Some draws are eventful as hell – a big-time, come from behind fight to secure a point, a six-goal disaster-class in letting points slip away, a back-and-forth punch fight between teams throwing everything at each other.
Some draws are not.
Not quite a snoozer, perhaps, but when the Reign hosted the Wave on a warm Friday evening, there were no fireworks forthcoming. It started chippy, it evolved into a tactical stalemate, and it ended with zeroes across the board, both sides finding moments but neither able to put one past the opposing keeper. On the other hand, against a San Diego side that's scored some ridiculous goals this year, the Reign kept a clean sheet and looked defensively strong after a few consecutive shaky outings, and taking a point off the top of the table was enough for the Reign to jump Portland and settle into fifth place heading into matchday 19.
Sometimes, you take the good with the bad, take the points that are there for the taking, and let the rest of the league fall where it will. With Orlando, Portland, and Louisville all stumbling a bit, the Reign's three points in three matches – by no means a barnburning pace – have been sufficient to keep them in the thick of things.
And while I'm not going to deny that this was a... less than interesting match to rewatch multiple times, there was plenty of good play to talk about along the way.
So let's talk the good, the bad, and the boring.
Goalkeeper
Claudia Dickey – 7
The good. After stacking up some less than exceptional outings, Claw-dia was back to being the Reign's stalwart warden of the goal, keeping San Diego off the scoresheet. An excellent 69th minute stop on Gia Corley from close range was by far her best save of the night, but blanking Makenzy Robbe in the 73rd was also important to keep the shutout and preserve the point.
The bad. A couple of her long kicks weren't great..? But man, if you're looking for a real misstep from Dickey in this match, you gotta talk to the claw.
The boring. With the Wave maintaining 63% possession, you'd think Claudia would've had more to do, but really, it was just two big saves, two perfunctory saves, and some passing drills as San Diego practiced such advanced tactical schemes as "abandoning Delphine Cascarino on an island in the Aegean Sea" and "always taking two extra passes at the top of the area to minimize danger."
Defenders
Madison Curry – 5 (off 81' for Maddie Dahlien)
The good. When ceding 63% of the ball to an opponent, you'll have to put in the defensive work rate, and despite being really the only Reign player committing to getting forward for the first hour-plus, Curry tracked back repeatedly and tirelessly, put in 4 tackles, dispossessed 2 dribblers, racked up 4 clearances and 3 recoveries, and characteristically made things extremely miserable on Robbe and Hanna Lundkvist.
The bad. Her passing into space was pretty dire (I mean 3 for 10 dire) and ended too many Reign counters before they could begin. She also lost the ball on the dribble twice. A little incisiveness could've cut open a heavily committed San Diego, and she couldn't provide it.
The boring. For much of the match, Curry had her own deserted Aegean island right next to Cascarino's, as she committed to getting forward and the Reign repeatedly declined to use the potential threat she provided.
Lauren Barnes – 6
The good. You could start with the 7 progressive passes, 4 passes into the final third, and 1 into the attacking penalty area. You could continue with the 5 clearances, 3 recoveries, and 2 interceptions. You could pick just about any phase of play, and Lu was contributing at a high level. Her close and medium range passing were faultless, and her defensive positioning characteristically poised and prescient.
The bad. The touch on her long passes was not exactly there, and she tried and failed a lot of long passes. Without those long balls to nobody, her passing on the night was a crisp 95%. With all those long balls to nobody, it drops all the way down to 75%, and 11 largely unneeded balls returned directly to San Diego.
The boring. There's really nothing more boring than steady possession and positionally sound defense out of the back line, is there?
Phoebe McClernon – 7 (POTM)
The good. McClernon was the steadfast anchor of a defense that gave up just three chances the entire evening, calm in possession and ruthlessly effective at snuffing chances out of it. Leading the Reign with 72 touches, she was a cool 50 of 55 passing, recorded 8 clearances and 5 recoveries, blocked a shot, and smashed every tackle she went into. A not insignificant part of San Diego's attacking fecklessness was always taking extra touches to try to avoid hitting Brick Wall Phoebe.
The bad. Losing every single one of her contested aerials was a reminder of what may be the only real weakness in McClernon's game as a covering centerback.
The boring. Phoebe's game is so good and so clean that she never really gets the credit she should for extraordinary defensive recovery and organization. When you make the absolutely essential interventions look routine and effortless...
Jordyn Bugg – 7
The good. After getting bullied a bit in Portland, the confidence and swagger is back for Bugg, who completed more passes than any other Reign player, including 2 shot-creating actions, 6 passes into the final third, and a key pass on the biggest opportunity of the match. Asked to play less desperation defense with Phoebe back in the middle, she challenged attackers higher up the field and with more authority, winning 4 clearances, 3 recoveries, and 2 duels to turn back the waves of Wave attacks.
