Player Ratings: Seattle Reign FC Drop Home Match vs. Washington Spirit
The Seattle Reign struggled to create chances from open play all night long on Friday night as two first half goals would end up being the difference in the game and the Washington Spirit would leave Lumen Field with all three points. Shae Holmes bagged her first goal of the season, but that would be all the offense on the day for the Reign.
Here are the complete player ratings from the loss:
Claudia Dickey - 6
The Reign No. 1 kept Seattle in the match with some top quality saves as Washington was peppering her goal all night long. She could have done better on both goals in coming out to claim the cross. With defenders running towards their own goal to try and stay with the offensive players, having a goalkeeper that takes charge and claims crosses out of the air make defending those areas a lot easier. Seattle has struggled against crosses all season long, and whoever plays goalie for the Reign should be doing more to help out her defenders.
Lauren Barnes - 4
Sometimes it can be hard to tell who is at fault on certain goals, as many teams employ different tactics to defend certain situations. Having Barnes be near the goal scorer on both occasions on Friday was most likely not a coincidence. It seems that there is some disconnect between the back three and the goalkeeper as to who’s responsibility it is to deal with crosses from certain angles and it hurt Seattle all night long.
Phoebe McClernon - 4
As mentioned above, sometimes it can be hard to tell who is at fault in certain situations defensively, but McClernon was also heavily involved in both goals allowed by Seattle, failing to deal with crosses consistently all night long. For as much as Seattle has improved defensively from last year, dealing with crosses from wide positions has been an area of concern all season long.
Jordyn Bugg - 5
Bugg was not as much at fault for the two goals as her defensive counterparts, but she didn’t necessarily have her cleanest game either. She does an excellent job on the offensive side of the ball in providing an option to keep possession for the midfield, but she still has a lot to pick up on defensively. Most of the time she is able to make up for a lack of positional awareness with her speed and physicality, but if she is going to take the next step in her development, there has to be growth in the mental areas of the game. It is hard to remember she is still only 18.
Shae Holmes - 7
Holmes didn’t take long to get Seattle equalized just minutes after going down 1-0, netting a goal to knot things up. She unfortunately was at least partially at fault for the first Spirit goal, however, with a similar theme to her teammates along the back line: an inability to deal with crosses. She did well in getting forward and providing width as a wing back, and getting your first NWSL goal will always be a productive outcome for the 25-year old.
A career moment for @_shaeholmes as she scores her first-ever @NWSL goal! 💙 pic.twitter.com/t3ZNVmtEgM— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc) May 24, 2025
Samantha Meza - 6
Meza did not have the usual heavy influence on the match that we have become used to seeing in recent games. Whether it was a plan by Washington to limit possession in them middle of the field or just poor execution by Seattle to get their best player so far this season the ball more often, she wasn’t able to put her stamp on the match. Even so, she still was tidy in possession and did her defensive work when asked, so it’s hard to knock her too much.
Angharad James - 5
With Seattle playing a back three, James has had more ground to cover in recent matches and it’s not necessarily the best spot for her to be in. She is best in a double pivot with another attacking midfielder in front of her to take over creative duties. In the current setup, James is being asked to have a more hybrid defense/attacking role and while she is excellent at one part of that, it may not be the best option Seattle has in that spot moving forward.
Madison Curry - 6
Curry played her part in the game well. She still is struggling to impact the game on the offensive side of the ball consistently, but she makes up for it with her solid defending from the wing back position. Could she have closed down a little bit quicker on the cross for Washington’s second goal? Possibly, but it’s hard to pin that much of a blame for the goal on her when so much else had to go wrong.
Maddie Dahlien - 5
There will be a common theme with the forward three: not enough service. It is so hard to thrive further up the field as a forward when your team struggles to move the ball into that area of the field. The few chances that Dahlien got, she tried to do what she could in taking people on and creating something but it didn’t fully come off.
Emeri Adames - 6
Similar to Dahlien, Adames was hardly involved as Seattle struggled to get their best offensive players in good positions all night long. She was tidy in possession though, and did a little bit better in coming back deeper to receive the ball and try and make something happen from a deeper position.
Jordyn Huitema - 5
The person who suffered most in the flow of the game on Friday night was Huitema. She was devoid of service, and it can really affect a forwards ability to get involved in the game. Unlike her other two forwards with her, she undoubtedly has been asked to stretch the field and be an outlet to help relieve pressure defensively. This means she will not be able to drop deep and receive the ball just to get some touches and get a rhythm because Seattle needs someone occupying the opposing center backs.
