All even in Orlando, 1-1

In the blink of an eye, the Seattle Reign and Orlando Pride went from occupying the 5th and 4th seeds with an impending rematch to – a pair of defender goals later – occupying the 5th and 4th seeds with an impending rematch.

For the first five minutes, the Reign showed surprising life, with Maddie Mercado and Sofia Huerta getting dangerous touches in the attacking third, and even winning an early corner. Orlando adjusted, however, and by the 10th minute they were firmly in control. The Pride looked to have taken the lead by way of Marta beating the back line and scoring past Claudia Dickey in the 7th minute, but the AR raised the flag after the play, and VAR confirmed that Marta jumped her line, albeit only by inches.

That warning flash for the Reign was followed by a prolonged period of Orlando dominance in possession and field position which lasted to the end of the half. Despite their significant advantage in possession, shots, and touches in the final third, Orlando was unable to secure a goal or even trouble Dickey, missing the target five times and only taking two shots from particularly dangerous spaces.

After two half-time subs, bringing on Sally Menti for Ainsley McCammon and Jordyn Huitema for Mia Fishel, the Reign put in a much stronger showing for the second half, trading attacking thrusts with Orlando for the next half hour. While Orlando still maintained a slight edge in the balance of play, the Reign had a number of promising moments of their own, with Menti, Huerta, Curry, and later substitute Nérilia Mondésir all providing moments of line-breaking service and dribbling, only lacking for a final product.

Time was ticking away, and the teams seemed destined to come away with an inconclusive but probably fair draw when Carson Pickett, briefly, changed the narrative. A floated cross beat the Reign back line across the area, and Pickett, ghosting behind, picked up the ball and drove it home with authority on the half volley in the 76th minute.

All at once, Orlando looked to have secured the #3 seed, and Seattle looked to have fallen down the standings, potentially as low as 6th and a matchup with the Portland Thorns.

But the lead didn't last long. In some ways mirroring the opening goal, Jordyn Bugg ghosted off the shoulder of Orlando's back line, and was in the right spot to collect the second ball off the recycled cross. She took a touch to settle, then drilled a Bugg Bomb home for her third goal of the season, leveling the score again just three minutes later.

Ultimately, Carson Pickett's opening goal and Jordyn Bugg's near immediate answer were blips of activity in a game that saw relatively little of impact. A buzzing moment before the match ended as it began, even on goals, and setting the stage for an immediate rematch next week.

WHAT WORKED: Bugg Bombs!

Jordyn Bugg's 79th minute goal, her third of the season, was a huge one, as she found herself in the right place at the right time to collect Madison Curry's slightly deflected cross and drill it home. The goal saved the Reign from falling further in the standings, likely preventing an opening-round away match at Portland.

WHAT WORKED: Half-time adjustments

Despite a decent opening five minutes, the first half did not work out for the Reign, and once Orlando got in their groove, they kept the Reign under pressure and up against it. While the team got stuck in and kept the sheets clean, a change was needed, and Laura Harvey went to her bench much earlier than usual.

The half-time additions of Sally Menti and Jordyn Huitema significantly changed the structure of the Reign's attack, and they found more opportunities to create danger in possession as the match wore on. Later substitutions, bringing in Nérilia Mondésir for Jess Fishlock in the 58th minute and Emeri Adames for Maddie Mercado in the 80th, helped to continue keeping Orlando off balance.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK: Saying hello to an old friend

A mainstay at Memorial Stadium for the Reign during her rookie and sophomore seasons, it's only appropriate that it was Carson Pickett – who has since played stints with Orlando, North Carolina, and Louisville before returning to Orlando again and remaking herself as an impact attacking sub – cracking the game open and getting one past Claudia Dickey.

And it was a burner of a strike, too, fading back to be in perfect position to collect Jacquie Ovalle's floated cross and hitting the half volley with nigh-unsaveable venom.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK: Starting on the front foot

While Reign players – and Harvey – have talked about the idea of the front foot a lot this season, noting that they have a more expansive view of it than just driving possession, by any definition, they failed to do so against Orlando. While there were a few promising moments in the early going, Orlando got into a groove, and the Reign spent the first half reacting to them.

Given Harvey's well-trod preference for a defensive approach that dictates what the opposing attack can do, rather than simply putting out the fires, it's easy to see why she was so quick to make changes.

"It's just slightly off"

Answering a question about the Reign's inconsistency in the final third, Laura Harvey agreed that things seemed 'slightly off' – sanguine about the quality of buildup, but recognizing that the small things on the final ball had cost opportunities.

"I think you did – I think that's a good phrase. It's just, just slightly off. Even a couple of offsides where, you know, it was close and tight. Like Sofia's one, where she shoots across the goal, really close. We were really close to being good tonight. But, you know, it's our mentality and our grit and our determination to stay in games – this is a tough place to come, for us, with the travel and everything. We know that."

She later also talked about Menti, Huitema, and Mondésir, and how they helped set the game right for the Reign.

"Sally can find people in pockets and break out of pressure – Ainsley had been in camp, obviously, with the US and I thought just looked a little bit tired. Jordyn, running in the channel and holding the ball up. I think that's something we need to get a little bit better at, in preparation for next week, is just as a front line being able to hold the ball and make it as hard as possible for them to win it back off us."

"I thought we did, for the most part, take care of business"

Phoebe McClernon acknowledged the mistakes on Carson Pickett's goal, but was quite positive on the performance of the Reign back line:

"I thought we did well. I thought we neutralized most of their most dangerous threats. Obviously, Ally Watt scratching before the game was a loss for them, but yeah, I mean – I thought we did, for the most part, take care of business. If I could get that moment back where they scored, I definitely would want it back. I think it's a lot of good things to build on going into next week."

She later took direct responsibility for the cross falling to Pickett's feet.

"I just misjudged it, I whiffed it. Happens, but, yeah, not my best moment."

Jordyn Bugg weighed in on the upcoming rematch against Orlando, and how this match can prepare them to find a result and advance.

"I think we can just kind of – keep the ball more, and slow the game down. I think they had a lot of transition moments which kept us on our toes, but for the most part, we handled it. We've seen what they can give us. I think we'll be ready next game."

Bugg and McClernon also laughed off the question – raised by Mike Watts on the broadcast – about going to Disney World.

"Has anybody given us tickets?"

Up next, the Seattle Reign will play... the Orlando Pride, at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando! Playoff schedules, TV, and streaming will be released later this week.