Sam Laity - the Catalyst for Change

With Wednesday’s win on the road at Houston, OL Reign have now won seven out of its last ten matches—and six of its last seven. These results are good enough to have moved the team up from ninth to third in the league table. While newly appointed head coach Laura Harvey has been the mastermind behind the team’s three most recent victories, the fortunes of the club appear to have turned with the appointment of longtime Reign assistant coach Sam Laity to the interim head coach role on July 2, following the unexpected departure of Farid Benstiti.

Laity’s ascension to the interim head coach role was for him both sudden and surprising, but it was also an opportunity he earned given the critical position he has played in the team’s success since its inaugural season in 2013.

“When it became clear that we would need somebody to lead the squad, I felt fortunate that I could turn to Sam—his loyalty and relentless efforts on behalf of the club over the course of many years made my decision an easy one,” said OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore. “I love working with him, trust him completely, and was confident that the team would be in great hands through the transition. He is a hidden gem that I am glad is finally receiving the credit and recognition he deserves.”

“When I found out that I would be the team’s interim head coach, I wasn’t nervous and didn’t really have enough time to be excited,” said Laity. “I felt that there were a number of things that we needed to address with the team. It was about really getting to work. Given our record at that point we had to solve some problems quickly—and, credit to the players, we did.“

During Laity’s six matches as interim head coach, he delivered 12 points (2.0 points per game), a huge turnaround an underwhelming start to the season that garnered only seven points from seven games (1.0 ppg).

“Sam’s been in the league for a long time. It’s easy to perform when you have a lot of direction, and he gave us that,” said defender/forward Sofia Huerta.

“I was very pleased about how the six games went,” said Laity. “Obviously the first game against Houston was tough [Laity took over as head coach the day prior to the Houston game]. Over the following five games I was happy to see how the team responded and how they were able to maintain their focus and to grow together as a team.”

Laity also managed a three-game win streak, the Reign’s first since the 2016 season. In those three games, OL Reign scored nine goals – four more than the team scored in all seven games before Laity was appointed interim head coach.

“It wasn’t like we were looking that far ahead to getting a new head coach because we were so happy with the way that Sam stepped up to lead the team. We were fully invested in everything he was doing for us, so we could play in the now instead of worrying about the future,” said Tziarra King.

Under Laity’s lead, OL Reign also earned three NWSL Player of Week honors in a row—the longest streak in NWSL history. The streak began with Tziarra King for her performance against the Orlando Pride on July 24, then moved to Eugénie Le Sommer’s performance against Racing Louisville on July 31, and concluded with Bethany Balcer’s performance against the Houston Dash on August 7.

“The results and the performances were very good. To get three players of the week in a row…that was the first that has ever happened in the league so to do that in such a short period of time was incredible. Credit to all the players and staff for that,” said Laity.

OL Reign forward Bethany Balcer said, “Sam gave us a lot of freedom to do what we do best. He really opened it up to us to let us figure things out. He was really good about guiding us and giving this team our identity back.”

While this was Laity’s first time serving as head coach of the team, he has been a constant in the Reign organization since the very beginning. He is currently in his ninth season with the team and is one of few individuals to have been with the Reign since the beginning.

In addition to his work with the first team, Laity previously served as a head coach with several teams in the OL Reign Academy. He holds a UEFA "B" License and a NSCAA Master Coach Diploma. He has also worked as a regional NSCAA staff instructor.

“I’ve been through everything with the team. I’ve had the opportunity to work with three world-class coaches in Vlatko [Andonovksi], Laura [Harvey] and Farid [Benstiti]. I’d be a fool to not take the best bits and pieces of their identity as a coach and perhaps incorporate that into my approach,” said Laity.

He continued, “At the same time, it was really important that I had my own identity. Laura had been announced as head coach for the majority of my time as interim head coach, so it was really important for the authentic experience of the players that I was making my own decisions and leading the group in the way I thought would deliver the best results.”

Sam’s recent collaboration with Laura began immediately after she was announced as head coach, but discussions were limited due to her role with the U.S. Women’s National Team, where she was serving as an assistant coach at the Tokyo Olympics.

“Sam is fantastic. The fact that we know each other and have worked together before made this transition really smooth. There is only one person I would have wanted around the team for this transition and that person is Sam,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey, who previously worked with Laity when she was the Reign’s head coach from 2013-2017.

“The biggest takeaway from this experience for me was that I really enjoyed the leadership part – being responsible for the results and having the opportunity to lead the team. That was the most satisfying aspect of the role. Overall, it was good and a very exciting opportunity,” said Laity.

When asked about what the club meant to him, Laity said, “Well, it’s my life, isn’t it? The club has been my life for 20% of my entire life. I’m very fortunate to still be with the club.”

“Sam’s time as interim head coach was and will be a vital part to this team and organization’s success. He has a deep-rooted history with this club that allowed him to be the perfect person to re-direct the club on the path we wanted to be on,” said Jess Fishlock.

Fishlock continued, “He’s always been a huge part of the team, from 2013 until now. I think that was a huge reason why his time as head coach was super successful. He brought us all into focus. We will all look back on that time and never have the words to really express his importance to us.”

“My favorite quote, which I actually live by most of my life, is from Oscar Wilde. ‘Be yourself because everyone else is already taken.’ So, that is a little bit of my personal mantra. My job was to be myself and do my best. I think it worked well,” concluded Laity.