A win would've secured the playoffs for the Reign, put a bow on an up-and-down regular season where players showed a ton of growth and the team's future started to come into sharper view but the growing pains were often painful and the lows were maddening.
The Reign couldn't do that, settling for a mostly-unexciting 0-0 draw at the wind-blasted hellscape of America First Field, but securing a point still put them in a good position for Decision Day. And, after the absolute drubbing Utah gave them at Lumen earlier in the season, coming away from the road tie with a hard-fought draw where they didn't quite have that final bit of quality but mostly played well was a perfectly cromulent outcome.
Missing Mina Tanaka, Utah was able to manufacture the track-meet chaos in the thin atmosphere that they've feasted on this season, but didn't have the line-eviscerating quality to make much of anything out of it. The Reign, better-prepared than in their previous meeting, were much quicker to close down attackers and break up lanes, and though they had some trouble passing through Utah's pressure, they didn't give anything away cheaply, and gave as good as they got, particularly as the second half wore on.
Ultimately, a zero-all draw was a fair result, and while a win would've sat the Reign pretty with a guaranteed playoff spot, the most important outcome was simply to not lose.
Mission accomplished. On to the next.
Goalkeeper
Claudia Dickey – 8 (POTM)
Two truths one must hold in tandem: Utah didn't really create much this game. Also, they nearly turned fuck-all into a goal anyway, because Utah just does that this year. Claudia Dickey was having none of it. She had four saves, three of them routine but enough to keep her on her toes, one of them excellent, neatly controlling Narumi Miura's 28th minute lash from just inside the penalty area. Dickey was assertive off her line, strong in the air, and unwilling to be beaten on any weak sauce, and other than Miura's hit, Utah only had weak sauce on offer, ending in a well-deserved shutout for the Claw.
Defenders
Ryanne Brown – 5 (off 46' for Madison Curry)
The Royals pressured the hell out of the Reign's fullbacks, and Ryanne Brown never had much opportunity to find the game, constantly on her back foot against Cloé Lacasse and Nuria Rábano, who spent much of the opening half practically camped out on the Reign's side of the midfield line. Brown put in a valiant effort, hitting clearances (5), blocks (1), and winning duels (2 of 3), but she was never able to find the bit of space to turn the tables on her side of the pitch, and – understandably given how little they've played together – did not have a lot of successful interplay or chemistry with right-sided teammate Emeri Adames.
Phoebe McClernon – 6
How many times and how many ways can Phoebe McClernon come up huge for the back line? Against the Royals, she had 8 defensive contributions, including 7 clearances, repeatedly denying Utah the fractional spaces in the Reign's defensive third that they'd thrived on in the prior meeting. Stringing passes together was a bit of a project for the Reign, Phoebe included, but she was always in the right place to disrupt Utah when things could've gone sideways, and that was enough for a point.
And after coming up huge for the Reign for years, Phoebe earned a new contract, keeping her with the team through 2029. Hell yeah.
Jordyn Bugg – 5
Starting things off a bit rough, Jordyn Bugg struggled to connect passes, lost a bunch of duels (she won just 1 of 6 overall, and that lone win came in the second half), committed a pair of fouls, and took a yellow card in the 37th minute. Importantly, though, Bugg got things settled as the first half progressed, and came out with much better stuff for the second, showing up with a huge tackle and 2 big interceptions and dialing in her long passing in the microgravity of Sandy to spring Maddie Mercado and Nérilia Mondésir for late-stage opportunities that might've, on another night, smashed, grabbed, and ran with the points.
Sofia Huerta – 6
As ever, Huerta was one of the most active players on the field, and though she too had some early nerves under Utah's relentless pressure, she found the game quickly and held her own against Cece Delzer and Paige Cronin. She finished with 6 recoveries, 4 of 8 duels won, and 9 progressive passes, was probably lucky not to see a yellow card after a pretty clear tactical foul, and got into good positions to cross repeatedly. Didn't complete the crosses all that often, as the Reign attack mostly fizzled out on either the final or penultimate pass of a movement, but the attacking intention and position was more than most of the field, Utah or Seattle, had to show for the match.
Midfielders
Ainsley McCammon – 6
This was an all-work, little-reward sort of outing for Ainsley, and, you now, some days are like that. Utah gave her no time to think, and while McCammon sees the game exceptionally, she's still susceptible to the high-speed pressure that the Royals are so adept at applying. (To be fair, most players are.) They were able to discomfort and disrupt her, but not remove her threat, and while she lost most of her duels (winning just 1 of 7) and lost Kiana Palacios and Narumi Miura on the dribble, she also won the ball back with good, lane-jumping interceptions and tackles, and was the Reign midfielder most active in transitioning to attack. Ainsley finished with 5 progressive passes, 1 chance created, and a heat map that refused to quit until she'd touched the ball in every single zone.
