Match Forecast: OL Reign Set to Kick Off 2023 with Friendly Against Club América

OL Reign and Club América Femenil are set to meet today, Saturday February 25 at 7:30 p.m. in their first action of the 2023. This international friendly match marks the club’s first preseason game of 2023, which will be an evening dedicated to highlight the recently announced partnership between the two clubs and Olympique Lyonnais.

WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, February 25 at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington

WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available on FOX 13, TUDN.tv, the TUDN app and shown at Rough and Tumble Pub in Ballard (Seattle).

Key Points Ahead of the Match:

1. LAST MEETING – OL Reign and Club América last met during the 2022 Women’s Cup in Louisville, Kentucky. The fierce match up took place in the tournament’s semifinal. After a scoreless first half that featured intense pressure from OL Reign, the first goal of the match was scored by Club América in the 60th minute. On a set piece, OL Reign’s wall deflected the ball down, but it still slipped through into the box, where Kiana Palacios slid in to finish it and give Club América a one goal advantage.

OL Reign fought to find an equalizer, finally levelling the score in the 79th minute. Forward Veronica Latsko sent a cross into the box, sparking a round of chaos as Club América struggled to clear the danger. After a blocked shot, the ball was half-cleared to top of the 18-yard box, where forward Tziarra King was waiting to strike. King took a beautiful first-time shot straight into the back of the net.

Just three minutes later, Latsko served another ball into the box, this time finding a cluster of her OL Reign teammates at the back post. The ball was headed in toward Club América’s goalkeeper but popped loose on the goal line before OL Reign midfielder Olivia Van der Jagt stepped up to poke it into the back of net to give OL Reign the lead. With less than 10 minutes left to play, OL Reign saw the game through and advanced to The Women’s Cup final, which the team would go on to win.

2. SCOUTING CLUB AMÉRICA – Currently, Club América is seven games into their Liga MX Femenil season. Still undefeated, they have a record of five wins and 2 draws and sit in second place in the standings, with 17 points. Most recently, the team took on Atlético San Luis and won 3-0 with goals scored by forward Katty Martinez, midfielder Sarah Luebbert and midfielder Aurélie Kaci.

3. PRESEASON – Playing a strong opponent in their opening preseason game will be a good test for the team and good way to evaluate where they are at, according to head coach Laura Harvey.

"I think, obviously we did play them last year. It was really competitive and a really good game. I think they're a good team in possession. I think they try and work really hard when they don't have the ball. They actually get people a lot in the transitional moments, which are all the things that have been a big focus for us in preseason. So, I think they're a good opponent for us to evaluate where we're at," said Harvey.

Forward Tziarra King, who scored OL Reign’s first goal last time the team took on Club América is looking forward to the opportunity to play a match outside of training.

"They were a great team when we played them last time. They played well out of the back, they build well. I think it's just going to be a matter of making sure that we're playing the game that we play and I think that we should be able to have a good game,” said King.