One week into the 2026 NWSL season, and we've already seen the pundit takes on this result: the Reign got lucky, Orlando just missed a lot, they can't keep getting away with it, etc.
Consider a wholly different take: Seattle went on the road against a likely top-four team, stacked with talent and led by a returning (and resurgent) Barbra Banda, and held a slight advantage in possession while running chance for chance, took a deserved early lead, and found a scrappy late winner. There are no easy points in NWSL (notwithstanding whatever's happening in Chicago right now), let alone easy road points.
As was often the case in 2026, the Reign allowed shots, but contested them furiously, harrying and slowing up shooters and making things easier on Claudia Dickey. While Banda had three "big" chances, only one of them wasn't directly contested by a defender. Jacqueline Ovalle took five shots, but four of them were frustrated, desperate shots from distance, and the fifth ended in a huge Ainsley McCammon block.
It's a new season, and the Reign started it off by going on the road and taking it right to the Orlando Pride. Claw-dia put on another clinic, Nérilia Mondésir dropped two perfect assists, Jess Fishlock showed her world-class touch, and Brittany Ratcliffe took just five minutes to score her first Reign goal.
Let's dive in!
Goalkeeper
Claudia Dickey – 7
Plus. Facing eight shots on target and five clustered around her six-yard box, Claudia Dickey conceded just once, as Barbra Banda got around Emily Mason and blazed into the area to finish on a low and hard far-post strike. She made two strong saves on Banda in the 31st and 48th minutes, and two strong saves on Summer Yates in the 9th and 63rd, keeping the Reign in it early and late when Orlando's chances came.
Minus. With the Pride frequently pressuring her on the ball, her distribution often left something to be desired. Dickey attempted twelve long balls and completed just two, giving Orlando too many opportunities to take it right back up the pitch.
The Vibe. Claw-dia picked up where she left off last season, making high-quality saves look routine and giving the Reign a new lease on life with her positioning and poise. Per American Soccer Analysis, her shotstopping in week one amounted to a G+ value of 0.3. Which is both pretty, pretty good and also the fourth-best goalkeeping performance of a week where a few keepers just absolutely went off.
Defenders
Sofia Huerta – 6
Plus. Starting in her more familiar right-side-of-a-four-back role, Sof reminded how good she is in multiple phases in that role. Combining up the right flank with Nérilia Mondésir, Huerta had six passes into the final third, seven defensive contributions (including four tackles), and seven recoveries, providing an opening flourish on offense and a solid presence on defense. She was 25-of-28 in short passing, and the foundation of a right side that generated a ton of chances.
Minus. While she often correctly opted to kick the shit out of it under pressure, more than once, she attempted a long pass and put it nowhere close to where a teammate might win it, going 1-for-11 on such efforts. On the Pride's goal, she was also caught in no-woman's-land, neither checking back to support Mason on Banda's scoring run nor closing on Haley McCutcheon's pass.
The Vibe. Huerta can still charge forward to deliver a killer cross, but she's also shown she can be a plus player as a centerback, and, as against Orlando, can orchestrate as a deeper-lying fullback, shuttling and facilitating play for attackers. While not quite as quick on the burn as she was four years ago, she's added a multitude of tools to her kit.
Emily Mason – 6 (off 90' for Ryanne Brown)
Plus. Emily Mason checked in at centerback against a dangerous attacking side and did a decent job of it, racking up six recoveries and two clearances and doing well, for the most part, to keep Ovalle and Banda in front of her.
Minus. Sometimes, she didn't keep Banda in front of her, getting beaten for touch and pace three times, including the 51st-minute break that ended in Orlando's only goal. She lost all three of the duels she went into, and left Pheobe McClernon exposed as the last-gasp defender more than once.
The Vibe. Everyone's going to get beaten by Barbra Banda sometimes, she's Barbra freaking Banda. The Pride made a point of targeting Mason on defense a dozen times, and while they did get some chances out of it, Emily mostly held her ground, held her line, and successfully funneled the play.
Phoebe McClernon – 7
Plus. McClernon, once again, was the defender of last resort for the Reign, as she has been time after time since securing the starting spot. Credited with sixteen total defensive contributions (including TEN clearances), McClernon also added four recoveries, won three duels, was tidy-as-fuck passing out of the back (54-of-58), and led all players on both teams with 81 touches. The 2024 Cooler Guild Player of the Year dictated the game, set the pace, and drew the line that said no further, meeting the Pride time after time with a booming clearance or a textured progressive pass to turn the tables.
