There's both a lot to be said about the Reign's late collapse against New Jersey / New York / New Brunswick / New Caledonia Gotham FC, and yet not all that much to say about it. It's nothing we haven't seen before, and it managed to be both full of promise and an unacceptable closing performance at once, which – we've also seen before.
The vibes were great for 45 minutes, good for another 30 minutes, increasingly uncomfortable for 15, and devastating for the last 10. The Reign were dynamic and attacked with intention, and – until Gotham's flurry of late supersubs – efficient in defense. The Reign were good right up until they weren't.
There's a fragility to this side that's sometimes hard to put a finger on.
And there are mitigating factors – there have been in most of the Reign's disasters this season – that both can't excuse the outcome but can't be entirely waved away. The match was delayed, and delayed again, and played on a questionably-legal pitch, and played in atrocious air quality and weird weather. With a litany of injuries clustered at outside back, the Reign were razor thin at an essential defensive position, one that Gotham eventually found ways to take advantage of, especially as they brought on Esther and Sam Kerr late to ratchet up the pressure. And considering all of that, with a 2-0 lead and 10 minutes to play, the Reign needed to be able to make a result hold up anyway.
But they weren't, and they didn't, so here we are with another blown lead and another tough loss.
We'll get there. And there's plenty of good to take away from this one.
Still, though, losses like this, huge points slipping through our hands like sand... that hurts.
Goalkeeper
Cassie Miller – 6
The result is not Cassie Miller's fault, really. Esther's then-game-tying goal in the 94th minute was absolutely unsavable, and Rose Lavelle's credulity-defying needle-threader to win it four minutes later pretty close to the same. Miller might've done better on Gotham's opening goal, but she also came up big twice in quick succession to keep Gotham off the board in the 65th and 66th minute and gobbled up every chance that came her way for the first 70-plus minutes generally, adding 11 recoveries and (scientifically speaking) a whole lot of good challenges to the shotstopping.
Her distribution, though... that was pretty messy. It was a rare source of Gotham opportunities in the first 60 minutes while the Reign ran rampant, and it continued to be a source of Gotham opportunities as they took over the game and broke Seattle's will. The Reign's inability to keep the ball put them in untenable positions, and Miller's lack of precision often put her defenders in positions where they'd never be favored to keep the ball.
Defenders
I feel compelled to note the trajectory of the match here, because rating defender performances felt like gazing into the depths of madness: at halftime, the Reign defense had conceded 5 shots, zero from inside their defending penalty area, and a total of 0.15 xG. At the hour mark, they had allowed a little more danger out of New Bedford, but still only conceded a total of 0.34 xG. By 75 minutes, the final pausa de hidratación, New Albany had finally found a couple straight up good looks, but the Reign had still only conceded 0.73 xG.
And then somehow, by the full-time whistle, they had conceded an astonishing 28 shots, 12 shots from inside their defending penalty area, and 2.54 xG. Consider this context for all defender (and, for that matter, midfielder) ratings.
Emily Mason – 5
As the Reign collapsed into a shell late, Emily Mason came up big time after time trying to keep them in the game. Amongst her 15 defensive contributions were 9 clearances and 1 inch-perfect tackle as the last defender back, and she won all 4 of her duels. That sheer defensive work rate was, in large part, influenced by Gotham's ruthless targeting of the Reign's rather makeshift fullback corps, though, and while Mason held her own, she spent most of her shift pinned, had a forgettable day passing, and barely touched the ball past the midfield line.
Phoebe McClernon – 4
This was a weird match for McClernon, who touched the ball just 45 times, far from her ideal role as the Reign's most reliable metronome. While she put in plenty of hard work against the ball, including 7 progressive passes and 6 clearances, four of them in the final 15 minutes of the match as Gotham tightened the screws, her efficacy was limited and she lost her matchup with Esther several times in high-danger moments. Through 65-ish minutes, she was, perhaps, unexceptional, but fine, with the Reign the better side. For 30 minutes, Gotham put on a clinic and Phoebe was on the operating table. It is what it is.
Ryanne Brown – 5 (off 69' for Holly Ward)
Starting at centerback, Ryanne Brown is the sole defender not responsible for any of the Gotham goals, as she subbed off the pitch a full 14 minutes before Esther broke through. She put in hard work against the ball, like her linemates, coming up with 2 clearances, 2 interceptions, and a decent pass into space, but touched the ball infrequently and missed far too many passes when she did get her feet to it. And honestly, given both the injury crisis at fullback and how effortlessly good Ryanne looked at left back against Portland, it's hard not to wonder if Harvs outsmarted herself swapping her with Jordyn Bugg.
