Analysis: Here are keys and storylines to watch for the Reign in 2024
A new star
No one can replace Megan Rapinoe, Emily Sonnett and Rose Lavelle. The U.S. internationals helped the Reign reach the NWSL championship match, Lavelle scoring the team’s lone goal in the 2-1 loss to NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Rapinoe retired after an 11-year career in Seattle, while Sonnett and Lavelle signed as free agents with Gotham. The chasm of talent and big personalities leaves room for anyone to step into the limelight. Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock and forward Bethany Balcer are crowd favorites, but can they be the face of the team?
The Reign won’t lack in locker room leadership. Fishlock and defender Lu Barnes are club originals who’ve held it down since the inaugural season in 2013.
Assist in goals
Reign coach Laura Harvey added some wrinkles to her tactics to keep opponents off-balance, including the possibility of playing with three center backs instead of a backline of four. But the issues have been in finishing for the Reign.
The club has no problem creating chances. The Reign were third in the league in assists (22) and had 15 players log at least one last year. Rapinoe led the team with five. But the Reign were fifth in the NWSL in total goals (29), which needs improving if Seattle is going to win a championship. Portland led the regular season with 42 goals.
Security at home
Seattle’s play at Lumen Field continues to keep them in the running for the NWSL Shield and home-field advantage for the playoffs. The Reign made the facility its home turf in 2022 and is unbeaten in 19 regular-season matches at Lumen (12 wins, seven draws). Last year, the team was unbeaten in nine of its 11 games at home.
Teams will play 13 home and 13 away matches this season due to the addition of two clubs, totaling 14 overall. Seattle needs to hold onto its winning ways at home.
Three storylines to watch
More to compete
Seattle’s pursuit of its first NWSL championship will potentially be harder this season. The league added two teams to bring the total to 14.
Bay FC will be coached by Albertin Montoya and play at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. The roster features former Reign defender Alyssa Malonson, who was selected first in the expansion draft in December.
The Utah Royals, in name only, were shuttered in 2020 after allegations of verbal and sexual abuse by the technical staff and former owner Dell Loy Hansen’s criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement, among other issues. The roster relocated and became the Kansas City Current. Hansen was forced to sell his franchises, which includes MLS side Real Salt Lake.
Former striker Amy Rodriguez was named Royals coach. The U.S. international twice denied the Reign league titles in 2014 and 2015, scoring the winning goals (three total) in the championship matches against Seattle.
New broadcast partners
Matches are expected to be easier to find after the league signed a historic broadcasting rights deal last fall with ABC/ESPN, CBS, ION and Amazon Prime Video. Matches will also air on the league’s new NWSL+. Fans not into streaming will have to subscribe to multiple services to see matches, but the flow will be Prime Video broadcasting select games on Fridays and ION offering doubleheaders on Saturdays. The rest is scattered.
The NWSL regular-season opener between Kansas City and Portland on Saturday will air on ABC at 1 p.m. Part of the festivities is the match being the first at CPKC Stadium, a soccer-specific facility built for the Current.
The Reign’s opening match, Sunday at home against the Washington Spirit, will be on NWSL+. Overall, 133 matches are set to air through the new deal while local broadcast partnerships will provide more viewing opportunities.
Replacement referees?
The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) rejected a tentative agreement with the Professional Referees Organization (PRO) and have been on strike since February. MLS is using replacement refs for matches, but the NWSL won’t be forced to do the same. PSRA is the union that represents approximately 260 officials used for MLS, NWSL, the USL Leagues and MLS Next Pro. Referees for NWSL, USL-C, USL One and MLS Next Pro signed a collective bargaining agreement with PRO2 last year that runs through 2027.