Editor’s note: Due to the compressed schedule of the past two weeks Valkyratings is still catching up on a very busy three-game week. We expect to be back to your regularly scheduled ratings very soon.
For the second match in a row, the Reign racked up the chances, got a big goal to take the lead, but couldn't put the game away with a second. And unlike the Chicago Stars, a team that has spent the entire year putting the "mess" in the phrase "damn, that team is a mess", Racing Louisville has been on a bit of a heater since the break.
A heater that the Reign couldn't break, as despite Maddie Mercado's latest big damn goal, Mia Fishel's litany of looks, Mondésir's madcap creativity, and Holly Ward getting a foot to it literally on the goal line... Emma Sears got two looks, scored two goals, and sent the Reign packing with a frustrating 2-1 defeat.
The Reign, one might say, got Harv'd by Bev Yanez's team.
While it's obviously not ideal to create all the chances but come away with none of the points, the Reign have certainly taken all the points while creating none of the chances a few times over the past few seasons. Sometimes that's football. Sometimes you play a great game but Temwa Chawinga or Marta or Mina Tanaka or, indeed, Emma Sears simply declines to be beaten on the day. Sometimes football is the stupidest game.
And would we really love it like we do if it wasn't?
Goalkeeper
Claudia Dickey – 4
Plus. Claudia made a quality save in the 69th minute, albeit one she should always make, calmly corralling a crack from the top of the area. She had a couple solid long passes to exploit Racing in the wide areas, springing Holly Ward early and then Maddie Mercado late.
Minus. While she made a quality save in the 69th minute, she didn't cover herself in glory on Racing's go-ahead goal, possibly losing track of the ball through her own defender and letting it slip underneath her in a space she seemed to have covered. Emma Sears' opener was well-placed and scores more often than it doesn't, but I'd still have liked to see Claudia react more astutely to the danger, and perhaps try to cut Emma's angle.
Defenders
Sofia Huerta – 6
Plus. The Reign dominated possession and created the Pringle's share of the chances, and Sofia Huerta was once again the orchestrator and tempo-setter, leading the field with 110 (!) touches, completing 60 of 70 passes, and putting together a right-side heat map that looks like a wildfire. Along with carrying possession, Sof had one of her best crossing days of the season and put in 15 passes into the final third, 12 progressive passes, and 7 recoveries.
Minus. For all that she drove possession and progressed the ball unstoppably, she was credited with creating just one chance, and was unable to manufacture the clear-cut moment to allow the Reign to retake the lead, or tie the game late.
Phoebe McClernon – 5
Plus. Phoebe was comfortable on the ball, completing 90% of her passes and often getting forward to provide comfortable drop balls to retain and recycle possession, and strong off the ball, winning 7 of 11 duels, and both giving and receiving 4 fouls. With the Reign looking to exploit wide areas going forward, she covered a ton of ground defensively, providing backup and support to Ryanne Brown's forays into the attacking third.
Minus. She did screen Claudia Dickey on Emma Sears' game winning goal, but that was more unfortunate than anything. On Racing's opener, however, she was taken out of the play too easily, unable to pressure or disrupt. Also, a couple of those four fouls she was whistled for gave Racing some unnecessary opportunities in a game they had little control over.
Jordyn Bugg – 6
Plus. In the 8th minute, Bugg got her head to a corner kick from about seven yards out, tragically sending it wide of the far post. Beyond that, she played a solid game in her traditional role as the more aggressive centerback, where she completed 80% of her passes including five long passes to spring the Reign's quick wide players into space. She had 3 tackles, 3 interceptions, and won 5 of 10 duels along the way, breaking up Louisville's limited spells of possession before they could become dangerous.
Minus. Except for two moments where the defense was unlocked too easily, alas. And also? It would really be nice to talk about how one of these great looks from a corner kick turned into a goal sometime soon.
Ryanne Brown – 6 (off 62' or Madison Curry)
Plus. Once again looking to run the width while Mia Fishel dragged the central defense, the Reign looked to Ryanne Brown to provide some balance to Huerta's constant onslaught, and Brown responded by making herself a far-side option early and often. She looked for Coco in space repeatedly, and found her a couple times, opening up greater opportunities to build. She also won every duel she went into, won 4 tackles, and blew up a ton of Racing counterattacks.
