Match Forecast: OL Reign at Home Against KC Current in Pride Match Presented by Starbucks

OL Reign is set to take on the Kansas City Current for the first time this season tonight at Lumen Field. The Current are coming off a long homestand ending in a win, and the Reign are playing their second consecutive match at home, looking to get back in the win column.

WHEN AND WHERE: The Reign kickoff at 7:00 p.m. PT at Lumen Field. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. PT.

WHERE TO WATCH: Fans can attend the match in person by getting tickets HERE or tune in on Paramount+ or TSN+

2023 NWSL REGULAR SEASON RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): OL Reign: 5-4-1 (16 points, 5th place), Kansas City Current: 3-7-0 (9 points, 12th place)

Key Points Ahead of the Match:

1. LAST MEETING – This is the first meeting between the two sides since the 2022 NWSL semifinal at Lumen Field. The match ended in a 2-0 loss for the Reign, as KC defender Alex Loera scored the fastest goal in NWSL playoff history, to open the match in the 4th minute. The Reign continued to battle back for the entire first half but could not find an equalizer. In the second half, KC struck first again, when forward Kristen Hamilton found the Current’s second goal in the 63rd minute.

2. SCOUTING KANSAS CITY – Most recently, Kansas City earned their third win of the season, against the North Carolina Courage. KC opened the scoring early in front of their home crowd. The play started with midfielder passing a ball into forward Kristen Hamilton. Hamilton, who was just returning from injury, shot the ball into the lower corner of the net to take the lead. Though Kansas City took control of the match early on, that one goal would remain the difference maker and earned the team three points. The win was Kansas City’s first in five matches.

"I think you could quite easily look at just their results and think that this is going to be an easy game, but if you fall into that trap, you tend to get punished in this league,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey. “I think we expect a team that is really direct in transition, make it really difficult for you with the ball in regard to whether they're willing to give you space. They've played multiple different formations, so we're pretty prepared for what we've seen so far from them. They have threats on the field that can cause you a problem, too. So yeah, I think we've had a good week of training. We've had, again, some good, honest conversations about just some of the finer details after the Portland game. We want to make sure that, again, we're very solid and hard to beat whilst being a threat going forward."

“As I've learned in this league, it doesn't really matter where a team's history or their past couple games or the standings because, as we've seen, anyone can really beat anyone on any day, which is what makes this league great. But at the same time, for me and my job specifically, like you said, they do have some really dangerous attackers, so I think for us, it's about knowing where they are and being conscious of that, especially, I think it's easy to lose track of them, maybe when we have the ball. So, I think just being really intentional of keeping an eye on where those players are, where's (Current midfielder) Debinha and just knowing where they are and ready to try and react and neutralize any threats they pose if we lose the ball. So, I think just making sure that even when we have the ball, keeping an eye on them is something that we will try to focus on because again, they do have some dangerous players and even just one counterattack is all team needs. So, being aware of that,” said OL Reign defender Sam Hiatt.

3.  MILESTONES AND MORE – OL Reign has a big match tonight, as this is the team’s first time taking on the Current since the NWSL Semifinal last year. It’s also the Reign’s annual Pride Match presented by Starbucks and the team has many milestones on the horizon. This is the first time since 2022 that Brazilian midfielder Angelina is off the injury report, as she was elevated from the Season-Ending Injury list last night. In addition, OL Reign veteran defender and captain Lu Barnes will make her 200th NWSL appearance, if she plays in the match. She will be the first-ever player to reach this milestone. Barnes has only missed 14 regular season games in her 11-year career with the club.

MultiCare Availability Report:

OUT

Jess Fishlock (leg)

Rose Lavelle (leg)

Phoebe McClernon (D45 - back)

QUESTIONABLE

None