The Reign hadn't absolutely disassembled a team in quite some time. Hard fought wins, frustrating losses, nerve-wracking draws – but it had been a year-plus of close, tightly decided games.
And then they visited the Utah Royals. And against Utah, they scored early, they scored late, they scored in the middle of things. They scored from a clever touch at the top of the area, they scored from the penalty spot, and they scored a pure-timing chip over the keeper.
Utah was down 2-0 before they even knew what was happening. And while they pulled one back before the halftime whistle, the Reign came out firing in the second half, added a third 20 minutes later, and never looked likely to cough up the well-earned lead.
Nothing like a comprehensive home win right before the break to reinforce the vibes on a sometimes messy – but so far, very successful – rebuilding season.
We'll never be Royals (on account of how we keep beating them), and long may we Reign.
Goalkeeper
Claudia Dickey – 7
Of the Royals' 15 shots, eleven were taken from way downtown, and ten of those eleven never threatened Dickey's goal. The eleventh, in the 31st minute, was a phenomenal strike by Ally Sentnor from 28 yards, which Dickey got a hand to at full stretch, pushing it wide and off the post. Unfortunately, the rebound fell kindly for Bianca St-Georges, no Reign player closed, and Bianca scored the simplest of tap-ins to pull Utah back to within one.
Dickey also made a big save on St-Georges in the 11th minute, preserving a then-1-0 lead, and a relatively routine save on Claudia Zornoza, who smashed a ball from 36 yards out in the 59th minute.
The Royals held a slight possession edge and showed a willingness to shoot from absolutely anywhere but not an ability to create shots from closer than 17 yards or so, and Claudia was good in the air, composed on her line, and quick to get the ball the hell out of dodge when she had to. She touched the ball just 27 times, but made a big impact to hold down the win and the goal margin alike with a few of those touches.
Going forward. A couple of shakier appearances down the stretch allowed Aubrey Kingsbury to overtake Claudia in some statistical categories, but Claudia remains firmly in the elite of the league, outplaying far more experienced, established, national team-capped goalkeepers in their prime years.
She is and should be the presumptive starter.
Defenders
Madison Curry – 7
Death, taxes, and Madison Curry throwing down in six tackles (winning four) and seven duels (winning five) – she has a frankly delightful love of demolishing her attacker. Curry brings every single dram of eau de give me that ball that the Reign couldn't find for most of last season.
She also touched the ball more than any other player (71 times) and made those touches matter consistently, getting forward with urgency and intent. Four progressive passes, eight progressive receptions, two passes into the penalty area, three accurate crosses, and the... throw-in before the pass before the pass (is that a thing? Can we start counting those?) on Ji's opening goal.
All around, an extremely tidy outing.
Going forward. Curry, providing verticality, shows flashes of 2023 Huerta, providing both defensive edge and quality service. I'm not saying Madison Curry's about to challenge for the all-time assist record, but I'm also not saying I'd be surprised if she gets there.
Jordyn Bugg – 7
Okay, so, to get it out of the way: Jordyn's deep pass in the 31st minute was picked off and headed forward, giving possession right back to Utah. They quickly combined up the middle, leading to Ally Sentnor's long-distance rocket. As Claudia saved it at full stretch, Bugg also briefly lost track of Bianca St-Georges, a step past her back shoulder, and St-Georges had an entirely uncontested point-blank tap-in on the rebound. It was a bit of a lucky goal, but Bugg's two small mistakes really compounded. Life as a defender can be brutal like that.
Now that that's out of the way, Bugg was mostly a defensive brick wall, with a block, three interceptions, seven (successful) clearances, and four recoveries. Utah kept trying to shoot from twenty, thirty, thirty-six yards out because, in large part, they could not get past her, and opted to turn back and recycle time after time. She was a tempo-setter for the team with 70 touches, and showed creativity and vision, getting forward to support the attack and providing four progressive passes and two shot-creating actions and a whole lot of positive possession to keep the team firing.
Sometimes, small mistakes get unfortunately punished, especially on the defensive side of the field; on the balance of play, Bugg was mostly on the right side of excellent.
Going forward. Watching Bugg grow into an every-tool defender is a whole damn honor. Hoping for another Bugg bomb so soon might've been greedy, but I still held my breath when she drilled that shot in the 23rd.
