Seattle Reign announced on Monday that midfielder Sam Meza has signed a three-year contract extension that will keep her in the Pacific Northwest through the 2028 NWSL season. The announcement caps off a breakout stretch for the 23-year-old, whose performances this year not only solidified her role in the Reign's starting XI but also earned her a first call-up, first appearance, and first start for the U.S. Women’s National Team this past weekend against Ireland.
“Sam’s growth this past year has been nothing short of inspiring,” said Reign General Manager Lesle Gallimore in a team release. “She’s focused, driven, and maturing into the best version of herself — on the field, in the locker room, and as a person. We believe she’s only scratching the surface of what promises to be an elite and long career.”
Meza has featured in all 13 of the Reign’s matches this season, earning nine starts and leading the club in both tackles (47) and tackles won (29), and ranking among the top players league-wide in both categories. She’s also recorded two assists, sending in the cross for Jordyn Huitema's equalizer against Bay FC and finding Maddie Dahlien in transition for the Reign's lone goal against Racing Louisville.
“I’ve learned so much since entering the professional environment, and I’m incredibly excited to continue building my career here in Seattle,” Meza said in the club’s announcement. “The culture, the people and the standards at this club push me every day to be my best. I’m proud to be part of this team and can’t wait to keep growing with the Reign.”
From a shy kid to a midfield dynamo
As Meza shared with Ride of the Valkyries earlier this year, she was a quiet child growing up in Dallas. It was her mom who first introduced her to the game, hoping it might bring her out of her shell. And it did.
“I remember my mom telling me that I would run up and down the field crying and looking at her,” Meza recalled.
Susie Rantz
As she developed, Meza grew into a fierce and fluid player, with a style she said was shaped by watching Liga MX with her family and playing in co-ed leagues around Dallas. After making a move to the Dallas Kicks, Meza received several youth national team call-ups and eventually a scholarship to the University of North Carolina.
At UNC, she thrived. Former coach Anson Dorrance once called her “one of the greatest defensive midfielders” he had coached, noting her ability to dominate and take over matches. She started 71 of 72 career matches for the Tar Heels, scoring seven goals and adding 10 assists.
Her journey to the USWNT
The Reign traded $125,000 in allocation money to Chicago to move up and select Meza with the 17th pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft, but Meza’s first NWSL season was anything but easy. She needed more time to adjust to the demands of professional soccer. Competing for minutes behind experienced veterans like Jess Fishlock and Ji So-yun, she also needed playing time to grow. A midseason loan to Dallas Trinity FC in the USL Super League proved to be the turning point.
Meza embraced the opportunity, scoring twice in 13 appearances and earning November’s Player of the Month honors. Like her days at UNC, Meza was also dominant with the ball and tenacious at winning it back for her team. She averaged 44 passes per game and won a team-high 22 tackles and 111 duels.
“I always tell people I’m a feeler, and what that really means is I need to be in those environments, in the game, to kind of get my flow back,” Meza told Ride of the Valkyries. “For me to be able to replicate that in practice, I needed to get games. The biggest thing was playing minutes, but also just giving me some time to learn a little bit more about myself and who I am.”
Returning to Seattle after the loan spell, Meza came back sharper, more confident, and ready. This season, she found the flair, flow, and rhythm that defined her college days, pairing it with an evolved understanding of the professional game. It's translated into more minutes and more impact for the Reign.
That growth hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last week, Meza received her first senior call-up to the U.S. Women’s National Team and made her debut over the weekend, earning her first start against Ireland and playing 87 minutes in a dominant midfield performance.
“I think the thing that every young player has to look at is Sam Meza's journey, because for some people, that can be literally the thing that stops them getting where they want to be, because they can't get over that adversity,” head coach Laura Harvey said after a recent Reign match. “She just wasn't ready for what we needed her to be [last year]. And that alone is hard to take. And I'm so happy for her that she's been able to come out the other side of that, and then go, 'I'm going to show everybody how good I am.' And I don't think we're scratching the surface with her either.”
Born and raised in Texas to Mexican parents, Meza told the Latin Times last year that she didn't have many professional players who looked like her when she was growing up. Now, with a new contract in hand and a USWNT debut behind her, she’s blazing a trail for other young Latina girls to follow.