Minus. While she saw the opportunities to put Coco into space, Brown struggled to actually do that, completing just 2 of 10 attempts. And though she wasn't readily beaten on the counter, she did let Sears skate right by her once and Kayla Fischer skate right by her twice.
Midfielders
Angharad James-Turner – 5 (off 83' for Brittany Ratcliffe)
Plus. This was a banner game for Haz with the ball, as she got higher up the field than she tends to, setting up office around the midfield arc and distributing the ball wide. She completed 29 of 31 passes, created a good chance, turned in a good cross, and put Maddie Mercado into attacking positions over and over again. On a different day, she gets an assist for her troubles, on this day she still had five shot-creating actions in my notebook.
Minus. This wasn't a banner game for Haz against the ball, who gave up a yellow early, won just 1 of 4 duels, and had a hard time keeping up with the sheer pace and aggression of the Louisville transition game.
Maddie Mercado – 7 (POTM)
Plus. Maddie just can't stop scoring goals. She bagged her 7th of the season against Racing, a 19th minute hit to the top corner after the Reign parlayed a throw-in into an extended spell of deep pressure. She had another good chance in the 61st, getting her foot to a ball from five yards out off the corner, but couldn't get it past Arin Wright to threaten Jordyn Bloomer's goal. The still-developing partnership with Mia Fishel looked dangerous yet again, as Fishel got three big chances and Mercado put her in the position for two of them; overall, Mercado was solid with the ball at her feet, both finding moments to take a hit herself and facilitating the rest of the team getting into the attacking third.
Minus. I desperately want one of these big chances off the corner to become a big goal off the corner. I mean, come on.
Ainsley McCammon – 4
Plus. Though this was a struggle match for Ainsley in many ways, she still showed up with relentless hard work, doggedly running down the ball and jumping passing lanes even as she showed signs of exhaustion from the first half. Ainsley had 10 recoveries and two blocks, covering just as much ground as has become the norm for her and providing defensive support everywhere she could. With the ball at her feet, she was mostly an effective facilitator and progressor. Her 9 passes into the attacking third were second only to Huerta's 15, and while she didn't get into position to cross often, both crosses she attempted were tantalizing balls that the Reign could've done more with.
Minus. While I think the entire play should've come back for a fairly obvious foul, Ainsley was extremely culpable on Racing's second goal, and – looking exhausted on the short turnaround – was too frequently a step late and second-best coming into challenges with Racing's press, and hurried and underhit a number of passes to break out of pressure or provide a channel to run.
Forwards
Nérilia Mondésir – 6 (off 73' for Emeri Adames)
Plus. The most creative player on the pitch for the Reign, Coco was the architect of four chances and had one good look (in the 18th minute) and one puncher's chance (in the 47th minute) at goal herself. The principal corner taker until Sally Menti subbed on, Mondésir whipped in several good balls, leading to opportunities by Fishel, Mercado, and McClernon. A physical presence as always, she got into 12 duels, won 7, and put in 3 strong tackles – and, on full display in this one, she's been adapting more and more to how PRO referees call games, giving up fewer free kicks on avoidable challenges than she used to while keeping the edge that makes her difficult to play against.
Minus. If she could've directed that header on frame, if she could've kept that cross a couple inches lower, if she could've... Coco didn't put a foot wrong often, but a lot of near-misses add up in a match where the Reign lost on the margins.
Mia Fishel – 6 (off 62' for Sally Menti)
Plus. Leading the field in both touches in the attacking penalty area and shots taken, Big Fish was in the right place at the right time all the damn time, and had some really good opportunities to show for it. She got two bites at the apple in the 3rd minute, but Racing's swarming defense kept her off the scoresheet, then had two more good looks in the 47th and the 57th. Her still-developing partnership with Mercado looked good in both directions, as Maddie's touches set her up for her biggest chances, and Fishel set Maddie up for a great look in turn. When you get chances like this, you have to be favored to score more often than not, and Fishel's finding these chances much more consistently now.
Minus. It was 'than not' rather than 'more often' this time, and Fishel couldn't break through Wright, Bloomer, Ellie Jean, and Racing's swarming back-five block despite the dangerous touches in dangerous spaces she racked up. It was a tough one.
