After playing 11 of 30 matches this season, Seattle Reign sits in 10th place with a 4-5-2 record. That puts the club three points behind the Orlando Pride for 8th place, the final playoff position, with a game in hand. The Reign are still in a good position to make a push for the playoffs when the second part of the season kicks off in July, with plenty of matches still remaining.
At the same time, the Reign have some things they need to work out if they want a real chance at not just making the playoffs but advancing in postseason play. First and foremost, the Reign need to be more offensively dangerous. They have scored just 10 goals in 11 matches, putting them tied for 13th in the league in goals per match (out of 16 teams). They are 14th in expected goals and shots on target per game, and 13th in big chances created and touches in the opposition box.
One way the Reign can address their offensive woes is by adding a player or two in the upcoming transfer window, which opens on July 14. Ideally, this player would be someone who is strong in possession, great at finding pockets of space and demanding the ball, and someone who knows how to dictate the tempo and flow of a match. Finally, the Reign seem to need someone who can create a little magic out of nowhere with their passing and vision.
The Reign could take advantage of the NWSL's High Impact Player (HIP) rule, which allows each club to exceed the salary cap by up to $1 million for players that meet certain qualifications. The HIP rule as currently written excludes several big-name players due to its arbitrary nature of tying criteria to "best of" lists from news outlets, so it must be applied wisely. It also sounds like things might be getting much more flexible, and teams will be able to choose how to allocate their HIP budget.
While salaries aren't released in the NWSL, the Reign should have room to make bigger deals this summer after a very quiet offseason. They also have several open international spots. So, let's put on our General Manager hats and scout a few players the Reign could sign during this upcoming transfer window. For the purpose of this list, I stuck to players whose contracts expired this summer or in 2027 — eliminating a potentially large buyout fee.
Georgia Stanway
Georgia Stanway, a 27-year-old midfielder, spent the last four years at Bayern – scoring 32 goals, assisting 28, and winning four successive Bundesliga titles. Stanway played at Manchester City before that, scoring 56 goals in 163 games. She also has 32 goals in 92 caps for England and was a key part of the squad that won back-to-back Women's EURO titles and advanced to the 2023 Women's World Cup final.
Contract status: Out of contract as of June 2026.
Why the Reign need her: Stanway is a do-it-all player who can dominate anywhere in the midfield. She plays with grit and intensity and knows how to assert her dominance in matches. Stanway can press high up the pitch and cover a lot of ground. On the ball, she's calm and can progress it effectively. She's comfortable with both feet and is also lethal on shots outside the box — an area where the Reign have not threatened in recent years.
Does she meet the HIP guidelines? Yes
Why it won't happen: Sadly, it looks like I failed as a GM, and we lost this fight, as all reports indicate Stanway is heading to Arsenal, and it's just a matter of completing the medical before it's official.
Caroline Weir
The 30-year-old Scottish midfielder has been at Real Madrid since 2022, joining from Manchester City, but her contract is up this summer. The left-footed midfielder is one of the smoothest passers and most technically skilled midfielders in the world. She had a combined 28 goals and assists this year in all competitions, following 28 in the 2024-25 season (15 goals, 13 assists). I mentioned her passing skills, but Weir can also score some bangers from outside the box.
Contract status: Out of contract as of June 2026.
Why the Reign need her: The Reign really need a player who can take over the match in the midfield — who knows when to slow up play and when to make the riskier progressive pass. Weir possesses all of those skills. She also holds onto the ball well, with an 87.6% pass success rate. She creates nearly two chances per game, a sign of her ability to not just keep the ball but find teammates in dangerous spots.
Does she meet the HIP guidelines? Yes
Why it won't happen: It sounds like Lyon is pushing hard for the midfielder. It's hard to resist the pull of Champions League play.
Teresa Abelleira
I think that central midfielder Teresa Abelleira was one of the three best players in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which Spain won. While she only earned one assist, she led the tournament in chances created, with 26. The second-best total was 14. A wide gap! Abelleira also demonstrated her elite passing and vision, averaging 70.6 completed passes per game. Teresa is returning from an ACL tear sustained in February 2025 and is now out of contract at Real Madrid. It doesn't sound like she plans on staying at the club, which has been her home since 2020.
