Last week the Reign played their worst match of their season (and arguably their worst match in two years) against these same Western New York Flash but somehow got out of New York with a point, thanks to a converted penalty kick — their only shot of the entire match.
Expect the lineup to be different in the home rematch, both because Laura Harvey will have to respond to that poor performance and because the end of the World Cup has wrought changes on the roster.
Both Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo are back in town after lifting the World Cup trophy and will be honored in a prematch ceremony, but we don't know whether they will actually be in the gameday roster. The final was only six days ago, and they've been on a whirlwind of media appearances following the US victory. If it comes down to fitness, Solo probably has the better chance of playing, but I wouldn't bet on either. In addition, new signing Katrine Veje is with the team and could be in line for a sub appearance. And Merritt Mathias, who missed last week with a shoulder injury, has been upgraded from out to questionable.
Kendall Fletcher had a nightmare game at right back last weekend and we could see the return of Elli Reed, who played most of the last three years as the Reign's right back but has been pushed to a role as a substitute winger in the last few games.
Regardless of the lineup, Seattle will need a much improve game to match the crowd that's expected tonight, which will be at or near a sellout thanks to the surge of ticket interest following the US World Cup performance. A win or draw would push the Reign back into first place in the standings, pending the Chicago match tomorrow.