Reign overthrow Royals, 4-1

In their final match before the international break, the Reign seized the initiative early, stacked up their advantage, and made the adjustments they needed to make to get their biggest win of the season over the Utah Royals.

The Reign started on the front foot and got on the scoresheet early. Lynn Biyendolo sent a ball into the box, Maddie Dahlien headed it back towards the penalty spot, and Ji So-yun took one touch to buy herself a lane before striking it home. Six minutes in, and the Reign already held the lead.

They weren't content with just one, though. Ten minutes later, Biyendolo saw a chance to break and delivered a long, teasing ball to Ji, who quickly clipped it over her defender to an onrushing Dahlien. Royals goalkeeper Maddie McGlynn came out hard – and took Dahlien out on the play – but Maddie chipped her first, scoring at the far post and doubling the lead.

The Royals stole one back midway through the half as they started to find their feet. After testing Dickey from distance without much success a few times earlier, Ally Sentnor tried her luck again, delivering an absolutely biting strike. Dickey got a hand to it and kept the initial strike out of the net, but nobody on the Reign kept up with Bianca St-Georges, and she booted the rebound into Dickey's empty net to cut the lead in half.

While Utah attempted to pressure the Reign more and draw back level, the Reign back line held strong and they carried the lead to halftime.

The Reign made small adjustments coming out of the break and took control of the game again, allowing Utah some possession but few clear opportunities. And then Emeri Adames emphatically ended the game. In the 65th minute, she collected a through ball from Ji So-yun, took a touch, and threw down a finish straight from the training ground to restore the Reign's two goal lead.

Down multiple goals, Utah pushed, but couldn't break through the Reign's shape, and as time wound down, it was the Reign who manufactured the better chances, culminating in substitute Nérilia Mondésir driving into the penalty area from the end line and – after VAR intervention – winning a clear penalty. Adames stepped up to the spot and gave the Reign a 4-1 lead entering stoppage time.

The Reign defended out the final few minutes of the match, and Thomas Snyder blew the whistle for full time: the biggest win of the season, and the biggest win for the Reign since 2023.

What Worked: Ji So-yun dealing

Laura Harvey reportedly wanted to see more out of Ji So-yun, and the veteran midfielder delivered. First, in the sixth minute, she picked up a gritty header from Maddie Dahlien at the top of the area, took a savvy touch around her defender, and delivered a beautiful strike past goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn.

And then, 10 minutes later, she returned the favor, clipping the ball to an onrushing Dahlien, who chipped the keeper to double the Reign's lead.

That would have been a tidy enough day's work, but Ji wasn't done yet – in the 66th minute, with the Reign leading 2-1 and the game closer than it should've been, she slipped a perfect through ball for Emeri Adames to take in stride in the penalty area. Adames made no mistake, and the Reign had space to breathe.

What Worked: Dahlien and Adames deliver

The veteran Ji opened the scoring, but it was the quality of the youth movement that saw the Reign ultimately pull away from the Royals. It was Dahlien’s aerial win in the sixth minute that put Ji in scoring position, and then, 10 minutes later, she showed real composure, eating all of an onrushing Mandy McGlynn's contact and chipping the ball to the far post for the game's second goal.

In the second half, it was the Emeri Adames show, her second half brace securing the result for the Reign. She got her first in the 65th minute, with a clever run onto an excellent Ji through ball and a classy finish to restore the two-goal advantage.

In the waning minutes of the match, Nérilia Mondésir carried the ball into the area, beating two defenders and winning the foul. Initially uncalled, referee Thomas Snyder was called to the VAR booth to review, and pointed to the spot.

Adames stepped up and delivered again, scoring her fourth of the season, and becoming the second-youngest player in NWSL history to score a brace after Mallory Swanson.

What Worked: Laying the foundations

The goals and assists grab the headlines, but the Reign's best offensive showing of the season was a whole team performance.

Ji can't find Adames for the third goal if Lynn Biyendolo doesn't do the hard work, fighting through contact and fouls to set her up for the hockey assist – Lynn had the "pass that leads to the pass" on all three of the Reign's non-penalty goals.

Adames can't sink the penalty to secure her brace if Mondésir doesn't drive hard into the penalty area and force the issue, winning the foul and sending Emeri to the spot.

The midfield trio of Sally Menti, Sam Meza, and Ji combined for 16 duels won and 14 recoveries, keeping Utah under sustained spells of pressure that they couldn't break free of – and Meza's eight duels won and four clearances led the way from the center of the park.

While Utah is struggling as a team, the Reign showed replicable, dangerous patterns of play throughout – laying the foundations for the attack in the game, and laying the foundations for what the ideal attack might look like in the back half of the season.

What Didn't Work: Following the runner

After a blistering start for the Reign, the Royals briefly pulled back into it in the 31st minute. Ally Sentnor sent in a blistering strike from outside the penalty area, and while Claudia Dickey got her paw to it and pushed it off the post and out, it left a juicy rebound. Bianca St-Georges followed the play. Jordyn Bugg, perhaps trying to play her offside, was a step slow in reacting, and St-Georges had one of the easiest goals you'll ever see.

After the tally, Utah pressured the Reign more for the rest of the half, but couldn't draw level, and the Reign made the necessary adjustments to secure the win. Still, it was a goal that could've been prevented, and it gave life to an opponent that to that point had looked listless and outmatched.

"We've just been telling each other, like – shoot"

Speaking to a change in the Reign's mentality, coming off three consecutive games with multiple goals, Emeri Adames called out an increasing confidence and comfort with each other: "I think... the increasing confidence, and that we've just been telling each other, like – shoot, get something on the ball. But I also think there's a hunger that we didn't have at the beginning of the season that we do now. Like, we can beat these teams by multiple goals. We don't have to score just one goal per game. We can get into the attacking third and really attack them, I think that's what changed."

"Yeah, and I think it's like getting into a gel with the relationships on the field," Maddie Dahlien added. "I think that we're all finding a rhythm with each other, and I think it really showed like with Ji and Emeri and me and Lynn today, like we just kind of are figuring out each other's tendencies and where each other like to be, so."

Following up, both spoke emphatically of Lynn Biyendolo's contribution, calling out her "three hockey assists", with Dahlien adding as well, "I think it means a lot to us young players, just that she trusts us so much to give us the ball in those scenarios, and to trust us that we'll be there when she plays the ball. I think that means a lot."

"We're on a journey together"

Laura Harvey also had a lot to say about the Reign's approach and dedication as a team, calling out the team's mutual respect, work ethic, and problem-solving.

"I said to the players before the game, that I've never worked with a group that when adversity comes or things don't quite go our way, they want to solve it immediately. They don't want to leave things to chance, they don't want to talk about it in their little silos. They want to come in the room collectively and go, ‘Okay, this happened to us. We need to solve it.’ I think that as long as we can keep that mentality and keep adding quality as we go to our play, we will be okay."

While she mentioned the Reign letting off the pressure as the second half faded, and perhaps allowing Utah to get back into the game a little bit, she repeatedly came back to the team's resilience and dedication, capping it off:

"The one thing we have shown this year, which has been consistent, is when we face adversity, we stand up."

With this one in the books, the Reign go into the international break on the heels of an undefeated, 7-point road trip. The Reign will next take the field for league play on August 1st, hosting Angel City at 7:30 PM PT at Lumen Field.