-0 Lead to Gotham
No one knew just how to evaluate what happened to the Seattle Reign on Saturday afternoon.
Facing defending NWSL champion and first-place team Gotham FC after a two-and-a-half hour lightning delay in a 5,000-person capacity stadium on account of the nearby World Cup final, Seattle led 2-0 heading into the 80th minute. Two first half goals from Mia Fishel and Maddie Mercado, respectively, had landed them in an advantageous spot late. The former scored her first goal with the team, marking cause for celebration.
But with Gotham FC bringing world-class offensive talents in the newly signed Sam Kerr and Esther Gonzalez for the second half, Reign coach Laura Harvey dropped her team into a backline of five to nurse the lead and keep the pair at bay.
Gotham, even in the smoky conditions which required four hydration breaks by the game's end, put the pedal to the metal on Seattle for entire second half. They finished the game with over 70% possession as Gonzalez found the net in the 81st. Then in the fourth minute of a 10-minute second-half stoppage, Gonzalez scored again on a nifty pass from winger Jaedyn Shaw.
Then, former Seattle star Rose Lavelle put the finishing touches on the comeback with a transition banger of a strike, scoring past Reign reserve keeper Cassie Miller from just inside the box in the seventh minute of added time.
The stunning result was worsened by the fact that Maddie Dahlien, who had been so dynamic on the left wing for Seattle all afternoon, missed a penalty that would have made it 3-0 in the second half.
The result dropped Seattle to 5-7-2, good for 11th in the NWSL, while Gotham improved to 9-3-3 to take hold of first place in the league. The loss comes on the heels of a signature 2-0 win from the Reign over Portland.
"That game was on us," Fishel said postgame. "We did it to ourselves."
Cassie Miller Shines, Reign Top Thorns 2-0 to Split Cascadia Series
The Seattle Reign came into Sunday's rematch with their vaunted rival Portland Thorns at 4-6-2 and losers of four of their last five games.
But records never matter in the biggest grudge match in the NWSL, and Seattle proved it by delivering the Thorns their only shutout loss of the season to place Portland at 8-4-3 in a 2-0 win. Seattle moved up to 10th place with the win, still three points out of a top-eight playoff spot with a game in hand over the Orlando Pride.
Reserve keeper Cassie Miller, in for the second straight week for injured star Claudia Dickey (ankle), had the game of her life to earn the clean sheet. Miller tabbed nine saves in front of nearly 15,000 fans - Seattle's fourth-highest attendance figure in any match. It marked the full circle of a story for the 31-year-old that featured a leg injury which forced her to miss most of the 2025 season.
Also rounding out a comeback story was right back Ryanne Brown. Brown tore her ACL during the 2024 season, prompting her to miss all of 2025 and play just 22 minutes total in 2026 in the lead-up to Sunday.
She earned her first start with typical starter Madison Curry (ankle) out with an injury, and scored an incredible long distance goal to open the scoring. Maddie Mercado doubled the advantage later in the first half while Miller endured 10 shots on frame to seal a 2-0 win.
Head coach Laura Harvey, who hasn't had much to smile about on the field lately, put this game up there with any of Seattle's performances in 2026.
"It was probably the closest to the best 90-minute performance that I can probably remember since (the 2-1 win) over Orlando (in March)," Harvey said. "Really proud of the group."
Chants of "Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Thorns on the top!" rang out as time wound down on a picture perfect day - one that could turn Seattle's season around.
Meza, McCammon Shine For Reign as Products of Texas Youth Club Solar SC
Sam Meza and Ainsley McCammon have become a staple in the Seattle Reign's midfield this season. The duo has started three of four games for the upstart Reign (3-1-1), who have notched nine or more points over their first four games for the third time in club history (per OptaJack) in 2026.
Meza, 24, and McCammon, 18, however, are at very different points in their career. For one, Meza had a decorated four-year collegiate career at North Carolina, reaching as far as the NCAA tournament's quarterfinals in her All-American career. McCammon, on the other hand, decided to go pro at just 16 years old, passing on a collegiate career with the University of Virginia.
But the duo, as different as their paths and current situations have been, both joined the Reign in 2024, and both have become integral pieces to the future of a young organization. Through five games in 2026, the Reign are hitting their stride going into the current three-week international break, with Meza and McCammon bringing stability to a team dealing with injuries to stars like defender Jordyn Bugg.
Beyond joining Seattle at the same time, they share a background in both being from the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and both spending time with the youth organization of Solar Soccer Club.
Reign Continue Spokane Success with 2-1 Win Over Louisville
The Seattle Reign have found themselves quite a home east of the Cascades.
The team, set for three straight games in Spokane while Lumen Field finishes World Cup renovations, finished the second fixture of that stand with a 2-1 win over Racing Louisville on Saturday afternoon. Maddie Mercado struck first on a keeper error in the 10th minute before Nerilia "Coco" Mondesir turned a smooth team play into the team's second goal right before the half.
Although a late stoppage-time Louisville goal spoiled a would-be clean sheet, Claudia Dickey and the Seattle defense were superb in shutting down a Racing side missing one of the league's brightest stars in Emma Sears. With the result, the Reign improved to 3-1-0, with all their contests coming away from the Emerald City as the team is just under a month away from returning to its home pitch in SoDo.
By the end of Saturday’s match, however, those two first-half chances for Seattle outweighed anything Louisville could produce despite 19 shots by the final whistle.
"I think it might be a conversation about moving (to Spokane)," Reign head coach Laura Harvey joked postgame.
Reign Send Out Barnes With Playoff-Clinching Win in Regular Season Home Finale
The Seattle Reign outlasted the Utah Royals 2-1 on Friday night to clinch a playoff spot as they honored league legend Lauren Barnes after her retirement announcement earlier this week.
Reign Avert Complete Disaster, Draw With Lowly Bay FC
The No. 5 Seattle Reign played to a draw with No. 13 Bay FC thanks to a late goal from Jess Fishlock on Friday night.
Reign Leap to No. 4 Seed with Comeback Win Over North Carolina
The Seattle Reign (9-7-6, 33 points, fourth in NWSL) overcame a disallowed goal and a one-goal deficit to take down the North Carolina Courage in a crucial game for playoff seeding on Sunday night.
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