Phoebe McClernon – 7
During this run of good form, Phoebe McClernon has spent less time on the ball, less time making last-ditch challenges, and more time as the final pressure release valve in the back. This is both a good thing – the team is playing better and forcing the back line into fewer high-leverage moments – and a thing that can get lost in the noise when looking at a stat line and seeing 34 touches and 19 successful passes for the central defender in a back five.
Something Phoebe has adapted to admirably is leading without the ball, and she's become an incredibly active organizer on the back line. She was still also very physically involved against Utah (and Chicago and San Diego), with three recoveries, six clearances, a tackle, and two of three duels won. But the Reign have increasingly opted to leave the greater volume of touches and passes playing it out of the back to Bugg – an incredibly creative passer – while McClernon holds the last line of defense and keeps everyone on the same page in transition and defense, and so far? It's really working for us.
Going forward. Steady as she goes. Phoebs is becoming an extremely reliable anchor and stepping up as the constant veteran on a back line full of talented kids.
Shae Holmes – 7
The thing I most noticed about Holmes' game on rewatch was how consistently she pressed forward, providing Dahlien and Ji with a safe drop pass when they got into a little too much pressure. The support she provided to the extremely dangerous left side helped keep possessions alive, and the danger the left side posed in extended possession created space for Bugg, Curry, Adames, and Biyendolo to create on the right, and, well. When you see it working, right?
And then, the usual: seven timely clearances, five recoveries, no quit as she tracked back and covered ground. She won her challenges and was disciplined and positionally strong in defense. When the biggest nit I can really pick with her game was that, as a central defender, she sometimes played it a little too safe, that's really just not much of a nit.
Going forward. Jordyn Bugg, Phoebe McClernon, and Shae Holmes are a formidable center back trio, and I would (still) much rather see Shae getting reps here than as an outside back. Lu Barnes will come back, but I think the Reign are better served with her platooning as a center back than pushing either Shae or her to the left again.
Maddie Dahlien – 8 (off 71' for Emily Mason)
Look, I've argued that Dahlien's best position is further up the pitch, but at some point, you just can't argue with the results. Once again starting on the left side of a five-back formation (obligatory acknowledgment that formations are fake and positions are vibes here), Danger Maddie was a menace overlapping for Ji and Menti.
In the sixth minute, she won the header that gave Ji the ball barely-defended at the top of the area. In the 16th minute, she ran right by everybody to collect Ji's chip pass, and her composure in the finish over Mandy McGlynn's head even as McGlynn absolutely cleaned her out doubled the Reign's lead.
Dahlien was active in and out of possession, providing a vertical threat that opened space for Biyendolo and Ji, and using her speed and positioning to reclaim the ball frequently, racking up six recoveries and winning two free kicks high up the pitch.
Going forward. I still want Dahlien playing further forward as much as possible, but she keeps proving that she can deal as a wingback, and I can't argue with three points.
Midfielders
Sally Menti – 7 (off 90'+2 for Ainsley McCammon)
Continuing to show she absolutely belongs at this level, Sally Menti turned in a fantastic box-to-box showing, putting out fires in the defensive third and gleefully starting them in the attacking third. Aside from putting in the tackle and never giving up on her run, she was just absolutely masterful at reading the physicality of the game and rising to the challenge. Fouled more than any player on the pitch? She turned that into an advantage going forward, and threw it right back to break up Utah's momentum.
In the 25th minute, some sweet combination play with Emeri Adames ended in a solidly hit chance for Menti from about seven yards out. McGlynn read it brilliantly and saved it, but it was a big chance created by Sally's one-touch forward pass to Emeri, and Emeri immediately returning the favor as Sally continued her run.
I really wanted her to score that one. But it was still a great chance.
Going forward. Sally Menti's hot prospect fire might've cooled a little after the injury struggles in college, but she's been good as heck in four starts for the Reign, and more than earned her new, long-term contract. I, for one, cannot wait to see just how far she can go.
Ji So-yun – 9 (POTM) (off 71' for Nérilia Mondésir)
Gosh, what didn't Ji So-yun do? This was an absolute clinic in attacking midfield play.