Minus. Everyone's going to get beaten by Barbra Banda sometimes, and while Pheobe got the best of Hat Trick Barbra more often than not, Banda got past her for a good look twice over the course of the game. Neither ended in a goal. Phoebe can also give a little more in the air than she did, though Orlando's ineffectual crossing was an excellent backup defender when Phoebe was a beat slow to get off the ground.
The Vibe. Phoebe McClernon remains one of the most underappreciated defenders in the league. After two years of lights-out leadership anchoring a back line that bent but seldom broke, maybe she'll finally start getting her flowers from a league media that rarely cares about anybody not getting regular caps.
Madison Curry – 6
Plus. While Huerta frequently stayed back, shuttling and providing outlet passes, Curry bombed up the left side early and often, with an average position nearly as advanced as one would expect of a dedicated winger. Despite that position, she was second on the team with ten defensive contributions, reminding us of the well-established fact that Madison Curry fucking loves to tackle people. Her ten duels won were the most of any player, her six tackles were tied with Sam Meza for the same, and she won three of those six tackles in the attacking third. Her dynamic physical presence served to ratchet up the pressure, provide the Reign quick countering opportunities, and disarming Orlando's buildup before it could begin.
Minus. While she's an incredible asset demanding the ball from the opposition, Curry's performance both receiving and distributing the ball was a bit more mixed. While credited with a chance created and eight passes into the final third, Madison often struggled to find the right pass at the right moment, completing just 18 of 27 passes on the afternoon and losing possession more than once when the Reign would've been better served by control.
The Vibe. Madison Curry fucking loves to tackle people, and she wins duels like nobody's business, and if she can keep tackling and winning duels in the attacking third at even half this pace, the Reign are gonna get a ton of chances out of that for players like Maddie Dahlien and Jess Fishlock.
Midfielders
Nérilia Mondésir – 8 (POTM)
Plus. Those two assists, obviously. The first was a gorgeous through ball to Jess Fishlock in 24th minute, cutting out almost the entire defense with a single perfectly weighted ball. The second was a delicately lofted cross that found Brittany Ratcliffe's head in the crowd in the 83rd, giving the Reign a second lead that they would not relinquish. A pass in the 1st minute found Mia Fishel streaking to the six yard box, a dangerous chance that Fishel couldn't quite put away. Another key pass created a chance for Maddie Dahlien just seconds later. She also won eight duels and drew three fouls, and added six recoveries and three interceptions in an everything, everywhere performance that carried her team.
Minus. Her physical presence is a major asset, but Coco did leave a little something extra in on a few occasions, fizzling out Reign opportunities by committing an unneeded foul. It's a minor nitpick in an incredibly complete performance, though.
The Vibe. If this is the Mondésir we're going to see this year, it's going to be a fun year. While she's always shown flashes of brilliance for the Reign, this was a complete, composed outing – patience on and off the ball, brilliant touch when the moments for it developed, hard-nosed defending, and all the scrap and fight to ensure the Reign walked away from a nightmare of an away game with all three points.
Sam Meza – 6
Plus. Sharing the lead with Curry, Sam "That's My Ball" Meza dropped six tackles and controlled the middle of the pitch with eight recoveries. As Reign fans got quite used to last year, even in a match where Meza struggled to get much going, she was absolutely everywhere to disrupt the opposition. Five of her recoveries came in the Reign's defensive third, her quickness and nose for the ball breaking Orlando's sometimes nerve-wracking spells of pressure.
Minus. As good as she was breaking things up, Meza struggled more than usual to combine with her teammates and help the Reign progress. Some of this was on Ally Lemos having a great game for Orlando, as the Reign's attempts at central progression were consistently thwarted, but Meza's touch let her down, and she underhit several passes that could've broken the game open, instead giving Orlando a new lane to run into.
The Vibe. Meza was one of the brightest lights for the 2025 Reign, and she looks to continue that outstanding performance. Her engine remains relentless, and her nose for the play next-level – she's quietly become one of the best holding midfielders in the league. With McCammon also looking better every time out, the Reign may well have a frighteningly good double pivot on their hands for years to come.