Jordyn Bugg – 5
Starting at left back (somewhat curiously, given the one natural fullback the Reign had available instead started at centerback), Bugg joined her back line in performance that started off good, gradually got weird, and ended up very forgettable. She was the most active defender, both as the left back and as the left centerback after Maddie Dahlien dropped into the wingback role in a five back late, coming up huge with 8 tackles, 7 clearances, and 5 recoveries. Gotham targeted her often, and for 80+ minutes, she was up to every challence, and for 15 minutes she really wasn't. Unfortunately, she was also a major culprit in the Reign's possession problem, completing fewer than half of her passes and none of her long passes, helping turn Gotham's waves of pressure into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Midfielders
Ainsley McCammon – 5
Nobody jumped lines and repeatedly broke up Gotham's attempted buildout quite like McCammon, who racked up 8 interceptions, 3 recoveries, won 2 free kicks, and won 5 of 7 duels, mostly in the middle of the park. Gotham had an incredibly difficult time solving for Ainsley's defensive presence for most of the match. Unfortunately, the match was played in an air quality index around 170, and Gotham was able to press a 70-30 possession advantage, with McCammon's visible exhaustion and decreasing range and timing became a recurring problem for the Reign as the match wore on. Her distribution was a mixed bag, but there was a real good opportunity off her foot, and when you're playing against the ball for most of the match, finding those one or two opportunities is definitely worth something.
Sam Meza – 4
On the one hand, Sam Meza actually completed the majority of her passes, something one might be forgiven for thinking the Reign had been specifically instructed not to do. On the other hand, she only attempted 19 passes on 32 touches all game, and the Reign couldn't get her particularly involved. On the third hand, she remains ridiculous in her range, stamina, and grit, and her 9 recoveries, and 2 fouls won speak to the intensity with which she chased the ball even on a rather off-night by her excellent standards. On the fourth hand (how many hands do I have here?) she won just 2 of 8 duels, was caught in possession, and got beat cold on the dribble in ways we're just not used to seeing from her. As superhuman as she sometimes seems, Meza can't do it all herself, and where she couldn't keep up, the Reign also couldn't compensate.
Sally Menti – 6 (off 69' for Nérilia Mondésir)
So, last time out, I said this about Sally Menti:
Laura Harvey has spoken to her increased defensive effort and the hard work she's put in learning and improving in that field, and it's been showing on the pitch.
And for the ~70 minutes she played, Menti put up one of her best defensive matches yet, winning 8 of 11 duels, 4 free kicks, 4 recoveries, and a blocked shot. She's really stepped up that side of her in a very short period of time, and it deserves recognition. Also, she created a good chance, got a great look at goal herself just three minutes in, and won an absolutely-no-doubt-about-it penalty in the 55th minute, boxing out Emily Sonnett and taking a foul from behind for her trouble. Notwithstanding that Dahlien donked the ensuing penalty kick off the post, Menti's scrapping for the ball gave the Reign that chance in the first place. She also completed just 6 of 13 passes and remains a relatively low-volume creator from the attacking midfield spot, something that can work when the Reign are driving possession effectively but isn't going to produce nearly as much when the Reign are giving up 70 percent of the ball. So... mixed bag, like so many of her teammates.
Forwards
Maddie Mercado – 7 (POTM) (off 90' for Ruby Hladek)
It's a cliche, but fam, goals change games. And Maddie Mercado won the penalty that sent Mia Fishel to the spot for the opening goal, 14 minutes in, and then scored one of her own nine minutes later to give the Reign a huge two goal advantage away at the Shield leaders. Beyond the penalty, her interplay with Fishel was frequently beautiful, and it's hard to see her displaced from the right wing position she's occupied in recent matches. She just keeps turning in good performances there. Of course, she also spent a statistically significant amount of time playing right back, something she was decidedly less effective at, and something I remain a bit confused by, even acknowledging the Reign's current fullback crisis. While she did her best to keep the game in front of her in that spot, and won a couple big duels against Guro Reiten, she mostly spent those minutes putting a lot of extra pressure on Emily Mason.
