Meza, McCammon Shine For Reign as Products of Texas Youth Club Solar SC
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Seattle Reign midfielder Ainsley McCammon goes for a pass during a game against Racing Louisville on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Wash. (Jane Gershovich / Reign FC Communications) [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. — 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.
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Solar has produced plenty of NWSL talent, with 12 players in a league many consider the best in women's soccer. In terms of collegiate talent, Solar graduated 87 players in 2023 alone who committed to play collegiate soccer.
Five of those players currently on NWSL rosters belong to the Reign, including last year's leading scorer in Emeri Adames, Sofia Cedeno and keeper Evan O'Steen.
USWNT talent like Jaedyn Shaw also came through Solar, with Racing Louisville's sole scorer in the 2-1 loss to Seattle last Saturday, Macy Blackburn, also developing in that system.
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Solar Soccer Club executive director Adrian Solca coaches one of the club’s ECNL sides in Dallas, Texas in September 2025. (Courtesy of Solar SC) [/caption]
In the center of the "Solar System" is executive director Adrian Solca, who oversees over 230 boys and girls teams (approximately 3,000 players) of different age groups and skill levels.
Although Meza and McCammon's age difference meant they never played together, the Romanian coach, who played for his country's youth squad in the 90s, coached each player's team directly.
Both players credit Solca with helping to instill a rare passion for development that they still carry today. Solca still texts his former players to check on them, especially if he’s able to catch their NWSL games.
“He texted me after the (Louisville) game, and I think that just goes to show he cares so much about us and about our happiness,” McCammon said. “That is honestly the difference-maker, because you don’t get that from every coach.”
For Solca and Solar, it comes naturally.
"They are special people for my heart too, both of them, because they love soccer," Solca said of the midfielders. "They made a lot of sacrifices to be where they are today… I just hope we can see them in the World Cup and we can see them winning a championship this year for Seattle."
Different Eras, Different Paths
The age difference between Meza and McCammon is apparent in the routes they took to the pros.
According to Meza, college was an inevitability of sorts when she turned 18. She committed to a solid program in North Carolina, learning life skills while playing under a rigorous program that practically had ratings for every individual facet of player development.
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Seattle Reign midfielder Sam Meza dribbles by defenders during a game against Racing Louisville on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Wash. (Jane Gershovich / Seattle Reign FC Communications) [/caption]
It was a brutal four years, but a beneficial stretch.
"For me, college was so vital. Like I don't know, I mean, I'm sure I'd figure (professional soccer) out, and kudos to (younger Reign players like McCammon), because I honestly don't know how they're surviving in this space," Meza said. "(College) provided a space for me to continue to grow … it's still a nurtured space, you still have a little bit of freedom, you can still make mistakes that won't cost you."
The Reign, along with other young squads like the Portland Thorns, may be the NWSL's prime examples of the new youth pipeline that is skipping college and going straight to the pros. Adames and Bugg are shining examples of the new route.
For McCammon, going pro at 16 years old was something that happened rather abruptly.
While still an underclassman in high school, McCammon committed to the University of Virginia. Playing at Solar, however, she noticed a drop-off in competition after other players got the collegiate offers they wanted.
"For me personally, I knew that I wanted to keep pushing," McCammon said.
She got a top agent, Spencer Wadsworth of Wasserman, soon after the realization. Wadsworth set up trials with an assortment of professional sides to help McCammon “keep pushing.”
One of those organizations was the Super League's Arsenal in England — a global brand of a football team.
"That was the first moment where I was like, 'Wow, this is what I want,'" McCammon said. "Being 16 at that moment, I was like, 'I think I want to start in the U.S.'"
Wadsworth then reached out to the Reign, with McCammon having upcoming Elite Club National League (ECNL) playoffs in the Emerald City at the time.
"I went the week before (playoffs), trained with Seattle, loved it, like it was such a great fit," McCammon said. "It was really cool because the coaches came and watched my (ECNL) games, which was kind of crazy."
On the flight home to Texas, McCammon made up her mind.
She signed with Seattle.
"It moved so fast after that, I was like, 'Holy smokes, this is crazy,'" McCammon said. "Went home for a week, got all my stuff, said my goodbyes, and then came back (to Seattle)."
It's a done deal 🤝
Seattle Reign FC Signs Defender Jordyn Bugg and Midfielder Ainsley McCammon— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc) July 19, 2024
As for how the pair differs, Meza is more of a reserved personality while McCammon is a vocal leader. McCammon, who is set to train with the U.S. U-20 team during the break, has been named team captain of multiple youth national and club teams already. In just her third year in the pros at 18 years old, Reign coach Laura Harvey has the ultimate belief in her midfielder — even with club legends like Jess Fishlock and Sofia Huerta manning the primary leadership roles.
“(McCammon) has natural leadership skills. So she could wear the captain’s armband tomorrow, and it wouldn’t faze her; she just has that in her,” Harvey said.
In the grand scheme of things, six years isn’t long in terms of the gap between Meza and McCammon’s youth eras. But the advent of the NWSL and global superstars like Trinity Rodman has made for more opportunities for the women's game to start adopting staples of the sprawling networks of youth development found in the men's game.
Namely, the opportunity to see a professional setting at a young age.
When Solca started at Solar in 2002 after winning a visa lottery from Romania in 1999, the club was more known for its boys developmental programs. Over the years, the number of girls prospects churned out by Solar has shifted that perception, with some opting for a pro route instead of college ball.