The bad. A sloppy miscontrol in the 25th minute wasn't punished but could've been on another evening, and a missed tackle forced a big recovery out of McClernon later.
The boring. It's hard to express just how much Bugg benefits from having solid veteran cover behind her. It's the boring and safe play that opens up the audacious and jaw-dropping pieces of her game.
Sofia Huerta – 6
The good. Huerta was back at the wingback position, and put in a very Huerta performance there, getting on the ball frequently, putting in some exquisite passes, and dropping 4 shot-creating actions. Amongst those were 3 key passes, one of which – a 75th minute dime to Jordyn Huitema's forehead – was an excellent chance that went begging. While not the same physical presence as Curry on the opposite side, she got into the mix often, won a tackle, won 2 fouls, and put in the work with 3 recoveries and 4 clearances.
The bad. Some of Huerta's passes were riskier than they were rewarding, and she coughed up the ball in short passing circumstances 4 times, every one of them leading to San Diego running with numbers.
The boring. While she had 3 key passes and 4 shot-creating actions, only one of those shots was a good chance. Most of what the Reign created – and most of what Sof created – was pretty speculative at best.
Midfielders
Sam Meza – 7
The good. How do you quantify just how much energy Meza brings to the pitch? Yeah, she threw down 7 tackles. Yeah, she won 5 of her 6 duels. Sure, fine, 4 clearances, 2 blocked shots, an interception, and a strike of her own from downtown. It's not really enough to convey – she was there in every play between the boxes. She got into every mix. Whenever the Wave started combining, Sam Meza's entry music played ominously through the stadium and there she was with the steel chair.
The bad. I actually don't like the shot she took all that much. There's keeping them honest with a central blast from beyond the arc, and then there's just hoofing it through so many bodies it's never going to make it to Kailen Sheridan's goal. She had options wide, and I wish she'd used one. It was not the only time I think she missed the better option to keep the play alive, either by forcing passes she couldn't complete or delaying until the moment was gone.
The boring. While undeniably effective at keeping the sheets clean, five across the back and Meza destroying everything in sight does have that eau de sufferball that the Reign are often accused of applying overgenerously to the league.
Sally Menti – 5
The good. When you just look at what she did well, the rating feels a bit harsh, because Menti was dangerous. Her 30th minute chance was the best chance of the match for either side, a gigantic Trinity Armstrong block away from scoring another big goal against the Wave. And she was dangerous consistently, putting in 6 progressive passes, 5 passes into the final third, at least a dozen strong off-ball runs into attacking space that I counted. She was a terrier on the press, forcing mistakes and giving the Reign chances to capitalize. If the Reign score off some of that tenacious running and pressing, it's a different match.
The bad. Whuff, though, she balanced out all that good, dangerous play with some really inexplicable play in defense, in possession, in transition... I lost track of how many times Menti lost track of her mark in transition. I did not lose track of how many times she turned over the ball unforced (10), how many times she lost it in possession for a quick counter (3), or how many unnecessary yellow cards she gave up on the break (1). And once the danger she was creating in the first half tapered off, she was mostly a soft non-entity presence in the middle third.
The boring. Menti needed a sub more than anybody on the pitch by about the hour mark. She's also a 23-year-old rookie, and while 23 may not be extremely young in global soccer parlance, it's not entirely unexpected that she's needing time to get up to the professional speed of play. She might really benefit from a loan to the USL Super League, but it's not crazy to play her through her growing pains here, either.
Jess Fishlock – 6 (off 81' for Nérilia Mondésir)
The good. Five foot two, still jumps higher than you: Fishlock won 5 of 7 duels, including 3 of 4 in the air, as she remains – somehow – one of the Reign’s best aerial players. It was a very Fishlock Against the Run of Play performance for our Tiny Dragon, who got on the ball infrequently but parlayed it into 2 shots, 4 shot-creating actions, and 2 fouls won. Her 8th minute shot was a wickedly placed header, but Sheridan's positioning was strong and she caught it cleanly. Despite being up against endless Wave possession, the Reign were at least as dangerous as their opponent, and Fishlock, as ever, was a big reason why.
The bad. She didn't get on the ball much, and the team honestly could've used more influence from her. With just 25 touches – fewer than any other starter – there were long stretches of the match where she wasn't particularly involved or visible.
The boring. The Reign came to destroy patterns of play and nick a goal off the press or the counter. They did the first but, despite Fishlock, Menti, and Huitema all coming close, couldn't do the second, and the game ended as it began: scoreless and guaranteed to annoy neutral pundits.
