WATCH: Reign Control Tempo, Down Dash at Home
The Seattle Reign looked much more dominant than the 1-0 scoreline suggested in Sunday’s win over the Houston Dash at Lumen Field.
The Reign outshot Houston 17-4, winning the expected-goal battle 1.8-0.2, but managed just one goal in the 52nd minute as Maddie Dahlien scored off a rare missed clearance from Dash keeper Jane Campbell. In the game, Dahlien took five shots to generate 0.7 xG on her own (per FotMob), but was unable to capitalize on multiple breakaway chances to create what head coach Laura Harvey believes could’ve been a blowout win.
Seattle, now 9-8-4 and holding onto the eighth and final NWSL playoff spot, notched its fifth result in its last six fixtures. But after the game, Dahlien and coach Laura Harvey acknowledged the Reign’s final product hasn’t been at its post-World Cup levels — Seattle has gone three games without scoring multiple goals after doing so in five prior matches.
Defensively, the Reign returned star midfielder Sam Meza after she missed three games with injury and picked up their sixth clean sheet of the season. Center back Phoebe McClernon recovered to stop Houston counters early on, allowing for the Reign to press forward without worry for the remainder of the game. To preserve the win, Seattle was able to keep a Houston squad that is among the best at scoring late off the board entirely.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down Sunday’s result and what it means as the Reign get into their final stretch of 2026.
WATCH: Sounders, Reign Drop Midweek Matches; Rave Green Lose Eighth Straight
The Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign both lost 2-1 on Wednesday, with the Sounders falling to MLS foe Austin FC at Lumen Field and the Reign losing to NWSL side Racing Louisville on the road.
The Sounders (7-9-3) dropped their franchise-record eighth MLS game in a row, falling to 12th in the Western Conference. Though young center back Stuart Hawkins scored late, the Rave Green were unable to cope with a rotated Austin team focused on its Leagues Cup run despite narrowly winning the expected-goal battle and outshooting the visitors.
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer backed the effort his injury-riddled team is putting in during this streak, but watched as All-Star center back Jackson Ragen exited the game early with a hyperextended knee. Schmetzer clarified that Ragen’s removal was precautionary.
At any rate, Seattle is now missing Cristian Roldan, Pedro de la Vega, Yeimar, Paul Arriola, Ragen, Jesus Ferreira and Jordan Morris with a trip to FC Cincinnati looming on Saturday. Cristian Roldan and Morris could make a return by that fixture.
As for the Reign (8-8-3), Wednesday marked another lost lead as Seattle couldn’t defend the advantage generated by leading scorer Maddie Mercado’s (seven goals in 2026) early goal. Instead, Louisville’s USWNT team star Emma Sears ran riot for a brace, scoring two goals against the run of play as Laura Harvey’s squad failed to deliver on a large xG night for the second game in a row.
The Reign, who suffered just their second loss since the June World Cup break, will also play again on Saturday as they head to defending Shield-winning Kansas City.
WATCH: Reign ‘Suffocate' Chicago, Grind Out 1-0 Win on Pride Night
SEATTLE, Wash. — The Seattle Reign managed their most dominant showing of the season on Friday night, compiling 3.3 expected goals thanks to a 24-5 shot disparity over the last-place Chicago Stars. But by full-time, Maddie Mercado’s 53rd-minute goal ended up being the decider in a 1-0 game that should have had every making of a blowout.
The result puts the Reign at 8-7-3, back into the playoff picture with 12 games left. Beyond helping their place in the table, it also marked a different kind of win for Seattle, which had scored multiple goals in its past five matches and had to defend leads by scoring more.
The younger Reign squad instead had to burn clock and keep possession on Friday night to ensure they earned a win on a night where they underperformed on the offensive end.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down how the Reign looked so dominant despite the close scoreline.
WATCH: Reign Split Points with Angel City in Thriller Battle For Last Playoff Spot
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down a 2-2 Sunday draw between the Seattle Reign (7-7-3, 9th in NWSL) and Angel City FC (7-7-3, 8th in NWSL).
Attacking midfielder Sally Menti and striker Mia Fishel each finished with a goal and assist as the Reign scored their two goals within two minutes of each other in the early second half. The result marks the second straight game Seattle has managed to change a result by scoring in the second half — something the Reign have struggled with in 2026. Fishel’s goal, a curling shot to the top-left corner in the 52nd minute, was a showstopper as the 24-year-old finds her footing with her third goal of the season.
Angel City substitute Prisca Chilufya scored a floating goal in the 72nd, however, to equalize before both teams missed out on late chances at a winner in stoppage.
Seattle remains out of the playoff picture with 13 games to play by virtue of Angel City having a better goal differential. The Reign will be back in action at Lumen Field at 7 p.m. on Friday against the Chicago Stars.
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.
Reign Collapse Late, Drop First Game Back vs. Courage
If the Seattle Reign drew up their picture-perfect return to play after over a month away from playing, it certainly wouldn't have played out like Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the North Carolina Courage.
While the Reign (4-6-2, 11th in NWSL) got off to a solid start thanks to an impressive run from striker Mia Fishel leading to a Sally Menti goal, three questionable concessions left Seattle deflated by the end of the night.
North Carolina winger Ashley Sanchez continued her nine-goal campaign with a brace, scoring in the 22nd and 71st to bookend a feel-good home outing for the Courage (6-3-3, 7th). Riley Jackson buried a penalty kick in the 64th to give the Courage the lead in an opportunity conceded by a mishandled Madison Curry tackle.
On a blistering and humid 95-degree night in Cary, head coach Laura Harvey simply saw her team run out of the juice that had propelled it to scoring first — something her struggling offense has done rarely in 2026.
"We got a little bit tired and we got a little bit stretched and ended up chasing the game," Harvey said. “It wasn’t like they had loads and loads of chances… it was just those slight little moments.”
