Match preview: Seattle Reign vs. San Diego Wave

Seattle Reign returns home to host the San Diego Wave on Friday after earning a 1-1 draw with Houston last week. That match saw Sofia Huerta claim an NWSL record with her 32nd career regular-season assist. Friday's battle against the Wave kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT at Lumen Field and will air on FOX 13+ locally, with Paramount+ and NWSL+ available for fans outside Seattle. Radio coverage is on 950 KJR AM.

The Reign will look to replicate the defensive discipline and clinical finishing that delivered a 2-1 road victory over San Diego in June. Emeri Adames and Sally Menti — making her first NWSL start — provided the decisive goals, with Adames netting the 88th-minute winner in transition.

Madison Curry emphasized their defensive foundation when speaking to reporters before Friday's match. "We're really focused on doing what we did right against them the first time again, and that's establishing a really strong defensive presence to give us a better chance and better guide to go forward and capitalize on our chances."

The Reign expect a strong, energized crowd at Lumen Field, as they'll be boosted by first-time attendees taking advantage of the "First Match on Us" promotion. The offer, adapted from a successful Sounders program, gives new fans their first Reign tickets free.

On the injury front, the Reign have mixed news. Ana-Maria Crnogorčević and Hanna Glas have returned from injury, but Shae Holmes will miss another week with an ankle injury, and head coach Laura Harvey shared that Lynn Biyendolo will be shut down for a few weeks while the team addresses a lingering knee issue that emerged this summer. That gives the Reign a chance to see more of what Mia Fishel can do.

Head-to-Head

• The Reign are 9-1-2 all-time against the Wave, including a 5-0-0 record at home.
• The Reign have scored 18 goals and conceded 7 in this matchup.
• Last year, the Reign came from behind at home to beat the Wave 2-1 while playing down a player for almost the entire match. They beat the Wave 2-1 on the road earlier this year.

2025 standings and recent results

• The Wave sit third on the NWSL table with an 8-4-5 record (29 points). They have scored 28 goals and conceded 19.
• The Reign sit in sixth with a 7-5-5 record (26 points). They have scored 25 goals and conceded 21.
• San Diego is 1-1-3 in their last five matches and lost 1-0 at home to Racing Louisville last week.
• Seattle is 2-1-2 in their last five games and earned a 1-1 road draw against the Houston Dash on Sunday.
• The Reign are 3-3-2 at home, while the Wave are 5-1-2 on the road.

Offseason moves and summer transfers

• The Wave had a busy offseason, adding several key players to their midfield and signing a lot 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. They also signed Colombian defender Daniela Arias, who has seen limited minutes.
• Forward Adriana Leon also joined the Wave, returning to NWSL after playing in England (West Ham, Manchester United, and Aston Villa) for the last five years.
• During the summer transfer window, the Wave added French international midfielder Laurina Fazer and 20-year-old Brazilian forward Dudinha. Both are signed with the club through 2027.

Who to watch

Kenza Dali: A creative engine in the midfield, Dali should be in conversation for league MVP. She has three goals and two assists, but those aren’t the stats that really demonstrate her impact. Dali leads the league in progressive passes, corner kicks, passes into the penalty area, and goal-creating actions. She's the one who unlocks defenses for the Wave.

Back in June, the Reign did well to prevent Dali and her holding midfield partner, Savannah McCaskill — second in progressive passes — from having the time and space to move the ball forward. Can the Reign repeat this at home?

Delphine Cascarino: The right winger is another player racking up stats for the Wave. The French forward has three goals and five assists. She excels at isolating defenders on the right channel, beating players on the dribble, and delivering dangerous balls into the box. While she hasn't notched an assist since before the summer break, Cascarino is still third in the league in key passes, fifth in crosses into the box, and tied for first in expected goals and assists. She's also tied with Dali in goal-creating actions; their nine puts them at the top of the league.

Perle Morroni: A marauding left back, Morroni hasn't put a wrong foot in much at all this season. She has one goal and four assists from the left back position, pushing high into the attack and delivering dangerous balls into attacking areas while also proving reliable in recovery.

The Reign have struggled at times to defend crosses this season, and they'll want to prevent Morroni from getting in that position as much as possible and defend well in the box if she does whip in a cross.

What to watch

Defensive discipline vs. possession play: San Diego loves the ball. They lead the league in accurate passes per match (443) and average possession (60%). As Harvey noted, "San Diego plays amazing football. You just can't stop everything with them, so you've got to pick and choose the things that you want to try and prevent them from doing and defend the things that you want to force them to do and then make it as difficult as possible when those happen. They've got quality players in multiple positions, so it's challenging to do that, but we are a team that always build ourselves off that defensive structure first."

The Reign are comfortable letting other teams have the ball, and then pressing in key moments to disrupt their opponent. They will need to stay compact, pick moments to press, and rely on counter-attacks—especially via quick transitions, which served them well in their previous meeting.

Midfield disruption: As highlighted above, expect the Reign to target Dali and McCaskill in the midfield. Limiting their influence will be critical, and while the Reign have struggled to dominate the midfield in recent games, they showed more bite against Houston last weekend. When the Reign faced the Wave back in June, Dali and McCaskill lost a combined 32 possessions, their highest number of giveaways this season. Whoever starts in the midfield for Seattle will play a key role in trying to replicate this disruption.

Exploit the flanks: The Reign sat deeper last weekend against Houston, opting not to press high with their wingbacks due to the hot and humid conditions. They'll likely flip that script on Friday. With the Wave's fullbacks pushing high and wide, especially Morroni, space may open on the flanks and in transition. The Reign have found some of their best scoring opportunities in transition this season. Can the Reign's speedy attackers take advantage of this on Friday?

Injury / Availability Report

Seattle Reign

OUT: Lynn Biyendolo (knee), Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Shae Holmes (ankle), Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg), Cassie Miller (D45 – leg)

San Diego Wave

OUT: Trinity Byars (SEI – knee), Chiamaka Okwuchukwu (SEI – lower leg)

How to Watch

The Reign will host the San Diego Wave on Friday, August 29, at 7:30 PM PT at Lumen Field. The match will air on Fox 13+, Paramount+, and NWSL+ and can be heard on the radio in Seattle on KJR 950 AM.