Forwards
Jordyn Huitema – 6
The good. Given the possession disparity, you might expect a less active night from Jordyn, but she turned in a highly focused, highly concentrated show of pressing and off-the-ball forward play. She was particularly good in the air, winning 6 duels, and actively harrying the San Diego back throughout. She took two shots, both headers, both late in the match – a close-range attempt in the 75th minute that was a great chance she couldn't quite steer on target, and a mid-range attempt from a bit of an angle in the 87th that forced a quality save out of Sheridan.
The bad. A big late opportunity, but she couldn't put it – and the game – away.
The boring. Huitema winning everything in the air and leading the press from the front while everybody fails to score for 90-plus minutes. It was a game of football, but whether or not it was the beautiful game will surely be a matter of debate.
Emeri Adames – 6 (off 89' for Mia Fishel)
The good. That touchline dribble in the 30th minute en route to Menti's big chance. Just, goddamn, that touchline dribble. The control to get it past her defender and keep it in, the tenacity to get past the defender herself and keep driving as half the field stopped playing... if anybody on this team has the sauce, it's Emeri Adames. She was also just good in general in this one, taking 4 shots, 2 on target, and creating the chance for her teammates with 2 shot-creating actions and a key pass. Menti never gets the big chance without Emeri balling out for a moment. The Reign never get half of their chances on the evening without finding Emeri's feet.
The bad. Two shots on target, but she took the first from 29 yards out and didn't seriously challenge Sheridan, and she scuffed the second from the edge of the area and didn't seriously challenge Sheridan. For all the incisive moments she conjured in transition, she couldn't find the good chance for herself with all the chips on the table.
The boring. Good, bad, in between, Emeri might've been the one player on the pitch who was steadfastly not boring. Every time she touched the ball, she was a threat to do something hilarious and cool.
Substitutes
Maddie Dahlien – N/A (on 81' for Madison Curry)
In the 81st minute, Laura Harvey finally made her first changes of the night, a double sub of Maddie Dahlien and Nérilia Mondésir.
Over the next 10 minutes, Dahlien stayed high up the pitch, touched the ball 4 times, completed 1 of 2 pass attempts, had no shots, no defensive actions, no fouls, and was, in general, not terribly influential. The game had been begging for subs for at least 20 minutes at that point, but by the time they finally came, there wasn't much left to do but struggle through the last seconds, as chances grew fewer and farther between and the teams played out an inconclusive and unsatisfying conclusion to an ultimately quiet and scoreless game.
Nérilia Mondésir – N/A (on 81' for Jess Fishlock)
In the 81st minute, Laura Harvey finally made her first changes of the night, a double sub of Maddie Dahlien and Nérilia Mondésir.
Coco was slightly more involved than Dahlien, but only slightly, touching the ball 6 times and completing 3 of 4 passes. While not credited with a shot-creating action, Huitema's 87th minute chance occurs in part because of Mondésir taking on her defender with a sick-ass dribble, one of two excellent moments of beating her mark for pure ball skill she accomplished in short minutes. Despite that, the game was already basically buried by the time she came on, the chances weren't coming for either side, and Mondésir wasn't able to break an inconclusive deadlock in those final minutes.
Mia Fishel – N/A (on 89' for Emeri Adames)
Inexplicably, Laura Harvey both left two subs on the table, and didn't put Mia Fishel – ostensibly, one of the biggest signings in the team's history – on the field until nearly the full-time whistle.
A match begging for a match winner, begging for just a single moment, a single goal to change the equation, and we get Big Fish for a single touch in garbage time.
Fishel's been with the Reign for a month now and played about 60 total minutes of game time. Acknowledging that integrating into a new team can take time, and that she is returning from some injury struggles and it makes sense to bring her along cautiously, you still have to think there've been opportunities to give her more time on the pitch.
Give her 15 more minutes against San Diego to try to break a deadlock. What do you even have to lose?
I don't get it.
Referee
Calin Radosav – 6
The good. A 37th minute yellow card to Sally Menti was well-deserved (and frankly pretty needless), a 60th minute yellow card to Kristen McNabb similarly well-handled. Whistling just 15 fouls between the two teams, Radosav allowed them to play and trusted them to keep it clean, and both teams mostly did.
The bad. Hanna Lundkvist was both the most-fouled and most-fouling player on the field, and probably both deserved to see a yellow, and deserved the protection of one, before the match was finished. Despite whistling just 15 fouls between the two teams, Radosav still managed to blow at least two phantom fouls along the way, ending promising attacks.
The boring. It's been such a long time since a Reign – Wave match had no drama that I don't even know what to do with it. What do you mean Radosav didn't try to break the cards record in this one?!
And Another Thing!
Defense is nice but let's go back to scoring goals. The kids can cook.
And maybe, just maybe, transcendently talented Mia Fishel can cook, too, if we give her more than 2 minutes to do so.
