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 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 Close Spokane Fixture Trio with Draw to Expansion Denver
The Seattle Reign stayed perfect in their Spokane closer on Saturday, tying expansion side Denver Summit FC 0-0 on Saturday night to move to 3-1-1.
The Summit, fresh off their home opener, which drew over 60,000 fans in Colorado, have built a reputation of being tough to break down. Paired with a true scorer on the left wing in Melissa Kössler and a chance generator in striker Yazmeen Ryan, Denver was always on Seattle coach Laura Harvey's mind as a threat.
Indeed, the Summit burdened Seattle with 18 shots, but the Reign's active backline pressured many of those attempts. In the end, Denver produced just three shots on target and 1.2 expected goals on a day where the teams shared possession almost evenly.
Reign Overcome Travel Mishap, Weather Delay in Opening Day Win
The Seattle Reign waited on the tarmac in SeaTac for a chance to fly to Orlando on Friday morning.
And they waited.
And they waited.
They waited for around six hours before taking off, as weather and other circumstances caused delays. The team, frustrated from a full day of travel, had to wait again in the recesses of Inter&Co Stadium at halftime of their Sunday season-opening game against the Pride as nearly three hours of lightning delays added a new fold to the cross-country trip.
After all that, the Reign played to a 2-1 win in their season-opener against a team they had played and lost to twice in a row to close last season.
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.
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.
Reign Face Gotham with Chance to Leap into Third Place
The No. 5 Seattle Reign will head to New Jersey on Sunday to face No. 3 Gotham FC with a chance to move up in the postseason race. How do they stack up with their late-season opponent?
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.
Reign FC Looking to Hold Off Courage in Crucial Sunday Clash
The North Carolina Courage are just two points behind the Seattle Reign in the NWSL table with five games to play as each team fights for postseason seeding, making Sunday’s matchup a critical one for both squads.
Medical Emergency Suspends Reign vs. Louisville Match at Halftime
The Seattle Reign played to a scoreless draw through 45 minutes before Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo was taken off the field in an ambulance with a medical emergency on Sunday night. Still, there were some takeaways in the now-suspended match.
Reign Take on Fast-Paced and Trending Spirit Squad
Seattle Reign FC has drawn in three straight matches heading into a Sunday road date with the No. 2-seeded Washington Spirit.
Takeaways from Reign FC's Opening Match Draw vs. Gotham FC
While they didn’t come away with a win on opening night, the Reign FC demonstrated significant improvement compared to last year’s squad in a tightly-contested draw at Lumen Field.
Season Preview: Can Seattle Reign FC Climb Back to Promised Land?
After a tumultuous 2024 season both on and off the field, Seattle is looking for stability to find the way back to the top of the NWSL food chain.
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