With the international break behind them for the moment, the Reign return to action at Snapdragon Stadium on Friday evening. The Reign have had a ton of success against the San Diego Wave historically, but this year's San Diego team is flying high, with five wins and a draw in their last six, and has established themselves as one of the league's top teams as we approach the midseason mark.
With an abnormally quick turnaround from international play to league play, both teams may see a great deal of rotation; while Kenza Dali was inexplicably not called in by France, nine players saw callups for the Wave, including key regulars Delphine Cascarino, Hanna Lundkvist, Gia Corley, Adriana Leon and Kailen Sheridan. Meanwhile, for the Reign, 12 players saw international duty, including regular starters Jordyn Bugg, Maddie Dahlien, Sam Meza, Jess Fishlock, Lynn Biyendolo, Angharad James-Turner, and Claudia Dickey.
"I think they're the best footballing team in the league," Laura Harvey said of the Wave while talking to reporters on Thursday. "I think across the board they're the best team in the league. Whether that means they win it all or not – hopefully we can put a dent in that – but I do believe they're the best team in the league, they're showing that in the way they play, they're showing that in the performances they're putting on."
She also didn't hold back on the scheduling, alluding to the likely need to rotate heavily after multiple players played heavy international minutes followed immediately by 15-to-18 hour flights.
"I don't want to get fined, but I will say the thought that players played in Europe on Tuesday or Monday, and are being asked to travel to the West Coast of America and play on Friday, possibly goes against every health and safety protocol I've ever seen in professional sport. So our team will be reflective of that."
Head-to-Head
- The Reign are 8-1-2 all time against the Wave, including a 3-1-2 away record.
- The Reign have scored 16 goals against the Wave while conceding 6.
- The record against the Wave is the Reign's second-best all time head-to-head record, at 2.36 points per match. The Reign secured 2.42 points per match against the former Boston Breakers.
Recent results
- The Wave sit in 2nd place with a 6-2-2 record. Riding a six-match undefeated streak, they haven't lost since April 12th against the Current, and have won five of their last six, only dropping points in a controversial draw against the Portland Thorns where they saw an early red card and their opponent was awarded a penalty kick in the 9th minute of second-half stoppage time.
- The Reign sit in 6th place with a 4-4-2 record, tied with Angel City and Louisville on points but holding the goal differential tiebreaker. They're in somewhat inconsistent form, trading wins and losses over their last four. Most recently, they lost 2-1 to the Washington Spirit.
2024 results
- The Wave ended 2024 in 10th place with a 6-13-7 record, scoring 24 goals and conceding 35.
- The Reign ended 2024 in 13th place with a 6-15-5 record, scoring 27 goals and conceding 44.
- Neither team made the playoffs last season.
Offseason moves
- The Wave had a busy offseason, shoring up their midfield and signing an arsenal of young talent.
- In the midfield, the Wave added Kenza Dali from Aston Villa, Gia Corley from Hoffenheim, and Jordan Fusco from Penn State.
- On the back line, 17-year-old Trinity Armstrong joined the Wave from North Carolina, along with Quincy McMahon from UCLA.
- 19-year-old Nigerian international Chiamaka Okwuchukwu joined from River Angels FC.
- Former Reign forward Adriana Leon also joined the Wave, returning to NWSL after playing in England (for West Ham, Manchester United, and Aston Villa) since 2019.
Wave players to watch
Kenza Dali: The midfielder has been as good as could be expected for the Wave, who regularly deploy her alongside Savannah McCaskill in a somewhat chaotic structure that nonetheless mostly plays as an aggressive, fast 4-2-4. An incredibly capable progressive passer and dribbler, Dali covers ground, beats defenders, and puts everyone else into good positions. Repeatedly. Racking up a ridiculous average of 75 touches per match, she wants the ball and she wants to make you defend her, something few players in NWSL have shown they can do.
Delphine Cascarino: Now in her second season with the Wave, the French forward is thriving at the fuzzy line between wide forward and attacking midfielder. She leads the team in goal contributions with 2 goals and 4 assists, and her ability to isolate and beat defenders 1-on-1 in the right channel has been a consistent source of danger for San Diego, especially when paired with Perle Morroni running riot up the left.
Perle Morroni: In 2025, Morroni has been arguably the most dangerous attacking fullback in the league, marauding up the left flank with lethal intent. Leading the league in successful dribbles at her position, Morroni can consistently beat her defender to put in a killer ball, and her recovery speed and consistency tracking back mean her forays forward rarely leave San Diego particularly exposed.
What to watch
Coordinated chaos: The Wave play fast, the Wave play furious, and perhaps above all, the Wave play an incredibly fun game. They press hard, run hard, and play like absolute maniacs to reclaim possession, and once in possession, they have a half-dozen players who are an absolute menace to defend one-on-one and who are ready to run once they beat you on the dribble. In possession, while they often look a bit chaotic, they play with a ton of chemistry and get forward with numbers often; a mobile and skilled midfield and aggressive fullbacks allow them to create overloads all over the pitch.
The best team in the league: Laura Harvey calls the Wave the best team in the league, and while the Kansas City Current may have something to say about that, the Wave have been on another level for the past two months. They're great on the ball, and see a lot of it, leading the league in possession. Not a high-volume shooting team, they've nonetheless been ruthlessly efficient with the chances they get, and their 21 goals are second only to Kansas City.
Regressing to the mean: All praise of the Wave and the fast, fun, furious game they play notwithstanding – they've scored 21 goals on 9.7 npxG, a level of overperformance that seems wildly unsustainable for any team, let alone a team in a league with margins as tight as the NWSL. Hopefully, the Reign can help them correct course and get back on track.
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Ana-Maria Crnogorčević (leg), Jordyn Huitema (excused absence), Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg), Cassie Miller (D-45 - leg)
San Diego Wave
OUT: Trinity Byars (SEI – knee), Hillary Beall (upper leg), Chiamaka Okwuchukwu (lower leg)
QUESTIONABLE: Gia Corley (lower limb)
How to watch
The match kicks off Friday, June 6th at 7:00 PM Pacific at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, and will stream on Prime Video.