"There are more opportunities for female soccer players, worldwide, not just in the U.S.," Solca said. "For the ones that really dream to play professional, to play in the World Cup… they see this as an acceleration and continuation to a full-time, year-round progression."
"Playing in the most competitive league, just looking to learn… amongst the best in the world in the NWSL. That's a decision they have to make. Is it risky? Yes. Is it fulfilling? If they're gonna make it, yes."
That kind of freedom to choose different paths is something Meza has come to appreciate in today's game.
"Each individual journey is different," Meza said. "At some point, talent is talent. So if you're talented and you put in the work, it's clear that you can come to the same point."
A Solar Reunion
Although Meza and McCammon never played together in a youth setting on account of their age gap, Meza returned home for winter break while at UNC one year. Still trying to figure out her next steps in terms of going pro, she reached out to Solca and asked to train with Solar.
Solca obliged, bringing Meza and some other star alumni like USWNT talent Jaedyn Shaw. Solca, coaching the 2007 squad at the time that featured McCammon, said the initial training session turned into days of the two generations sharing the pitch.
"That was kind of a crazy full-circle moment," McCammon said of the training sessions. We kind of knew each other already, but then being able to actually play together has been just really fun."
Solca could see the partnership and chemistry between his former player and current midfielder, even in limited minutes.
"They clicked," Solca said. "They were just enjoying playing together."
Though the talent of the players on the pitch was likely always going to take them places, Meza and McCammon gave credit to Solca for furthering their love for the game.
"Solar as a club is obviously super special, but I think the common factor for us is (Solca) and just being part of his team," Meza said, noting that he’s coached other pro talent like Messiah Bright, Trinity Byars and others. "He's just a passionate guy… he's dedicated his life to the sport."
Carving Out a Spot in the NWSL
Since joining the team, Meza and McCammon have experienced a tough transitional year of losing in 2024 and a youth-based resurgence in 2025. 2026, by their accounts, is a second chapter of sorts, building on the foundation the team set with a fifth-place league finish after finishing 13th in 2024.
Neither player had much of a hand in that 2024 season, as McCammon played two games while Meza didn't see the pitch. It’s worth noting, however, that a 17-year-old McCammon made history as the youngest starter in Reign history in October of that season.
We LOVE to see it 😍
Ainsley McCammon is the youngest starter in regular season history! pic.twitter.com/B0YCa89QEt— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc) October 5, 2024
2024 was the first time McCammon could remember having to sit for a long period of time. She noted it was a tough year mentally and physically, but that the experience was beneficial to understand herself and the pro scene better, knowing she wanted to carve a role out in the defensive midfield all along.
The more seasoned Meza, on the other hand, needed more time on the pitch elsewhere, by Harvey's accounts.
"Ainsley knew exactly who she was when she got here, and our job was just to develop here. Whereas Sam, it was 'Where was she going to fit in the professional game?'" Harvey said, noting Meza hadn’t played the defending midfield role much in college. "She's found a spot, but it took her a little bit longer."
To find herself, Meza went home.
The Reign loaned her to the Dallas Trinity of the newly formed USL Super League, as Dallas offered the hometown player more minutes off the bat in August.
Indeed, she became a staple of the Trinity, starting in the club's first-ever XI a few weeks later. By the winter break, Meza scored twice with an assist, picking up a player-of-the-month honor and regaining her form with second-place Dallas ahead of a return to the NWSL.
In 2025, the tandem became indispensable to a team reliant on the development of young talent.
Meza immediately became one of the best defenders in the league with 21 starts in 26 games, sinking into the “six” role with ease after the loan next to Seattle’s own Sally Menti. Her quality was no longer a secret in the USL Super League, as Meza made her first start with the USWNT in June of 2025. She’s up to three caps with the national squad to this day.
McCammon started seven games and played 16 with an assist in 2025 as Harvey felt comfortable bringing the young player along quickly.
This season, the tandem has become a normal fixture in the starting XI, with three starts side-by-side in five games. Meza appears to be hitting new heights, as her recent performance against the Denver Summit saw the midfielder manage a game-high seven tackles as she simply plays at a different pace.
That through ball from McCammon ✨
Nerilia Mondesir scores her first goal since 2024 off of Ainsley McCammon's first career assist! pic.twitter.com/rnVvjXkdLY— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc) March 28, 2026
McCammon has generated a few solid chances as more of a playmaker so far this season. None was greater than her assist to Nerilia “Coco” Mondesir against Racing Louisville, as her timing seems to get better with more professional reps.
Though Meza and McCammon are off to a solid start together, Harvey said the strength in her team's midfield is the depth.
Both Sally Menti and Angrahad James-Turner have found solid minutes in the middle, as Harvey will have multiple pieces to rotate as a long season gets underway.
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Seattle Reign forward Emeri Adames strikes the ball during a game against Racing Louisville on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Wash. (Jane Gershovich / Seattle Reign FC Communications) [/caption]
As for the team, 2026 has been a sort of continuation of the progress made by the Reign in 2025. With the young nucleus, including Bugg, McCammon, Maddie Dahlien, Adames, Mia Fishel and more developing their chemistry, Seattle has a chance to build on this hot start when it returns to Lumen Field on April 26.
"We're just continuing the journey," McCammon said.
For now, the Reign continue their international break with McCammon on duty with the U.S. U-20 team ahead of next year's women's World Cup.
