Reign draw Stars in game that feels like a loss

There was no shortage of chaos in this Monday night matchup as the 1-win Chicago Stars paid a visit to Lumen Field and the Seattle Reign. Seattle owned the first half from the whistle, extending their streak of multi-goal games to a record six. Emeri Adames threaded a pass through Chicago's back line in the third minute which Jordyn Huitema tracked to the end line. She turned and assisted a waiting Jess Fishlock, who tapped it past Alyssa Naeher from point-blank range.

Chicago came out with a high press and doubled down on their tactics after going down early. Pressure from Ludmila and Shea Groom tested the Reign a few times, but they couldn’t outwork Madison Curry, Sofia Huerta, and Shae Holmes, who all put in excellent 1v1 shifts. Any rhythm the Stars could’ve built was stalled by the choppy pace of the half, disrupted by stoppages. Natalia Kuikka and Groom both left the match early with injuries, forcing Chicago to use two sub windows. The highlight of the match came in the 34th minute when Seattle again broke Chicago's press wide open. This time it was Jess Fishlock on the run who set off a sequence of shots that ended in a Jordyn Huitema bicycle kick goal.

Reign opened the second half with the same urgency as the first, scoring 12 seconds in and almost earning an assist for Claudia Dickey on the kickoff. Emeri Adames hustled to meet Dickey's punt, catching Alyssa Naeher well off her line and volleying it home for Seattle's third goal. Chicago’s injury misfortune continued into the second half, when they used their third and final substitution window to relieve Jenna Bike after she suffered a painful ankle injury.

The 2025 Chicago Stars are a curious case, and not just because they're no longer Red. They have been very hard-pressed for wins, but they also don't lose very often, and they've developed a penchant for rallying back and scoring in spurts. That's exactly what they did next. Seattle made three substitutions at the 66th minute: Jordyn Bugg, Mia Fishel, and Lynn Biyendolo on; Madison Curry, Maddie Dahlien, and Jordyn Huitema off. The Stars capitalized on the personnel change. Ally Schlegel slipped through the midfield and fed a speeding Ludmila, who scored before any Reign defender could catch up.

Five minutes later, Camryn Biegalski scored her first career goal with a gutsy long volley off an arcing assist from Taylor Malham. Dickey was positioned very well in anticipation of the shot, but Biegalski dished the ball perfectly into the far upper 90 out of Dickey's grasp.

The Stars now in control of possession and momentum, the final 20 minutes were less a battle between two teams and more a battle between the teams and the clock. Somewhere around the 90' + 7' mark, Emily Mason came up huge for the Reign with a clutch goalline save that nearly salvaged two points for the home team, were it not for the following and final play. Chicago tied things up off a chaotic corner, with the goal credited to Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

What worked

Finishing

While last weekend's match against Portland showcased Huitema's defensive prowess, her goal involvements tonight showcased Jordyn at her best offensively. Her ability to win space and then know what to do with it makes her a danger that can evade defenses and shut down offenses. Huitema spoke on the team's scoring streak. "Our depth is incredible...we're dangerous, we're showing quality, our shots to goal ratio was great today. We're turning opportunities into goals and that's huge for us."

Jess Fishlock has also been on a scoring tear, creating a chance and scoring another in this match. "The Euros really gave her the spark that she's needed," Angharad James-Turner said of her Cymru teammate. "I think we need to find her a little bit more, she's dangerous right now." Head coach Laura Harvey agrees. "She's been our best player."

What didn't work

Game changers

The snappy nickname for substitutes often proves true when fresh legs take over and bring new life to a squad. It's a little less common that they change games negatively, like in this match. Laura Harvey took responsibility for the momentum loss. "We were nullifying their threats and then suddenly we weren't. Tonight's on me. We probably made subs a bit too early."

Parking the bus while also trying to drive it

On both run-of-play goals that brought Chicago back into the game, Reign players were exposed playing too tight and caught chasing.

"We overplayed in moments, high pressing late in the game. We didn't need to do that," Laura Harvey shared.

"I think there was a little bit of disconnect in how we were closing out the game which created gaps," Jordyn Huitema said post-match. "Some people were front-footed while others were dropping...it created pockets in the midfield where they could take advantage of that."

"I think we just lost structure," James-Turner agreed. "It looked like our heads dropped a little bit and that's not like us."

Harvey, Huitema, and James-Turner are all confident in one thing: a loss like this won't happen again.

"Our end goal is playoffs," Huitema said. "These games give us these opportunities to grow."

The Reign remain in sixth place in a tight table, trailing the second-place San Diego Wave by four points. The top eight teams make the playoffs. The next stop on Seattle's quest for points is Houston, where they will take on the Dash next Sunday, August 24th at 4 pm Pacific.