Jess Fishlock – 7 (off 61' for Maddie Mercado)
Plus. The goal, obviously, was a great moment, but what I want to single out is the play right before the goal. Jess Fishlock was credited with one dribble, and it was there: Mondésir's exquisite pass put Fish into a dangerous central space at the top of the penalty area. After Rafaelle stabbed at – and missed – cutting out the pass, Fishlock had just Hailie Mace to beat, and, with a perfect step and touch, cleared Mace and gave herself an uncontested opportunity on her strong foot from fifteen yards out. Part of why I want to focus on the dribble, rather than the shot? Fishlock was credited with one dribble. ASA's goals added model valued that one dribble at 0.26 g+ all on its own. That one touch is the sort of single moment that can be the difference between points and none. The finish was also high quality, capping off a good stretch of Reign play with a deserved one-goal lead, but the touch that led to the shot was world class, another moment of magic in a career where they've become routine.
Minus. After a frankly electric first half, Fishlock faded in the first fifteen minutes of the second frame, with just four touches on the ball, her final action an angled shot that missed well wide.
The Vibe. As she showed all of last season, Jess remains a versatile and canny threat, able to create danger with either foot, on the dribble, from distance, in the area. As she showed all of last season, though, she's also not a ninety-minute, runs-like-she's-personally-offended-by-the-grass player anymore, and the Reign will want to make use of her still-substantial talents judiciously and be ready to adapt for the limitations.
Ainsley McCammon – 6 (off 90' for Angharad James-Turner)
Plus. Ainsley McCammon is growing up to identify as a Fucking Problem for opponents. Sharing holding midfield duties with Meza, Ainsley once again demonstrated ball knowledge beyond her years, interrupting Orlando possession all over the pitch to the tune of nine recoveries, four duels won, two tackles, and two interceptions. Her heat map put her all over the middle of the park, and she even popped up for a surprise 10th-minute shot from the top of the arc. (She missed well high, but it's good to see her crashing for the chance as it develops.) While less stuck-in than Meza, she was more active on the ball, with nine progressive passes, including one that almost connected for a real chance.
Minus. Almost doesn't get you on the scoresheet, and like Meza, McCammon often struggled to combine in high-pressure moments, her relentless defensive presence sometimes completely undone by immediately thereafter misplacing a pass. On another matchday, a late missed tackle in the middle third could've undone the hard work the team had just put in to fight back for the lead.
The Vibe. Against Orlando, the midfield was a battlefield, and McCammon fought for every inch of it. If she and Meza can develop the sort of partnership they're already hinting at, the Reign are going to win that midfield battle more often than they lose it. They're already absolutely miserable to play through, and even though the execution isn't all the way there yet, Ainsley's vision is something unbelievably special.
Maddie Dahlien – 6 (off 78' for Emeri Adames)
Plus. In the first minute, Danger Maddie charged down a beautiful diagonal cross from Nérilia Mondésir and almost put the Reign up from the opening whistle. Unfortunately, she didn't get the contact she wanted with her header, and instead drove her shot wide of the goal. She had another decent look in the 38th minute, marauding up the left flank and cutting in, only to see her effort blocked. She remained a handful throughout for the right side of Orlando's defense, cutting up the left side and beating Oihane Hernandez and Hailey Mace for pace and position repeatedly.
Minus. Almost doesn't get you on the scoresheet, and other than that first-minute chance, Dahlien didn't actually have much to show for her marauding runs from the left. While she frequently beat one of Mace and Hernandez, she was consistently unable to beat the second defender and turn that into danger, attempting five centering passes from the left and seeing every single one of them defended, and succeeding just once on four attempted dribbles near the endline. While she kept Orlando's defense busy and on their toes, she couldn't beat them for the decisive goal.
The Vibe. Last season, Maddie often lined up as a left wingback, providing much of the Reign's verticality with lung-busting hundred-meter sprints to try to stretch the defense and open up the midfield. While she was quite good at this and helped the Reign steal some points along the way, Dahlien on the wing gives her a more dangerous starting position, and she spent a lot more time in the attacking third and attacking penalty area than she did most of last season. That's a good thing.
Forwards
Mia Fishel – 6 (off 78' for Brittany Ratcliffe)
Plus. A first-minute bit of footwork created chaos in the penalty area, a fifteenth-minute shot from a sharp angle forced a strong save out of Anna Moorhouse, four defensive interventions in the defensive third showed a commitment to tracking back and doing the work. But what I really liked about Mia Fishel's performance was her holdup play. She got down and dirty at the tip of the spear, winning seven duels (four of them in the attacking third) and two fouls, and laying the ball off for Mondésir and Dahlien with quick, confident decision-making. The final result wasn't there, but the work of a holdup forward is thankless, and Fishel did a lot to help the Reign break up Orlando pressure and create their own transitional moments.
