After a disappointing home opener at Lumen Field two weeks ago, Seattle Reign players will be eager to redeem themselves when they host the Washington Spirit on Sunday, May 10. The Mother's Day match kicks off at 4 p.m. PT and will air on Victory+ and stream on 950 KJR AM radio.
The Washington Spirit (4-1-3) are on a seven-game unbeaten run and have won their last four matches, while the Reign (3-2-2) are winless in their last three and have failed to score during that timeframe.
The Spirit are certainly a tough opponent for the Reign — and Washington has dominated this series over the last five years — but the Reign are less focused on their opponent and more focused on staying true to who they are.
"I think for us, what's most important is sticking to who we are – being true to ourselves and maintaining our game plan, being strong defensively, creating chances, finishing our chances. And I think if we play our game, we'll be fine," forward Brittany Ratcliffe told reporters in a pre-match press conference.
Head-to-Head
The Reign have a 14-12-8 record against the Spirit, including a 10-6-4 record at home. The Reign have scored 48 goals and conceded 40 in these 34 matches.
Key departures
The Spirit traded 2024 Rookie and Midfielder of the Year Croix Bethune to the Kansas City Current in exchange for $100,000 in allocation funds and $900,000 in transfer fees. Longtime Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury also went on maternity leave — with backup Sandy MacIver stepping up well in her absence. Holding midfielder Narumi Muira went to Utah while forward Brittany Ratcliffe joined the Reign, where she's started off strong.
Key additions
Andi Sullivan returned from maternity leave. The midfielder also missed the end of the 2024 season with an ACL tear. The Spirit also added fullback Lucia Di Guglielmo and 18-year-old Paraguayan forward Claudia Martínez, along with a few other players who have yet to see meaningful minutes.
Key stats
- Laura Harvey is coaching her 300th NWSL match on Sunday
- The last time the Reign beat the Spirit was the home opener of the 2024 NWSL season – a 1-0 win at Lumen Field that saw the Reign score in the 3rd minute
- The Spirit are 2-0-2 on the road in 2026 – scoring 8 goals and conceding 4
What to watch
An offensive force
The Washington Spirit lead the league in goals per match (1.8) and have scored 11 goals in their last four matches. What makes the Spirit so dangerous? They have multiple threats on the field, making them difficult to defend against. Three Spirit players have three goals – Trinity Rodman, Leicy Santos, and Sofia Cantore – and Rodman and Rose Kouassi both have three assists.
The Spirit have speed on the wings in Kouassi and Rodman, which means the Reign's fullbacks can't get caught too high if the team loses the ball. And the Reign have to watch the occasional long ball over the top, especially from centerback Esme Morgan, who leads the league in long balls.
Like many teams that the Reign have faced recently, Washington is really lethal in transition. They like to put a lot of pressure on opponents to win it back quickly. Washington currently has the most fast-break shots and the highest expected-goals total from transitional opportunities.
The Spirit also like to have the ball, with two centerbacks – Morgan and Tara Rudd – who are comfortable on the ball. They lead the league in possession (58.9%) and complete the third-most passes per match (381, compared to 322 for the Reign). In the midfield, the Spirit move the ball quickly with one- and two-touch passes, trying to pass around opponents and find their speedy attackers.
Case in point, here's how the Spirit scored their four goals against the Orlando Pride last week:
- Hal Hershfelt won the ball in the midfield, and the team put together four quick short passes before finding Cantore at the top of the box. She finished in the 3rd minute.
- Three minutes later, Santos collected a clearance in the midfield with a lot of space. She found Rodman on the left wing in transition, who threaded a perfect pass behind the centerbacks to Cantore, who got her brace.
- After the Pride did a good job putting the Spirit under pressure, goalkeeper Sandy MacIver desperately cleared the ball. The Spirit won the header and Santos volleyed the loose ball to 18-year-old Claudia Martinez, who finished emphatically after beating her defender.
- The Spirit found Kouassi on the right wing, who beat her defender and sent a simple cross into the box for a wide-open Rodman to finish.
The Reign have been a tough defensive team for most of this season, mostly struggling when they couldn't control the ball in dangerous areas. They will once again be without Jordyn Bugg, who is still recovering from a leg injury sustained after joining the U-20 women's national team camp in April. If the Reign can collectively stay organized, they can hopefully limit the Spirit's chances.
Set pieces
The other area where the Spirit have found success is on set pieces. Four of their 13 goals have come from set pieces. The Reign have scored two set-piece goals and conceded three. Seattle will need to be tight defensively on corner kicks — and maybe take advantage of a set-piece opportunity of their own.
Early pressure and goals
The Reign are undefeated this season when they score first. In both of their losses, they were down at halftime and couldn't fight back. Laura Harvey repeats the mantra, "Goals change games" for a reason. Can the Reign come out with more energy at the start of the match and get their home fans into the game? And after three straight games without a goal, can they finish their chances like they did in their first two Spokane games?
"Obviously, as forwards, we want to score eight goals a game," Ratcliffe said. "I think for us, the most important thing is creating chances and being dangerous, because if you can create chances, if you can be dangerous in games, the more chances you create, the more opportunity you have to score goals. The most important thing for us as a team is how are we creating chances? How are we doing a better job of being dangerous? And that's what's most important for us."
Who to watch
Trinity Rodman
After missing a few chances at the start of this season, Rodman is flying right now. She's scored three goals in the last three matches and has three assists already this season. At this point, I think we all know what makes Rodman so dangerous: she's incredibly hard to push off the ball, can easily spin around defenders and beat them in a foot race, and she can finish with both feet. The Reign will need to prevent passes to her, mark her tightly, and ensure they have enough numbers to support if she gets behind a teammate.
Rose Kouassi
One of two entertaining NWSL players named Rose, Rose Kouassi is very fast and one of the most dangerous players on the dribble. While she can also score, she's particularly great at setting up her teammates from the wing – often whipping in low, hard balls across the goal or on the ground instead of looping crosses. She leads the team with 21 chances created – 10 more than Rodman in second.
Leicy Santos
The Spirit midfielder loves to pop into dangerous places and often makes late, unmarked runs into the box. Look at both her goals in the team's 4-0 win over the Kansas City Current: the first, a timely run into the box, and the second, coming from her pouncing on a rebound in the box.
Sam Meza, who continues to dominate as a ball-winning force in the midfield, will need to keep a tight lock on Santos, and the Reign's entire backline will need to communicate and pick up her runs into the box.
Kit matchup
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Lynn Biyendolo (Maternity Leave), Jordyn Bugg (Leg), Jess Fishlock (Lower Leg)
Washington Spirit
OUT: Deborah Abiodun (Hip), Tamara Bolt (Excused Absence), Ashley Hatch (Maternity Leave), Aubrey Kingsbury (Maternity Leave), Casey Krueger (Maternity Leave), Sara Wojdelko (Hand)
How to watch
Seattle Reign kick off against the Washington Spirit at 4 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 10. The Mother's Day game will stream on Victory+, a free platform available on most smart TVs, mobile streaming devices, and web browsers. It will also be available on KJR 950 AM radio.
