Match Forecast: Reign FC Returns to NWSL Play Against North Carolina Courage
Seattle Reign FC makes its long-awaited return to NWSL play tonight at 7:00 p.m. as the club takes on the North Carolina Courage at Lumen Field. With the return of the club’s Olympians, potential debut for new signings and celebration of club legend Megan Rapinoe’s jersey retirement, the match can’t be missed.
WHEN AND WHERE: Reign FC kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PT at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. Fans are encouraged to get to their seats by 6:28 p.m. to enjoy the pre-match Megan Rapinoe Jersey Retirement ceremony.
WHERE TO WATCH: Fans can get tickets to the match HERE or tune in on ESPN 2, ESPN+ or ESPN Deportes.
2024 NWSL REGULAR SEASON RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): Seattle Reign FC: 2-9-5 (11 points, 14th place), North Carolina Courage: 8-7-1 (25 points, 6th place)
Key Points Ahead of the Match:
1. LAST MEETING – Seattle Reign FC and the North Carolina Courage last met in April at the Courage’s home field in Cary, North Carolina. The match ended 1-0 in favor of the Courage as a 37th minute Tyler Lussi goal made all the difference. The last meeting between the teams at Lumen Field was near the end of the 2023 regular season and ended in a 1-1 draw.
Both teams enter this match on four-game unbeaten streaks. The Reign are on a four-game unbeaten streak (all draws), with the last three results ending 1-1. North Carolina's four-game unbeaten streak includes three wins in their previous three games.
2. SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA – The Courage are currently in sixth place in the NWSL standings, with 25 points from 16 games played. The team had a strong Summer Cup run, finishing atop their group before falling to the Kansas City Current in the semifinal round of the tournament.
Like the Reign, North Carolina used the summer transfer window to bring new players into the club, including international signings Cortnee Vine and Aline Gomes in the attack, in addition to Charlotte McLean and Maycee Bell.
North Carolina currently has three players out for the match – Kerolin Nicoli (excused absence), Sydney Collins (D45 - ankle) and Estelle Johnson (maternity leave). Two players are questionable ahead of the match – Maycee Bell (leg) and Bianca St-Georges (leg).
“I think North Carolina has historically been a very, very good club and that hasn't changed this year. I think that they want to play and they're very good at playing and building up to really defensive or really offensive threats in behind. I think the way that we see it is, we just need to focus on us and be solid defensively and when we get the ball, go forward with our chances, make the most of our opportunities and yeah, again, just focus on us,” said Seattle Reign FC forward Veronica Latsko.
3. NEW ADDITIONS – The club has added several news players over the course of the summer, all of which have the chance to make their debut for the Reign in tonight’s match. Both of the young players signed in July, Jordyn Bugg and Ainsley McCammon, made their club debut in the Summer Cup, but could potentially see their first NWSL regular season minutes in the match.
New international signings Nérilia Mondésir and Ana-Maria Crnogorčević have been training with the club since arriving in Seattle earlier this month and are eager to get started. Lastly, the club’s most recent signing, Jaelin Howell, who joined the team in a trade with Racing Louisville FC earlier this week, is eligible for selection in tonight’s match.
“It feels like a long time since we've been going into a regular season game. Yeah, a lot of new faces that we've been integrating in throughout the summer, but we're excited to get back out in front of the fans at Lumen Field tomorrow, for hopefully, what we can make a really special day for multiple reasons,” said Seattle Reign FC Head Coach Laura Harvey.
“Pretty much everyone who's new will be available. They're all at different phases of how comfortable and how much they can play, honestly, so we'll see what that looks like," she said.
4. PUSHING FOR POINTS – Now that the Summer Cup and Olympics have concluded, the full focus is on picking up as many points as possible and making a playoff run in the end of the season, much like the club has done in the past.
"I think it's always comforting to have that in the back of your head that we have 10 games left and again, we've been historically very good in the back half of our season. But as a player, I'm very much just focused on one game at a time and the way that you have good later parts of the season is by having that mentality of, it's one game at a time and it's do or die each game,” said Latsko.
5. R15E FOR RAPINOE – This match marks a monumental celebration for Seattle Reign FC as the club retires the number 15 jersey to honor legend Megan Rapinoe. The match, presented by Google Pixel, has a long list of fun activities available to fans to celebrate in the stadium. The first 10,000 fans in the gates will receive a R15E branded reversible bucket hat. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:28 p.m. PT to catch every minute of the retirement ceremony. A full list of activations can be found HERE.
MultiCare Availability Report:
OUT
Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee)
Olivia Van der Jagt (excused absence)
QUESTIONABLE
Lauren Barnes (leg)