Reign Bounce Back in Spokane, Revive Offense Against Current
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The Seattle Reign celebrate a goal against the Kansas City Current on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at ONE Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Wash. (Jane Gershovich / Reign FC Communications) [/caption]
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.
"No one was more upset about Friday than we were. But I think what we knew was Friday night wasn't who we are," head coach Laura Harvey said postgame. "We can put it to bed now… What you saw in the (opening win at Orlando), and what you saw tonight, is truly the team that I believe we have."
Reign Dominate Early, Overwhelm Current
Although the Thorns loss was partly due to Seattle's inability to create early in this 2026 season, the Reign showed how volatile results can be in the first few match days with a brilliant first-half display of playmaking and scoring.
It's mandatory to note that KC was missing its MVP in Temwa Chawinga while the Current rested stars in Croix Bethune, Lo'eau LaBonta, Debinha and Michelle Cooper for the first half to account for the three-game week.
Gianna Paul, Laney Rouse, Haley Hopkins, Raquel Rodriguez and Elizabeth Paul each made their first starts of the season for KC in relief as the Current's press looked disjointed.
Like the opening moments from the Portland game, Seattle's individual quality put the Current on the back foot on Friday evening. Emeri Adames, still just 19 years old after leading Seattle in goals last season, made her presence known on the right wing in her first start of 2026.
She made some instinctive passes, leaving a ball for captain Jess Fishlock, who ended up being blocked by reigning keeper of the year Lorena near the goal. In the 11th, Huerta had a lightning-quick first touch to get past her defender, drawing a yellow as Penelope Hocking pulled her down.
Two minutes later, Adames isolated on the right side again as the Reign worked past an inexperienced press with ease to create chances in transition. Adames found a shot on target in the 15th and made a heady switch to Ratcliffe, leading to a crossover dribble for Fishlock to draw a free kick from 20 yards out.
Seattle was having its way in the early going.
On the ensuing free kick, Huerta's shot was deflected for a narrow miss to the left, but the Reign were knocking on the door nonetheless. On the following corner, James-Turner controlled a rebound with one touch, striking it into a deflection from Lorena. The ball went straight up, before falling into the top-right corner of the net to put Seattle ahead in the 18th.
With the Reign working in wide open spaces, they looked for number two in the 26th minute as Huerta delivered a curling ball into the box. Fishlock drew two defenders while trying to go up for a header while Ratcliffe waited for the ball to drop at the far post. Like James-Turner, she hit it on the first time as the Reign were up 2-0 in the blink of an eye.
After Adames got on her horse in transition again, she had a shot get blocked in the 31st. A minute later, Huerta delivered a ball for Mercado, as the former Notre Dame star hit a pure header to make it 3-0 in her first goal of the season. It was also her first goal since returning from a possibly career-changing loan at the end of last season.
After failing to take advantage of the numbers game in Portland, Seattle looked like it had 20 attackers on the field on Wednesday night.
"We didn't create enough overloads in wide areas on Friday, and two of the goals came from that today," Harvey said. "So whether you're playing against a team who's down to nine players or 11 players, if you can't get past to 1-v-1, having the ability to have that overload can really hurt a team.
"There's no one better in this league at crossing the ball from those positions than (Huerta), that's why she's got the records she's got."
After the initial barrage, Fishlock launched a shot into the crossbar, which bounced out and wasn't reviewed as the Welsh legend believed it crossed the line near the end of the half.
Though the Current brought on their star talent in Bethune, LaBonta, Cooper and Debinha in the second half, Seattle settled into its defense to close the game with a 3-0 win.
A Strong Response From Seattle
Yes, the Current were rotating with an unusual lineup for most of the game.
But this was a Reign squad that looked utterly deflated last Friday, failing to score against nine players. Huerta spoke postgame about the little things her teammates took from last Friday's shutout, where the Reign forced balls into the box hopelessly.
She recalled training with Adames while backing her up on the right side of the pitch, reminding the teenager to slow down and allow Huerta to join her to create more of the "overloads" she and Harvey spoke of. While the Current were reactive and sluggish with an unfamiliar XI, the Reign's quality on the ball and renewed patience were steps in the right direction for an offense emphasizing quality threats in 2026.
Add in that the team's most potent attacker this season, Nerilia "Coco" Mondesir, rested most of the game with striker Mia Fishel still out with injury, and you have a dynamic offensive performance with rotating pieces.
"This whole preseason I've been really optimistic about what our attacking players can do," Huerta said. "We have a lot of quality attackers, so I'm excited to see what our offense does this year."
On the defensive side, Emily Mason looked more up to the task, filling in at starting center back, not allowing as many runs in behind as she did last Friday. With USWNT defender Jordyn Bugg set to potentially miss the entire Spokane stand with a hamstring injury, a clean sheet in the opener could bode well for the blue and gold.
A win of this nature not only puts the loss in Portland in the rearview for now, but makes ONE Spokane Stadium look more like a home away from home.
"It kind of felt like when we were coming into it a little bit like it was going to feel like an away game in terms of not knowing how many fans we were going to get, stadium's different… But we go out there tonight, and we perform like that, I think it's a credit to all of us, especially after last Friday," Dickey said, adding that the 3,000 fans who came out to support in the 5,000-seat venue helped it feel more like a home opener.
Still, the Reign are a month and a day away from their first match at Lumen Field. With another game against Racing Louisville coming on Saturday night, the Reign will remain in Spokane through the end of the week before flying back next Saturday to do battle with Denver in their first meeting with the expansion franchise.