Abelleira is said to have interest from Brighton in England's WSL, as well as from teams in Spain and the United States, although specific details remain limited.
Contract status: Out of contract as of June 2026.
Why the Reign need her: It's time for Teresa to leave Real Madrid and truly shine again. I don't think she got half of the recognition she deserved in the 2023 World Cup, and Real Madrid has really been a mixed bag the last few years. She ranked eighth in chances created in the 2023/24 Liga F season and 10th in completed passes per match (with an 85.4% pass success rate). She also completed the second-most long balls per match, which is not a typical stat for a deeper-lying midfielder, completing an astonishing 69% of those long-ball attempts. Abelleira is a player who might not dominate the goal-scoring stats, which is why her highlights online are so limited, but she is absolutely crucial to the flow of a game.
Does she meet the HIP guidelines? No, which in my opinion is silly.
Why it won't happen: Nothing indicates Teresa truly wants to play in the NWSL, and she might want to be closer to the national team as she makes her ACL comeback. But since I'm playing GM for a day, I'm throwing everything I have at the midfielder. She may not be a big name, but, like Kenza Dali for the San Diego Wave, Abelleira could be the difference-maker the team needs. Plus, everybody loves a comeback story.
Klara Bühl
The 25-year-old German winger has quietly put together one of the best individual seasons by any player in European women's football this year. Bühl has been at Bayern Munich since 2020. She has won five Bundesliga titles and two DFB Pokal crowns, and she is the all-time assists leader in Bundesliga history since her move to the club. According to FotMob, she had eight goals and an astonishing 22 assists with Bayern this season – in just 30 matches.
German head coach Christian Wuck has called her the most genuinely two-footed player he has ever seen in men's or women's football. She can cut inside or go down the line with equal danger from either flank, and she connects 34% of her crosses. She has earned 76 senior caps for Germany. In the 2025 UEFA Women's EURO competition, she had the most successful dribbles, crosses, and touches in the box of any player in the group stage.
Contract status: Contract expires June 2027.
Why the Reign need her: Bühl would give the Reign a creative engine on the wing who can beat defenders, generate chances from wide areas, and deliver from both feet. Her 6 key passes per game this season put her in a tier by herself in the Bundesliga, and her xA per 90 of 0.90 ranks above the 99th percentile of all players in the league (per FootyStats). She also tracks back, presses intelligently, and contributes defensively in a way that would fit Laura Harvey's system.
Does she meet the HIP guidelines? Yes.
Why it won't happen: She is under contract until 2027, which is the obvious barrier. And even when that contract expires, Bayern, Barcelona, and every top WSL club will be in the race.
Selina Cerci
The 26-year-old German forward is coming off a standout year at Hoffenheim, where she had a league-leading 25 goals and assists. Cerci scored 16 goals, just one off the Golden Boot winner, and assisted another nine. The forward can play anywhere along the frontline, as she has the pace to get in behind defenses, is a strong crosser, and can finish in multiple ways in front of goal.
Cerci is out of contract with Hoffenheim and has already announced she'll leave the club this summer. She scored 34 goals across two full seasons at the club. She's still trying to establish herself on the German national team, with most of her appearances coming in the last year. She's scored five goals in 18 caps.
The NWSL is becoming more of a home to players from Germany. Five NWSL players – Ann-Katrin Berger, Kathrin Hendrich, Melissa Kössler, Marie Müller, and Feli Rauch – were called up to the Germany national team this June.
Contract status: Out of contract as of June 2026.
Why the Reign need her: Cerci plays in an already transitional and physical league in Germany, making her a player who could likely make the move to the NWSL with ease. She's also scored a lot of goals for a mid-table team in Hoffenheim. Imagine what she could do with a larger supporting cast around her? She's clearly hungry to keep proving herself with her national team. Cerci has shown over the last two years that she can be goal-dangerous, with pace to get in behind defenses and the ability to score with both feet and her head.
Does she meet the HIP guidelines? No.
Why it won't happen: Sadly, Cerci is also linked to Arsenal and is apparently talking to several WSL clubs. And unless the Reign are ready to hand out more cash, a move to the United States doesn't seem as likely.