Holly Ward – 5 (off 62' for Maddie Dahlien)
Plus. I really liked Ward's relentless race for the endline whenever she had a chance at the ball. She brought speed and energy and Quincy McMahon had a hard time containing her when the Reign found her. Her instincts were good, and she found dangerous places to be and dangerous spaces to attack, and looked for Fishel and Mercado on the run when she had the time to pick her options.
Minus. The end product isn't really there yet, and for all she found dangerous space frequently, Ward had a good idea what to do with it much less frequently, settling for half a dozen crosses to nowhere in particular when an obvious lane didn't open up. While she was in exactly the right place for a huge chance off the 57th minute corner, like so many other players on the team, she couldn't make it count.
Substitutes
Maddie Dahlien – 5 (on 62' for Holly Ward)
Ten minutes after Racing took the lead, Maddie Dahlien subbed on and took over where Ward left off, putting 20 touches on the ball, completing 7 of 9 passes, and delivering a gorgeous chance off her left foot. On the other side of things, she pressed hard to keep the Reign in possession in the attacking third, and while she lost more challenges than she won, she kept them in positions to constantly harry and pressure Louisville's back five.
Sally Menti – 5 (on 62' for Mia Fishel)
Ten minutes after Racing took the lead, Sally Menti subbed on and the Reign changed up their shape, throwing more numbers forward while Sally occupied the space just outside the attacking penalty area to almost, but not quite, devastating effect. Completing 9 of 11 passes, creating two chances, and getting a great look herself on Mondésir's last corner of the match, Menti was effective – but couldn't find that, forgive me, final bit of quality to break through.
Madison Curry – 5 (on 62' for Ryanne Brown)
Ten minutes after Racing took the lead, Madison Curry subbed on and camped herself past the midfield line, defending from inside Racing's half. The Reign needed to ratchet pressure up, and Curry made herself a high-volume facilitating option, completing 15 of 20 passes, 8 of them – more than half! – progressive passes. She even tried a Huerta-esque hit from distance in the 90th, but drove the ball wide, and ultimately could not help the Reign break down Louisville for a point.
Emeri Adames – 5 (on 73' for Nérilia Mondésir)
Late in the match with nothing to lose, Emeri Adames took the field and was unleashed to just run right at Racing, and looked pretty good doing it. Her dribbling was saucy, her passing was crisp, and she looked to break the lines and cut defenders out of the play. Unfortunately, she had a hard time either finding someone unmarked in the area or getting free herself, though, and a performance with several Cool Moves failed to find a Cool Goal to cap it off.
Brittany Ratcliffe – N/A (on 83' for Angharad James-Turner)
The final substitute of the night, Brittany Ratcliffe came on as the Reign threw absolutely everybody forward looking for a bounce, a scuff, a slip, a mistake, anything to get the point. And in the 86th minute, she came so close to getting it, coming up with two huge bites at the apple reminiscent of Fishel's double chance in the 3rd. And like Fishel's fruitless efforts, Ratcliffe, too, was shut out by a swarming Racing back line determined to hold on.
Racing POTM
Emma Sears
Sixteen touches, two shots, two goals, three points. Honestly, I don't think I even need to elaborate on this one. If she's still looking for a change of scenery, we should absolutely be making the hard sell.
Referee
Brandon Stevis – 5
A regular on the USL Championship circuit, Brandon Stevis only occasionally features in NWSL, and the Reign last saw him all the way back in 2023. In this one, he called a very USL Championship match, declining to whistle much and showing just a single yellow card, to Angharad James-Turner for an early tactical foul. And the thing is, I may wish he called a bit of a tighter game, but I can't really say he was wrong not to. At some level, this is clearly what PRO wants out of its referees. I do have two beefs: I think Louisville's second goal came immediately on the back of an uncalled foul, and I think it more than passed the 'clear and obvious' standard for VAR intervention. I also think he could've shown another yellow the fourth or fifth time Louisville's front line went in way too hard on Phoebe McClernon.
And Another Thing!
Louisville was a huge chance to pick up three points in congested standings. Though the very top of the table is all but settled, the rest of the playoff picture is wide open. And the 5 through 8 spots in particular are likely to be decided by a point or two when all is said and done. One hopes the Reign don't regret the points they've dropped from winning positions in this otherwise pretty solid run of form they've assembled.
