Match Forecast: Seattle Reign FC Hosts Club Tijuana

Seattle Reign FC plays its second NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup group stage match today at 3:00 p.m. PT vs. Liga MX Femenil side Club Tijuana. Currently tied with three points at the top of Group A, the Reign will look to continue their winning ways and take control of the group 

WHEN AND WHERE: Reign FC kickoff is at 3:00 p.m. PT at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. 

WHERE TO WATCH: Fans can get tickets to the match HERE or tune in on Paramount+ or NWSL+ (Spanish). 

2024 NWSL x LIGA MX FEMENIL SUMMER CUP RECORD AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): Seattle Reign FC: 1-0-0, 3 points; Club Tijuana: 0-1-0, 0 points 

Key Points Ahead of the Match: 

1. LAST MEETING – Seattle Reign FC and Club Tijuana are meeting for the first time this afternoon. This is the first and only Summer Cup group stage matchup against a Liga MX team for the Reign. 

"For me, personally, and I think our team too, it's exciting to play a different and a new opponent. It gives us an opportunity to adjust to them and learn something new and expand kind of what we're doing as a team because obviously the NWSL is pretty small - you play the few teams kind of over and over again. So, to have this tournament have a look at a completely different league and a completely different team is good for us, I think, and it should be a good game,” said Seattle Reign FC midfielder Maddie Mercado. 

2. SCOUTING CLUB TIJUANA – Like the Reign, Club Tijuana has played one match in the Summer Cup thus far. The Liga MX side took on Portland Thorns FC last weekend and fell 5-0. Despite the extreme scoreline, the team had its share of offensive action, managing nine shots throughout the match. One of their best chances of the match came from Mayra Pelayo, but the shot went just wide of the far post. Aisha Solórzano led Tijuana with three shots. On Wednesday, the team played a Liga MX Femenil match against Necaxa, making this a busy three-match week. Against Necaxa, Club Tijuana earned a solid 3-0 win. 

“Yeah, I think because of our mentality towards these tournaments, where we really try to utilize our roster, we try and make sure our processes are very similar to what we would do in the regular season. So, we actually have footage from the Portland game. We have footage from games that they played in their league, so we try and use that to provide the players with the best preparation possible to play against an opponent,” said Seattle Reign FC Head Coach Laura Harvey. 

“We know that they've got some threats - Marta Cox, who plays for them as sort of like an 8 or 10, is very technically gifted - can shoot from anywhere, has great delivery on set pieces. One of their forwards is fast, direct, tries to get in behind you, so they have got some threats. They actually caused Portland some problems last week, even though the score line doesn't really reflect that. I think what we try to do always is, give our players the best possible chance to succeed whilst knowing what we want to do as a team and what we think the opponent will do, so we try our best to provide them with that." 

3. SUMMER CUP REFRESHER – As a reminder, the Summer Cup features five groups of four teams. The Reign are in Group A alongside the Royals, Portland Thorns FC and Club Tijuana. The top four teams in the group stage advance to the semifinal in August. Currently, three of the four teams in Group A have three points, but the Reign are the only team to have three points with just one game played in the tournament. 

Differing from NWSL regular season play, in the group stage, if a game is tied at the end of regulation, kicks from the penalty mark will be used to determine which club earns one (1) additional point in the group standings. In addition, VAR will not be used for the match. 

In Seattle’s first match of the tournament, the team took down Utah Royals FC, 2-1. Midfielder Olivia Athens scored the first goal of the match from the penalty spot and defender Sofia Huerta headed in the game-winning goal in the 77th minute off a cross from forward Tziarra King. The night also featured three Seattle Reign FC debuts – defender Julia Lester, midfielder Ainsley McCammon and midfielder Sam Meza. 

MultiCare Availability Report: 

OUT  

Lauren Barnes (leg) 

Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee) 

QUESTIONABLE 

None 

INTERNATIONAL DUTY 

Jordyn Huitema (CAN)  

Quinn (CAN)