WATCH: How Can Reign Climb Back Into NWSL Contention?
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down the trends that are making teams successful in the NWSL right now and how the middling Seattle Reign (4-5-2, 10th in NWSL) can apply those ideas to get back in the fight. The Reign are back in action on July 4 against North Carolina as the current World Cup/CBA-mandated break continues.
WATCH: Recapping an Up-and-Down Start for Reign in 2026
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down a rocky start to the Seattle Reign’s 2026 season. Seattle is 4-5-2 at the World Cup/CBA break with 19 games to play, leaving the Reign in 10th place in the NWSL and out of playoff positioning — down from a fifth-place finish in 2025. Seattle has managed a win in just one of its final seven games before the break.
Seattle’s offense is tied for the second-least productive group in the league, while the defense is tied for the fourth-fewest goals allowed as head coach Laura Harvey's young squad struggles to find consistency in the face of key injuries and growing pains. Still, with such a young squad, the Reign can’t be counted out yet.
Reign Fall to Spirit, Dip Under .500 Ahead of June Break
The Seattle Reign were dealt their third loss in five matches on Saturday afternoon, as they fell to the Washington Spirit 2-1 on a late goal from Hal Hershfelt.
Seattle (4-5-2) has notoriously struggled to score recently, putting a five-game scoreless streak behind it with a 2-1 win at Boston last week. Though the Reign got on the board on Saturday, it was an unforced error as Lucia Di Guglielmo chipped her own keeper, USWNT prospect Sandy MacIver, trying to keep the ball away from Maddie Mercado on a break-out play.
By the end of the match, Seattle had put just two shots on target for an underwhelming 0.5 expected goals while giving up 1.8 to a dynamic Spirit team on the other end. Washington and USWNT star Trinity Rodman burned Seattle's right side most of the day, creating multiple chances and assisting on Hershfelt's transition winner.
The loss dropped the Reign to 10th place in the NWSL, with Seattle losing three of its last five to enter the June CBA/World Cup break on a slide. The Reign will have until July 4 at North Carolina to process this result with 19 matches to go.
Reign Devastated By Late Washington Goal in Loss, Continue Scoreless Streak
Seattle Reign coach Laura Harvey was dejected in her postgame presser.
Sunday saw her team try to break a three-game scoreless streak against a hot Washington Spirit team led by USWNT star Trinity Rodman. Though the Reign hit the crossbar in the early going, their issues with quality in the final third continued to frustrate the team as the game wore on.
With six minutes of regular time to play, the Spirit, which hadn't generated many of their typical chances all night, drove a dagger into the Reign as substitute Claudia Martinez scored off a Seattle turnover.
Seattle dropped to 3-3-2, now winless in their last four with zero goals to show in each.
Reign Bounce Back with Rainy Road Draw in Houston
The Seattle Reign followed their worst loss of the season (by goal totals, at least) last Sunday with a 0-0 draw to the Houston Dash on Friday night.
The result moved Seattle (fifth in NWSL) to 3-2-2 and marked the Reign's third straight game without a goal, despite 1.4 expected goals on 16 shots.
The Reign were without the services of veteran Jess Fishlock, set to miss an extended period of time after a scary ankle injury in that 3-0 loss to Utah on Sunday. They also had a flu bug run through the team throughout the week, as Nerilia "Coco" Mondesir had to sub on late as she was sick during the abbreviated week — Seattle held its only practice on Thursday in Houston.
Despite it all, striker Mia Fishel had an up-and-down game while young wingers Maddie Dahlien and Emeri Adames powered the offense for much of the night.
Spurring the clean sheet on was star keeper Claudia Dickey, who made five key saves, while facing multiple dangerous set pieces and five Houston corners.
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 Bounce Back in Spokane, Revive Offense Against Current
The rearview mirror.
That's where the Seattle Reign put last Friday’s 2-0 loss to the nine-player their rival Portland Thorns with a 3-0 win over the defending NWSL Shield champion Kansas City Current on Wednesday night at ONE Spokane Stadium.
Angrahad James-Turner opened the scoring in the 18th minute with her first goal since 2024, while Brittany Ratcliffe found her second goal with the team, and Maddie Mercado netted her first goal of 2026. Sofia Huerta, the NWSL's all-time assist leader, had a hand in the last two goals to push her career assist tally to 33 as the Reign improved to 2-1-0.
Keeper Claudia Dickey also picked up the clean sheet, as her 14th career zero-spot moved her into first place in club history.
With Lumen Field nearing the end of its World Cup renovations, the team is spending its next two games east of the Cascades. It's safe to say this midweek shellacking of a rotating Current side (1-2-0) was a good way to get things rolling.
Maddie Mercado Among Young Reign Players Looking to Reignite Offense in 2026
The Seattle Reign returned to practice on Thursday with 22 players rostered from the 2025 campaign, looking to build on a strong season with several young players aiming to take a big step forward.
Young Reign Roster 24 Players After Personnel Decision Announcement
The Seattle Reign announced their post-2025 roster decisions on Tuesday morning as the franchise values youth moving forward.
Final Chance Woes Down Reign in First Round, 2025 Campaign Ends in Orlando
The No. 5 Seattle Reign generated plenty of chances but failed to get on the board in a 2-0 NWSL Quarterfinals loss to the No. 4 Orlando Pride on Friday night.
Reign Draw with Pride in Decision Day Thriller, Set Up First Round Rematch
The No. 5 Seattle Reign rode a late Jordyn Bugg equalizer to a 1-1 Decision Day draw with the No. 4 Orlando Pride on Sunday, meaning the two squads will play a first-round game in Orlando in a week's time.
Explore our latest Seattle sports content by clicking on your favorite team(s) below!