Open the scoring in the 6th minute, smoothly collecting Dahlien's contested header, taking a touch around her defender and striking a laser into the back of the net? No problem. One-touch a chip pass to a zooming Maddie Dahlien 10 minutes later for her first assist? You'd best believe it. Deliver a perfectly weighted, silky smooth through ball for Emeri Adames to take in stride and drive home for the third goal? What, like it's hard?
The stat line looks good all on its own. A goal, two assists, three key passes, six progressive passes, and a neat seven recoveries and two tackles won on top of that. It's deeper than that. Ji was at her line-slicing best, her ball distribution constantly putting Utah under pressure and leaving a back line chasing shadows and snatching at attackers already cutting past them.
Going forward. Ji's best performances with the Reign follow a fairly similar model, where she occupies high central space, where her vision and ball control can create chances for anyone willing to run. I've seen enough to confidently say let Ji dish and let the kids run, Harvs.
Sam Meza – 7
Simply indefatigable. Sam Meza caught up to the speed of NWSL in a hurry, and then immediately decided she was going to lap the competition.
Playing as the (generally) furthest back of a quality-as-freaking-heck trio with Ji and Menti, Meza did some real-ass midfield magic, constantly finishing Utah moves and starting Seattle ones in the same motion. Credited with four tackles, three duels won, three blocks, and six recoveries, she also had two shot-creating actions – both off clever interplays with Ji So-yun – from deeper on the pitch, her comfort, patience, and vision on the ball giving time for the Reign to turn won possession into danger.
One small miscue: after Jordyn Bugg's picked off pass in the 31st minute, it was Meza's missed clearance that set up Ally Sentnor's rocket of a shot. Small mistakes sometimes compound like that.
She's just exquisitely dynamic on both sides of the ball and has an astounding nose for what the game needs from her. You start to run out of superlatives, and the excellent performances feel almost routine.
Going forward. Emma Hayes has now caught on to what the rest of us already knew. Sam Meza is the real fuckin' deal, and we're witnessing the beginning of the NWSL's – and, it would seem, USWNT's – Mezazoic Era.
Forwards
Lynn Biyendolo – 7 (off 81' for Jordyn Huitema)
This is a strong argument for Lynn's best performance with the Reign. No counting stats, no goals or assists, but Biyendolo was dishing for the Reign in basically every possession.
She finished the match credited with one shot-creating action (on Emeri Adames' 66th minute goal, Lynn quickly found an open and running Ji, and Ji just as quickly fed the ball through for Emeri), but she was the pass before the bass before the pass repeatedly, the conduit through which the attacking energy flowed. Occupying the highest space on the pitch and running aggressively, she pulled Utah's back line all out of shape, dragged defenders out of position, held up play to check back to onrushing midfielders, and did every bit of the dirty, unglamorous, work-rate forward tasks that somehow simultaneously lead to team goals and to loud English commentators bloviating unsolicited about your production.
Don't get caught up in that. Lynn was fucking excellent. With just 20 touches, she was a positive passer and receiver of the ball, and she was even better off the ball.
Going forward. The willingness – eagerness! — to be a facilitator doing the gritty work for the kids when she's literally one of the greatest goal-scorers in NWSL history? Just one more reason Lynn is the real freaking deal. But there's every reason to believe she's also going to score more than a couple of goals herself along the way.
Emeri Adames – 8 (off 90'+2 for Maddie Mercado)
With a second-half brace, Emeri Adames seized the team lead for goals, bringing her season total to four. The first goal was pure quality: a brilliant feed by Ji So-yun to put her through, and a brilliant finish by Adames to drive the ball past Mandy McGlynn and restore the Reign's two-goal advantage.
The second was a penalty – Nérilia Mondésir won it with quick feet and a hard cut from the endline forcing contact and a foul, and Emeri made no mistake, finishing cleanly from the spot to give the Reign a big winning margin to close the first half of the season.
She was also, throughout, one of the most active attacking players in possession for the Reign. Sure, she mistouched the ball and lost possession half a dozen times, but she countered that with 47 touches, four progressive passes, four recoveries, a key pass for a big Sally Menti chance in the 25th minute, a solid effort calling her own number in the 22nd, and, oh yeah, a brace. No big deal. Adames just put her foot on the game and got her flowers for it.
