Nérilia Mondésir's 54th-minute goal was all Seattle Reign needed to secure a preseason win over Angel City at the Coachella Valley Invitational. The play started with a Madison Curry throw-in, which Mia Fishel chested to Maddie Mercado. The midfielder's first touch was cleared by Angel City centerback Sophia Mattice, but Mercado stuck with the play and deflected the clearance to Mondésir at the top of the box. The forward, playing on the right wing, took a light touch to set up her shot and unleashed a low, hard shot into the left corner.
Starting lineups
The Reign started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Maddie Dahlien, Mia Fishel, and Nérilia Mondésir got the start up top. Maddie Mercado was the team's attacking midfielder, with Jess Fishlock and Sam Meza playing as dual holding midfielders behind her. The backline featured Madison Curry at left back, centerbacks Jordyn Bugg and Emily Mason, and Sofia Huerta on the right. Claudia Dickey got the start in goal and was the only Reign player to go 90 minutes.
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Substitutions
Angharad James-Turner subbed in for Meza to start the second half, marking the only halftime sub for the Reign, while Angel City made several subs – including bringing on Nealy Martin and Kennedy Fuller in the midfield, Sophia Mattice at centerback, and Sveindís Jónsdóttir up top.
The Reign made eight changes in the 68th minute. Up top, Brittany Ratcliffe came on for Dahlien; Jordyn Huitema for Fishel; and Emeri Adames for Mondésir. In the midfield, Ainsley McCammon subbed in for Jess Fishlock, and Sofia Cedeño replaced Mercado.
Phoebe McClernon replaced Bugg at centerback and Chloe Seelhoff, a non-roster invitee, slotted into right back for Huerta. Seelhoff primarily played midfield and forward in college but has been training primarily as a fullback for the Reign. Another trialist who joined the Reign in Coachella, Carolyn Voss, subbed in at left back for Curry. Voss is a U-16 youth national team player from Minnesota and plays for the same club team that produced Dahlien.
Toward the end of the match, U-18 trialist Vienna Whipple, a Seattle native, subbed into the match to replace Emily Mason.
Match Summary
Both sides spent the opening 15 minutes feeling each other out. Angel City had the first real look, with Riley Tiernan getting into space in transition and finding Maiara Niehus before Huerta cut down her angle with strong 1v1 defending. Gisele Thompson followed that up with a threatening solo run and a shot from inside the box, which Bugg deflected out for a corner.
Unlike last season, the Reign weren't sitting back waiting for chances — they were hunting for high turnovers and pressing Angel City into mistakes. It was working, too, except for that final ball in the attacking third. The pressure generated a few early opportunities, even if none of them were truly dangerous.
Seattle took firm control from there in the first half. Mondésir took all four of the Reign's corner kicks in the first half, and the team built sustained pressure in Angel City's end. The best chance came in the 32nd minute, when Dahlien created separation on the left wing and whipped in a cross for Mercado, whose header rattled the crossbar. Fishel got to the rebound but couldn't convert. Just before halftime, Mondésir was fouled and Huerta stepped up with a free kick from 25 yards out that forced a fingertip save from goalkeeper Hannah Seabert.
Angel City tried to hit back on the counter and with long balls, but the Reign defended comfortably. The only real scare came when Dickey lost the ball trying to claim a corner kick — it trickled toward goal before Huerta got back to clear.
Seattle came out sharp after the break and got their reward in the 54th minute with Mondésir's goal.
The momentum shifted as the Reign's starters faded. Substitute Sveindís Jónsdóttir caused problems on the right wing, using her pace to make run after run into the box. She had a shot go over the bar, slipped at a crucial moment on what could have been a breakaway goal, and had another chance snuffed out by Curry.
Emeri Adames kept the Reign dangerous late. The forward used a slick move to get past her defender on the endline and tried to pick out the near-post corner, but her shot hit the side netting.
Player notes
- Sam Meza only played a half, but she was dominant in those first 45 minutes — breaking up play with her trademark tackles but also getting the ball forward with some great vertical passes.
- Sofia Huerta's free kick was the standout moment, but it was also notable that the right back was often playing high and cutting inside when the Reign were building rather than pushing wide. Is this something we could see more of when the season kicks off?
- Maddie Dahlien was a constant threat on the left wing in the first half, using a hesitation move before cutting toward the endline and whipping in a few dangerous crosses. The forward seems very confident heading into the season.
- Earlier this week, the Reign announced that Mondésir's mutual one-year contract option had been exercised and she'd be with the club through the 2027 season.
The Reign will return to Seattle for training next week, with 13 players joining their senior and youth national teams during an 11-day FIFA window. All three of the Reign's healthy goalkeepers — Dickey, Neeku Purcell, and Evan O'Steen — will be absent through March 7.
Susie Rantz
The Reign's regular season begins a week later, on March 15, when the team makes the cross-country trip to take on the Orlando Pride. That match kicks off at 1 p.m. PT.