Minus. You'd like to see a center forward get more touches in the attacking penalty area, and all things being equal, you'd like to see a center forward take more than one shot over the course of a game. Fishel did a lot of positive work holding up play, winning possession, and distributing the ball for other attackers, but she wasn't able to consistently make herself a source of danger.
The Vibe. This was one of Fishel's stronger performances since joining the Reign late last year, and there are plenty of positives to draw from it. We know she knows how to score and we know she can be a threat, but after the injury that kept her out for more than a year, it may take some time and some reps for that threat to be consistent. In the meantime, she still offers excellent vision, hard work, and soft feet, and while she didn't show up on the scoresheet, she certainly helped the Reign collect three points.
Substitutes
Maddie Mercado – 4 (on 61' for Jess Fishlock)
Checking in for a fading Jess Fishlock, Maddie Mercado did some hard running, but wasn't able to convert her 11 touches into much particularly positive play. Her distribution was dire (completing just 2 of 8 passes), and she both wasn't able to get a shot off and didn't record a single successful defensive contribution. This isn't to say it was a throwaway outing, as Mercado did get into the mixer and challenge for the ball, did slow up Orlando in transition and make herself a nuisance. She was just always a half-beat late, always a half-beat off, and wasn't able to elevate her appearance past providing defensive numbers and making things harder on the Pride.
Emeri Adames – 5 (on 78' for Maddie Dahlien)
Much like Mercado, Emeri Adames did some hard running and helped contribute defensive numbers, but wasn't able to significantly change the complexion of the match. She struggled on the ball, completing 2 of 7 passes and finding herself dispossessed twice in just eight touches. She did have a big recovery at the midfield line to prevent Orlando attacking with numbers, and the attention she drew in the 83rd minute, peeling back towards the penalty spot and drawing the attention of two Pride defenders for just long enough to give Ratcliffe the advantage, was the sort of goal contribution that doesn't show up on the scoresheet but really, really matters to the final result.
Brittany Ratcliffe – 6 (on 78' for Mia Fishel)
It took Brittany Ratcliffe five minutes to change the game in the biggest way. After Mondésir collected the spare on Huerta's floated ball into the area, Ratcliffe took advantage of a moment of confusion in the Pride defense, ghosting to the far post while three defenders around her had their eyes elsewhere, and timed her jump perfectly to head Coco's cross home. One shot, one goal, can't get more efficient than that. Beyond that huge goal, Ratcliffe was a dynamic presence for her short runout, combining cleanly along the touchlines and challenging hard for the ball. A game-changing substitution in a game that needed one.
Ryanne Brown – N/A (on 90' for Emily Mason)
It's just so good to see Ryanne Brown back on the pitch~.
She had nine touches, two defensive contributions, a duel won, and a recovery in stoppage time. Pretty good for just a few minutes back.
Angharad James-Turner – N/A (on 90' for Ainsley McCammon)
Tasked to help grind out stoppage time, Haz touched the ball five times, won two aerial duels, and drove the ball all the way back to Orlando's end twice to help burn away the time and see out the Pride's fall.
Pride POTM
Barbra Banda
I mean, come on, who else was it going to be? It's great to see Hat Trick Barbra healthy, playing, and terrorizing (hopefully everyone else's) back lines again.
Referee
Alex Billeter – 7
Unlike the last time Alex Billeter called a match for the Reign, this was a very solid outing, and I really liked what I saw. She whistled when whistles were warranted, played advantage beautifully, showed cards when the play warranted cards. I want to call out specifically how she protected Summer Yates after the Reign fouled her a few too many times in succession, and that she set her lines early and stuck to them throughout.
If I have one real critique, it's that I think one more card was warranted, protecting Coco – a couple of would-be fouls against her went for advantage, and I'd have preferred to see Billeter come back and show a card just to help keep things calm.
But she did well to communicate with players and keep the game flowing and safe. You can't ask for a lot more. Given what I've watched of Billeter over the past couple of seasons, I think the Reign - Gotham game last year was a wild outlier, and I remain pretty comfortable when she's in the middle.
And Another Thing!
Maybe they can't keep getting away with it, and maybe they can. Footie is like that. Sometimes ball not go in. Sometimes smash and grab football wins. Sometimes goalkeeper go on heater. The Reign did, indeed, overperform their underlying numbers in 2025. This happens in footie, every single season, and is not the howling injustice some would have us believe.
And I'll just finish this up by noting that nobody was agonizing and pontificating about how unfair it was when they significantly underperformed their underlying numbers in 2024.
