Match preview: Seattle Reign vs. Racing Louisville

After a dominant 3-0 win over the Kansas City Current on Wednesday, Seattle Reign return to ONE Spokane Stadium on Saturday for a match against Racing Louisville. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. PT on March 28 and will air on ION.

Racing (0-1-1) is one of six teams that avoided a midweek match and will be the more rested side. The Reign (2-1-0) might be a little tired from their travel adventures and quick turnarounds, but they are motivated to keep the momentum from Wednesday going.

"This has been a really challenging two weeks on all fronts, emotionally, mentally, physically," Reign head coach Laura Harvey said about the Reign's travel distances and issues. "But I'm very, very proud of the group in the way that they responded and showed their true selves in big patches on Wednesday."

Head-to-Head

The Reign have a 4-1-6 record against Racing Louisville, including a 2-1-3 record at home. The teams love to draw against each other! The Reign have scored 16 goals in 11 games against Louisville and conceded 12.

Key departures

Racing Louisville, who made it to the playoffs for the first time in 2025, didn't have much turnover this offseason. They said goodbye to just two key players: midfielder Ary Borges and fullback Janine Sonis. They also didn't renew Bethany Bos' (formerly Balcer) contract, who is now playing for Dallas Trinity.

Key additions

Racing Louisville brought in tenacious midfielder Macey Hodge to replace Borges. Hodge plays with a lot of intensity and works hard to win the ball; she's never afraid to go in hard for a tackle. Her relentless pressure fits well with Racing Louisville's playing style.

Key stats

• Racing averages 32.4% possession after two games, the lowest in the league
• Louisville led the NWSL in 2025 with 5.9 accurate crosses per match
• Racing has scored 3 goals and conceded 4 in two matches
• Louisville averages 24.5 accurate long balls per game, the most in the league

What to watch

Pressing on both sides

Racing Louisville is a team that applies relentless pressure to opponents and transitions quickly and efficiently. In 2025, Racing led the league in possession won in their final third and were sixth in interceptions. On the offensive side, they reached the goal faster than any other team, a sign of their direct, counter-attacking style. The Reign will need to be smart in possession and clean in their passing to limit Racing's transitional threats.

For the Reign, if they can break Louisville's press, they can get into some dangerous spots in the attack. That's how the Reign earned their 1-0 win on the road against Louisville last year – with Sam Meza winning the ball in the midfield and finding Maddie Dahlien quickly on the left wing. While Dahlien is unavailable for this match, the Reign still have speedy players who can punish opponents in transition. Can the Reign recreate those moments this weekend?

Crosses and set pieces

As this preview from American Soccer Analysis notes, more than 30% of Racing’s shots in 2025 came from set pieces, and a quarter of the team’s season xG came from corners and set pieces. Racing have aerial threats like Taylor Flint and Emma Sears, which certainly helps. Flint won 84.9% of her aerial duels in 2025. The Reign scored their first goal off a corner kick on Wednesday against Kansas City, and looked more solid defending set pieces in their midweek match.

Louisville also led the league in crosses last year, with many of those coming from Sears and Racing's fullbacks. The Reign haven't had to deal with a high-crossing team yet this season. How do they handle Racing's threats from wide spaces?

Next player up

The Reign are still dealing with injuries to several players, with Maddie Dahlien out for this match after landing a little awkwardly on the turf in the Reign's midweek match. She joins Jordyn Bugg, Shae Holmes, and Mia Fishel on the injury list – with Bugg and Holmes close to returning and Fishel still a few weeks out. Coming off their midweek win, expect some rotation in the starting lineup.

Who to watch

Emma Sears

Everything that Emma Sears does looks effortless. She's an incredible athlete with speed that looks way too easy, similar to Lynn Biyendolo in her prime. In just two games, Sears has scored one goal and earned two assists. And just look at her goal, which came from a league-record 81.5-yard run. She made it look easy.

The Reign are going to want to limit Sears' ability to roam freely on the wing, and if they get caught in a moment like this, the Reign will likely try to slow her down with a foul closer to half. Here's hoping Phoebe McClernon and Madison Curry are up for the task on that left side.

Taylor Flint

The 6' 1" defensive midfielder, Taylor Flint, is so good at breaking up play in the middle of the pitch. According to FotMob, she's in the 90+ percentile for virtually every defensive stat in the midfield, including tackles (97th), interceptions (100th), and blocks (97th). Louisville looks to Flint to help them progress quickly from the midfield. Reign fans can expect her to attempt progressive passes when she wins the ball – something the Reign will try to limit with their pressure and defensive positioning.

Jordyn Bloomer

The goalkeeper finished the 2025 season with the most saves per game, averaging 4.2 saves per 90. She's continued that strong form this year – making 11 saves in her first two matches. She is a big reason that Racing feels comfortable pressing high up the field, as she's come up big time and time again when they are stretched in transition. Can the Reign find a way to get around the Bloomer forcefield?

Kit matchup

Injury / Availability Report

Seattle Reign

Pending league availability report

Racing Louisville

Pending league availability report

How to watch

Seattle Reign kicks off against Racing Louisville on Saturday, March 28, at 3:30 p.m. PT. The game will air on ION.