Going forward. Emeri Adames is now tied for tenth in the league in goals. Only four players have more than six this season, and Emeri is tied with Michelle Cooper, Gift Monday, Ludmila, and Adriana Leon on four, in significantly fewer minutes.
Give Emeri Adames more starts.
Substitutes
Emily Mason – 5 (on 71' for Maddie Dahlien)
With the Reign already up 3-1, Emily Mason wasn't in a position to need to take over the game or take risks, and she put in a solid, professional short shift to kill the game out. She touched the ball six times, completed a pass, added in two clearances and a blocked shot, and dedicatedly did not allow Utah an easy way past her.
Going forward. Giving Mason more minutes at wingback could give Dahlien more minutes at forward. Then again, you have to get Dahlien and Adames on the pitch together, and... damn, there's suddenly just depth and competition all over the roster, isn't there?
Nérilia Mondésir – 6 (on 71' for Ji So-yun)
A very good 20-minute appearance for Coco, who despite touching the ball just six times, produced enough chaos on and off it to finish with two successful dribbles, two progressive carries, two touches in the penalty area, and a penalty won. Up until her hard dribble from the end line drew the foul and the penalty, Mondésir created more with the threat of her presence than with her actual touches, making a number of strong runs that pulled defenders and pressing effectively to cut Utah's options in possession.
Going forward. We still need to find a way to get her more integrated and involved, but Mondésir is one of the only players on the roster who can do that with the ball at her feet at basically any second. And it won a penalty to drive the win home emphatically.
Jordyn Huitema – 4 (on 81' for Lynn Biyendolo)
A short appearance for Jordyn Huitema, who continues to struggle, sometimes inexplicably, in this Reign offense. With Curry getting forward and the Reign getting in an unusual number of quality crosses, it seemed like it might be Huitema's moment, but she managed just four touches, completed no passes, and while she competed hard and went into challenges, she had a rough match in the air and on the ground. She did block a shot, track back hard on defense, and compete for every ball.
Going forward. It just... isn't happening for Jordyn, in a way that's hard to explain with her demonstrable abilities – even accounting for the style mismatch with the Reign since the departure of Rapinoe and Huerta. I hope she and the team can figure something out?
Maddie Mercado – N/A (on 90+2 for Emeri Adames)
Mercado touched the ball four times, completed both of her passes, and helped kill off the last few minutes of a game the Reign had decisively won.
Going forward. Mercado deserves more minutes than she's getting, but the competition's gotten surprisingly fierce. I might have subbed her in the 71st minute, instead of Huitema, given present form.
Ainsley McCammon – N/A (on 90'+2 for Sally Menti)
McCammon touched the ball three times, completed her only pass, blocked a late, speculative Utah shot, and helped kill off the last few minutes of a game the Reign had decisively won.
Going forward. McCammon deserves more minutes than she's getting, but she's also the youngest player on the roster and I am appreciative of Harvey's caution and care with very young players, something I think should be far more common in the sport.
Referee
Thomas Snyder – 4
...I just.
This man could not spot handling. He could not keep his own standards for what was / wasn't a foul straight. He let Utah absolutely mug Sally Menti repeatedly with very little interest in cooling it down. (To be fair, she gave as good as she got a lot of the time.) Sometimes, a foul was a yellow card. Sometimes, the same damn thing was a stern glare and a play on. Sometimes, that'd happen like five seconds apart.
Truly maddening to watch. Even more truly maddening to re-watch. But you know? Being on the winning side of a mess does take a lot of the sting out of it, and if I'm being real, Utah had largely the same reasons to feel extremely frustrated by the man in the middle.
Something, something all evens out...
Going forward. I may not have any clear idea what 'average' is for a PRO ref anymore, but I do know this wasn't up to that standard.
And Another Thing..!
Sure, it was Utah, and not every team is going to be as hapless as Utah. Zero teams, actually, are likely to be as hapless as Utah. Don't let the hype get too far off the charts, sure, but savor it and learn from everything that worked – which was a hell of a lot, actually.
Enjoy the well-earned national team caps for the Reign players who demanded a place in the conversation with their first half-season.
The Reign return to NWSL action on August 1, and Valkyratings will return when the NWSL+ tape delay allows for it.
And Another Another Thing..!
Give Emeri Adames more starts!