Clara Luvanga
Have you heard of Tanzania's Clara Luvanga? You'd be forgiven if you haven't. The 21-year-old forward has been dominating Saudi Arabia's Women's Premier League, scoring a league-high 24 goals and adding three assists in just 14 matches. She carried Al Nassr to a league title, as the team went 13-1-0 and had 12 more points than their closest opponent, and she won MVP in the championship match. Luvanga is out of contract with Al Nassr this summer, and I'd expect several managers to be reaching out to gauge her interest in a move.
She was also the top scorer in the African U-20 World Cup qualifiers and was a CAF African Best Young Player nominee in 2022. She appears to be able to play on the wing or as a central forward.
Contract status: Out of contract as of June 2026.
Why the Reign need her: Luvanga looks to have the potential to be the next breakout star in the NWSL, with the strength, speed, and goal-scoring prowess that have made players like Temwa Chawinga and Barbra Banda the most feared in the league. While it's extremely hard to scout the league in Saudi Arabia, scoring 1.71 goals per 90 is pretty darn impressive. She might still be a little raw, but imagine what it would mean to have a player who keeps defenses on their toes and pulls multiple defenders.
Does she meet the HIP guidelines? No.
Why it won't happen: It might feel like too much of a risk to sign a player who hasn't featured in a more competitive league and hasn't made as much of a name for herself on the international stage. And does she want to make the move to the United States right now?
Sam Kerr
It might not be the best fit, but Sam Kerr is leaving Chelsea and is rumored to be heading back to the NWSL, where she dominated early in her career. Returning from an ACL tear, Kerr scored 16 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions this season and became Chelsea's all-time WSL top scorer with 64 league goals. At 32, she's still producing at an elite level.
Contract status: Out of contract as of June 2026.
Why the Reign need her: Sam Kerr just scores goals wherever she goes. She's got incredible instincts in the box. She's hard to push off the ball, is one of the strongest forwards in the world, and just knows how to get to the goal. She's already proven she can be a dominant forward in the NWSL. Imagine her getting on the end of those Sofia Huerta crosses.
Does she meet the HIP guidelines? Shockingly, no. She hasn't been named to the ESPN, Ballon d'Or, or Guardian "Best of" qualifying lists in the last two years due to injuries.
Why it won't happen: There's no indication she wants to come to Seattle, and striker isn't necessarily the biggest hole the Reign have to fill. Is it worth it to invest a significant amount in a 32-year-old striker with an injury history? The Reign already have that player in Lynn Biyendolo when she's back from maternity leave.
Aoba Fujino
The 22-year-old Japanese forward is one of the most exciting young attacking players in the world. Fujino joined Manchester City from Tokyo Verdy Beleza in August 2024 on a three-year deal through 2027, arriving as a two-time WE League MVP who had scored 24 goals in 51 appearances for Beleza across three seasons. She became Japan's youngest-ever goalscorer at a World Cup when she found the net against Costa Rica at the 2023 tournament in Australia, and she followed that up with a standout performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, scoring against Spain.
This season at Manchester City, she has 5 goals and 3 assists in 1,174
minutes of league play. There are currently 11 Japanese international players in the NWSL, the most in league history. That includes North Carolina Courage standout Manaka Matsukubo and the trio making an impact in Utah: Mina Tanaka, Miyabi Moriya, and Narumi Miura. Their experience in the league could attract a player like Fujino, who might be seeking more consistent playing time and competition.
Contract status: Under contract at Manchester City until June 2027.
Why the Reign need her: Fujino is a right winger who also possesses all the skills of a central attacking midfielder. She can cut inside or drive down the line, and her control and movement in tight spaces make her extremely difficult to dispossess. “Opening up the game with dribbling or passing is one of my strengths. I want to lead the attack with forward momentum,” Fujino said in a FIFA.com interview. She is only 22 years old, already has World Cup and Olympic experience, and is on an upward curve that makes her one of the most compelling young forwards available.
Does she meet the HIP guidelines? No.
Why it won't happen: She is under contract through 2027 and appears to be developing into a key part of a Manchester City squad that just won the WSL and will be playing in the Champions League next year. It's hard to imagine her wanting to leave at this point.
That's just a few players on my shortlist for the Seattle Reign to target. Some might be highly unrealistic, but it's the best time to dream. Which players would you add to the list?