Mia Fishel – 6 (off 83' for Jess Fishlock)
After so many almosts and what a saves (derogatory), Mia Fishel stepped up to the spot in the 14th minute and calmly finished to the bottom corner past Ann-Katrin Berger to give the Reign an early lead. Big Fish needed that goal, and hopefully, sinking the penalty will finally open the valves. Continuing to develop her chemistry with Mercado, the pair had some moments of interplay that spark real joy, and the Reign should absolutely keep cultivating that partnership. With that said, the penalty was the only look at goal she got in the match, and while her hard pressing and defending from the front did plenty to help contain Gotham for the first 80 minutes, she never found another moment to change the narrative of the game, and she probably should've seen a card after her third foul.
Maddie Dahlien – 6 (off 83' for Brittany Ratcliffe)
That Maddie 2 Maddie assist, though. Dahlien is still developing her game in many ways, but we're also seeing some of that development pay off in the sorts of passes and crosses she wasn't confident in making last year. This one was a soft-touch square ball to a late-crashing Mercado, creating a huge chance that went for a goal rather than – as Danger Maddies of ages past might have done – trying to dribble or cut her way out of it for a worse shot from a harder angle. And... she also missed a penalty that would've put the Reign up by three, and we'll always have to wonder how the rest of the game would've played out if she'd at least put that ball on target, or, indeed, left it to Fishel, who was initially lining up to take the second penalty.
Substitutes
Nérilia Mondésir – 6 (on 69' for Sally Menti)
An 84th minute set piece delivery found Maddie Mercado and could've put the Reign clear by two goals again, but the shot went begging. Notwithstanding the missed opportunity, Mondésir was one of the best players on a pitch that included Esther, Rose Lavelle, and Sam Kerr, winning every single one of her duels, creating a chance, taking a shot from distance, winning 3 fouls, and putting in several tantalizing crosses despite her limited minutes and limited touches. The Reign couldn't see this one out, but Coco might be the single substitute least to blame for that.
Holly Ward – 4 (on 69' for Ryanne Brown)
In 21 minutes, Ward had 5 touches, no completed passes, and was technically on the field.
Jess Fishlock – N/A (on 83' for Mia Fishel)
Sadly, Jess Fishlock's return was not particularly triumphant. She did record a block, a dribble, and a duel won in limited minutes.
It's good to see her back on the pitch, regardless.
Brittany Ratcliffe – N/A (on 83' for Maddie Dahlien)
While she saw approximately none of the ball, Brittany Ratcliffe cannot be faulted for sheer effort in short minutes, replacing Dahlien and, despite playing just seven minutes plus stoppage, somehow getting into 7 duels (and winning 5), winning 3 free kicks, winning a tackle, and making 2 recoveries. Gotham found a way through regardless, but damn, upnod of appreciation for leaving absolutely everything out there in some very difficult minutes.
Ruby Hladek – NA (on 90' for Maddie Mercado)
Her Reign debut was not exactly fairytale, but Hladek did get on the ball a few times and try to push it forward with sheer force of will. It didn't work (she lost the ball twice in the final two minutes) but as introductions go, willingness to run through walls to try to steal back a goal at the death isn't a bad one.
Gotham POTM
Esther
You can take your pick from Esther, Sam Kerr, Rose Lavelle, and Jaedyn Shaw over the last 30 minutes for Gotham – it was the combination, finding the soft places, the out-of-position players, and the tired legs to take advantage of with the sudden talent mismatches – but it's hard to argue with the raw impact of a halftime sub taking a team from dead in the water and 2-0 down to equal terms and chasing the winner by stoppage time.
Referee
Calin Radosav – 5
I liked how Calin Radosav actually called an obvious penalty when a Reign player without a big star power spotlight was the beneficiary, and I liked how he did it a second time even though he'd already done it once before. Many PRO officials have demonstrated that they simply would not call either penalty, no matter how obvious they were, and making incandescently obvious calls that your peers are often too cowardly to make does merit some praise all on its own.
At the same time, I have a certain bone to pick with his general reluctance to show cards. Aside from an early one to Mandy Freeman and a well-earned one to Sam Meza, he declined to use the book, despite Jaedyn Shaw and Bruninha committing four fouls each and Mia Fishel committing three – not to mention Sally Menti eating a foul practically every time she turned up the field, or Mondésir and Ratcliffe suffering three fouls each in quick succession late in the match as Gotham repeatedly crossed the line to maintain their frenetic pressure.
And Another Thing
Remember when the league enthusiastically enabled the destruction of the Reign's ownership structure and affiliation agreements in order to placate a war profiteer's vanity project, leaving the Reign unable to seriously negotiate with their key free agents in a critical window? No reason, just curious if we all remember that.
