As the year draws to a close, we are once again looking back on a Seattle Reign season and asking you to vote on your players and moments of the year. Thank you to everyone who has already voted. The survey will be open through next week, after which we will tally up the results and announce the winners.
Note that the survey includes questions on both the Sounders/Defiance and the Reign; if you follow just one of the teams you can skip any questions you don’t feel equipped to answer. Also note that the order of the questions and the answers are randomly shuffled.
Offensive player of the year
There wasn’t any one individual standout offensive performance this season, with goals coming from a variety of players and nobody close to competing for the league’s Golden Boot award. But as head coach Laura Harvey is apt to say, goals change games, and these attackers each had game-changing moments that helped propel the success of the Reign.
Our nominees, in no particular order, are: Maddie Dahlien (4 goals, 4 assists); Jess Fishlock (6 goals, 2 assists); Emeri Adames (6 goals).
Defensive player of the year
The Reign’s stout defense kept them in many games this season, as they outperformed advanced statistics by conceding far fewer goals than the models would predict. This was thanks both to solid goalkeeping and disciplined defense.
Our nominees are: Madison Curry (26 appearances at wingback/fullback); Claudia Dickey (26 appearances in goal, 7 clean sheets); Sam Meza (26 appearances at defensive mid); Jordyn Bugg (25 appearances at centerback); Phoebe McClernon (25 appearances at centerback); Lauren Barnes (20 appearances at centerback/fullback); Sofia Huerta (13 appearances across the defensive line).
Breakout player of the year
Every season there are some players who surprise us in a good way, becoming key contributors and playing a bigger role in the team’s success than we would have predicted going into the year. This award honors players who outperformed expectations. Jordyn Bugg won this award in 2024.
Our nominees are: Emeri Adames (21 matches, 11 starts, 6 goals); Sam Meza (26 matches, 1 assist, first senior USWNT call-ups); Claudia Dickey (26 matches, GK of the year nominee, first senior USWNT call-ups); Sally Menti (16 matches, 1 goal, 1 assist); Maddie Dahlien (26 matches, 4 goals, 4 assists); Madison Curry (26 matches, 1 assist).
Young player of the year
With the end of the draft and young players often taking a few years to develop and become regular contributors, we eschew rookie of the year and instead select a Young Player of the Year. While there might be some overlap with Breakout Player, this award is more about looking toward the future of the team.
Our nominees are: Maddie Dahlien (21 years old, 1,828 minutes played, 4 goals, 4 assists); Jordyn Bugg (19 years old, 2,149 minutes played, 3 goals, USWNT call-ups, NWSL Defender of the Year nominee); Emeri Adames (19 years old, 1,000 minutes played, 6 goals); Ainsley McCammon (18 years old, 580 minutes, 1 goal).
Moment of the year
Through the highs and lows of the season, a few moments always stand out among the rest. Here are the five moments nominated for best of the year:
- Maddie Dahlien scores her first career goal in the 4th minute, helping the Reign defeat rival Portland Thorns 1-0
- Sofia Huerta assists a Jordyn Huitema equalizer against the Houston Dash, making her the standalone NWSL assist leader
- Reign beat Utah Royals to qualify for NWSL playoffs one year after finishing in 13th
- Jordyn Bugg scores her first professional goal, unleashing a shot from 30+ yards out that proved to be the game winner against NC Courage
- Lynn Biyendolo scores her first Reign goal, handing the Kansas City Current their second loss of the season
