On This Day in Reign History: Jess Fishlock Signed with the Reign

On February 4, 2013, it was announced that the Reign had signed four new players ahead of its inaugural season, one being midfielder Jess Fishlock. One of the most accomplished players to join the Reign’s roster, Fishlock had 67 international caps for Wales at that time and had scored 22 international goals. At 26, she had already been named Wales Player of the Year twice. Since then, Fishlock has excelled on the field for the Reign and played a massive part in shaping the culture of the club.

2013

It didn’t take long for Fishlock to charm the Reign’s fanbase and emerge as a leader on the team. In the Reign’s second league match against the Portland Thorns, Fishlock scored her first NWSL goal in front of a record-setting 16,479 fans at Jeld-Wen Field. By doing so, she immediately set herself up to become one of the faces of the iconic Cascadia rivalry between OL Reign and the Portland Thorns. She was named NWSL Player of the Week for Week 2 of the 2013 season.

Fishlock went on to miss only one game throughout the season, due to international duty commitments. She started in all 21 games that she played during the regular season and was a leading scorer on the team, tallying four goals in 1,879 minutes played. She was also named to the NWSL Best XI.

2014 and 2015

Fishlock returned to the Reign for the 2014 season where the team set a league record unbeaten streak of 16 games and finished first place in the regular season, clinching the NWSL Shield for the first time in club history. The Reign went on to defeat the Washington Spirit 2–1 in the semifinals and advanced to its first ever NWSL Championship. Fishlock finished the 2014 season with four goals and eight assists. Once again, Fishlock was named to the NWSL Best XI for her stellar season.

In 2015, Fishlock continued to dominate the midfield as the Reign once again finished the regular season in first place and won the NWSL Shield for a second consecutive season. Fishlock scored eight goals and added three assists and was named to the NWSL Best XI team. It came as no surprise to anyone that Fishlock occupied the midfield in the NWSL Best XI for a third consecutive season.

2016 and 2017

During the first few months of the 2016 season, Fishlock was unavailable due to injury but still went on to make 19 appearances for the team. She scored one goal and add four assists for Reign. That season, the Reign narrowly missed the playoffs. Despite all over the challenges throughout the season, Fishlock was still named to the NWSL Second XI at the end of the season.

In 2017, Fishlock played in 20 matches for the Reign, scoring an impressive seven goals and tallying two assists. The Reign narrowly missed the playoffs for a second season in a row. Fishlock earned NWSL Best XI honors once again at the end of the season.

On the international front, Fishlock reached a large milestone with Wales – her 100th senior national team cap. She earned her 100th cap in a friendly match against Northern Ireland and was the first Welsh player of any gender to reach that milestone.

2018 and 2019

In 2018, Fishlock played in 18 games for the Reign. The tenacious midfielder scored two goals and added one assist throughout the season. She continued to step up as a leader for the squad, on and off the pitch. The team made it to the NWSL semifinals for the first time since 2015.

At the end of 2018, Fishlock attended a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, where she received her appointment as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. She was granted this honor for her services to football and the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2019, Fishlock played in five games for the Reign after rejoining the team from her loan to Olympique Lyonnais. She scored three goals and added one assist before suffering an ACL tear and missing the remainder of the season.

2020 and 2021

Fishlock played in two Challenge Cup matches for OL Reign in 2020 and went on loan to Reading Women where she played in 19 matches, scoring two goals and earning three assists for the club.

In 2021, Fishlock made her full time return to the Reign. She earned one goal and one assist in the Challenge Cup and went on to have an impressive regular season. She played in 24 matches throughout the season and amassed 1,880 minutes of playing time. Fishlock scored five goals and tallied four assists, including one brace. She earned NWSL Team of the Month honors three times, Save of the Week honors once and the highest NWSL honor of the season, MVP.