Match preview: Seattle Reign vs. Chicago Stars

Seattle Reign's road trip continues on Saturday, June 14, as the club takes on the Chicago Stars. They will be heading to a familiar city but an unfamiliar stadium, Soldier Field, for the first game in a Chicago soccer doubleheader. The Reign face the Stars at 2 p.m. PT, with the Fire taking on Nashville SC in the second match.

The match will air on ION, which is available free over the air in most markets and on several free streaming platforms like Tubi, Pluto TV, and Roku.

The Reign head into the match in fifth place, with a chance to possibly hop into fourth with a win and other results going their way. On the other end of the table, just two points separate the Reign from ninth-place Angel City. It's a tight middle of the table. The Reign and the league take a summer break after next week. Earning points now could give them a significant amount of momentum heading into the second half of the season in August.

While the Reign are getting closer to full health, they will likely be without Jess Fishlock, who took a hit to the quad last week and may be rested this match.

Head-to-Head

• The Reign are 11-12-8 all-time against Chicago, another NWSL original team.
• The Reign have historically struggled in Chicago, although they have never played at Soldier Field. They have a 3-9-2 road record versus the Stars.
• The Reign have scored 44 goals against the Stars while conceding 43.

2025 results

• The Stars sit at the bottom of the NWSL table with a 1-8-2 record (5 points). They have scored 8 goals and conceded 24, and are 0-5-0 at home.
• The Reign sit in 5th place with a 5-4-2 record (17 points). They have scored 11 goals and conceded 10, and are 3-1-1 on the road.

Recent results

• The Stars recently drew 2-2 with Angel City on the road. They are 0-3-2 in their last five matches.
• The Reign are coming off a 2-1 road win against San Diego. They are 3-2-0 in their last five games.

Offseason moves

• The Stars had a fairly quiet offseason.
• Their primary addition was Maitane Lopez, who signed as a free agent after playing for Gotham.
• Mallory Swanson is taking the season off, as she announced in May that she is pregnant with her first child.
• Earlier this week, the Stars signed German defender Kathrin Hendrich. The centerback most recently played for VfL Wolfsburg and played for Germany in the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics. Hendrich will join the Stars after the conclusion of the UEFA Women's EURO tournament.

Players to watch

Sam Staab: Returning from an Achilles tear suffered last year, Staab is back in the starting lineup. A left-footed centerback, Staab has one of the best long balls in the game. Look for her to try to find Chicago's frontline in transition and on set pieces. Staab has one goal and one assist, and as this chart from FBCharts confirms, Staab creates more shots than nearly every other centerback in women's soccer. She leads her team in passes into the final third.

Harvey will certainly be asking her frontline to limit Staab's ability to use her left foot to progress the ball forward for Chicago.

Ludmila: The 30-year-old forward from Brazil has scored two goals for the Stars this year, both in the same game. Ludmila is a player who enjoys beating opponents on the dribble and is skilled with the ball. As the clip below highlights, Ludmila can also make dangerous runs to sneak behind an opponent's backline. She's also a sneaky defender who will go into tackles on the wings.

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Ally Schlegel: After notching seven goals last year, the forward / attacking midfielder scored her first goal of 2025 last week. And it sure was a banger.

Schlegel is another gritty, tenacious player — a longstanding Chicago trademark. She is particularly threatening in the air. Despite being just 5' 6", Schlegel wins 59% of her aerial duels — good for the 95th percentile among attacking midfielders and wingers. She's got a great sense of where to be to win crosses in the box. The Reign will need to keep a tight mark on her.

What to watch

Possession: The Reign are facing a Stars side that is also comfortable sitting back and defending, pressuring opponents in key moments, and then moving the ball quickly up the field in transitional moments. According to American Soccer Analysis, the Stars have generated nine shots from fastbreak opportunities, one more than the Reign. They've scored one goal off a fastbreak as well.

The Stars average 42% possession, according to FotMob, with the Reign averaging 45%. Which team will dominate possession on Saturday, and will that be the winning strategy? While they might not high press the Reign, the Stars can close down quickly in the midfield and have the pace up top to punish opponents. The Reign will need to be clean on the ball, organized behind the ball, and will need to be creative to break through what could be a low block from Chicago.

"I thought last week, they caused Angel City some problems in how they pressed them," Harvey noted. "So I think working out how we can break down their press is going to be important, but also being defensively solid. They showed some quality throughout that game, so I think we've got to be prepared for that."

Consistency: Although Chicago might be at the bottom of the NWSL table right now, they are a talented side that is improving each week. They pressed Angel City well the week prior and came away with a point on the road. While the Reign have earned big wins against top teams, including against the Wave last week, they've struggled against opponents in the lower half of the table. As head coach Laura Harvey mentioned, the club's focus this week is on showing that same grit and determination against the Stars.

"For us, it's about showing consistency in our performances. We've spoken a lot this week about that, showing the grit and resiliency that we showed last week in San Diego — and obviously the quality that we showed to score the goals that we did. I think that's the biggest key to the game for us. Respecting our opponent, no matter who they are, what their record is to date ... it's a big part of that, of making sure that we come in with the same mentality and the same attitude going into the game tomorrow as we would have done going into the game last week."

Set pieces: Chicago has conceded a league-leading five goals from set pieces, including corner kicks. Can the Reign find some opportunities from dead-ball situations and take advantage of any corner kicks they generate?

Injury / Availability Report

Seattle Reign

OUT: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Ana-Maria Crnogorčević (leg), Jess Fishlock (excused absence), Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg), Cassie Miller (D45 – leg)

Chicago Stars

OUT: Jameese Joseph (lower leg), Alyssa Naeher (upper extremity), Leilanni Nesbeth (hip), Mallory Swanson (maternity leave), Mackenzie Wood (D45 – lower leg)

How to watch

The match kicks off Saturday, June 14, at 2 PM PT at Soldier Field in Chicago. The game will air on ION.