Nérilia Mondésir – 6 (off 86' for Mia Fishel)
For Coco, this was a very physical game. Admittedly, Coco's game is always pretty physical – she's strong, smart, and does not like to be beaten to the ball – but with Utah running track practice and frequently just running right into people, Mondésir spent more time than usual tangled up. She usually came out on the right side of it, winning 7 of 13 duels, 2 tackles, 4 recoveries, and 2 free kicks throughout the match. Where she had less luck was in springing the Reign into the attack. The ideas were often good ones, but Mondésir's touch and weight failed her in key moments, leaving chances to feed Mercado and Adames begging.
Sam Meza – 7
It doesn't matter what tactical approach you take, Sam "Duelz" Meza is going to tackle you and blow it up. Another match, another clinic on defensive midfield from arguably the best six in the league. Meza won 3 tackles, 3 interceptions, 5 recoveries, and 5 of 7 duels. Like all of her teammates, she was a bit loose on the ball, but she completed the passes she absolutely had to, and she completed some of the more audacious and high-risk ones, too. She took one shot, a hit from distance in the 87th minute, and though Mandy McGlynn was ultimately all over it, it was well-placed and one of the Reign's better attempts of the evening. All in all, another pretty dang solid run on the pitch.
Forwards
Emeri Adames – 5 (off 71' for Brittany Ratcliffe)
Starting for the first time since May 15th (against Gotham), it must be said that Emeri Adames looked a bit rusty. I don't care, I want her getting a ton of minutes anyway, and I don't really understand why Laura Harvey has been so reticent to get her on the field this season. This was a tough match wherein she didn't do a whole lot – 15 touches, 5 of 9 passing, no chances created, no shots taken – but she did get stuck in and fought hard on the right side to keep Utah disassembled and unable to do anything with their pressure and transition. Her defensive instincts have taken a big step up, and she won 4 of 8 duels and a tackle in helping Brown and Curry hold down the right, and the attacking connection will come (back) with, you know, reps and minutes.
Maddie Mercado – 5
Spending most of the match at center forward, it must be said that Maddie Mercado looked considerably less dangerous than she has at her best on the right wing. Considerably less dangerous still amounted to leading the team in shots (3) and touches in the attacking penalty area (7), but only one of her shots – a 56th minute header that she put well wide – came from inside the area, and six of those seven touches ended in turnovers. And, to be fair, Utah is fast and aggressive in defense and holdup play is really freaking hard. I also want to call some attention to Maddie's relentless and sometimes hilarious effort in the press and counterpress. For once, it was not Sam "Duelz" Meza leading the field in duels and duels won, it was Maddie Mercado, who won 7 of a ludicrous 15 duels she found herself involved in.
Jess Fishlock – 5 (off 46' for Sally Menti)
When Jess Fishlock got on the ball, the Reign looked poised to do something dangerous. She completed 11 of 12 passes, had a shot-creating action on all three of the Reign's first-half shots, and put in a couple of absolutely vintage Tiny Dragon tackles to spring the Reign into the attack from an advantageous position. More often, though, she just didn't have that last step to keep up with Utah, and the Reign had trouble getting the ball to her feet, and she had trouble checking to the ball in possession. All effort from a legend, but a match that felt very much like what it was: a legend taking some of the last touches of a storied career, trying to will herself to one last big moment on a field that was tilted against her.
Sunday will be Jess Fishlock's final professional match at Lumen Field. I've written so much about her these past few years: the iconic tackles, the gigantic goals, the streak-saving header in the pouring rain, the league's first true international superstar, the spark plug that built a rivalry, the engine that drove a team to three shields and three finals. She's been here as long as there's been a Reign. The list of truly singular players in this game is not long, but her place on it is secure.
Substitutes
Madison Curry – 6 (on 46' for Ryanne Brown)
Coming off the bench, Madison Curry was an absolute game-changer for the Reign, picking up the thankless defensive work Ryanne Brown had been putting down and throwing her stamp on it. Utah brought a physical, relentless pressuring game at the Reign in the altitude of Sandy, and Curry thanked them for the opportunity with 7 defensive contributions, 4 of 4 duels won, 6 changes of possession into transitional moments, and 8 passes into the final third. Yeah, she missed on more passes than she hit, and she mishit a genuine chance on goal moments after subbing on, but on balance, she subbed in at halftime and immediately became one of the most effective players on the field.
Sally Menti – 5 (on 46' for Jess Fishlock)
Jess Fishlock subbed off, Sally Menti subbed on, and the Reign's formation in possession shifted, freeing up Coco Mondésir to run more aggressively and putting Mercado further forward. The biggest impact Menti had was in enabling that tactical shift, something heavily responsible for the Reign's much better second half. On the ball, she was, uh, mostly harmless, and off the ball, she made several good, strong supporting runs and showed remarkable fight, going into a dozen or so challenges and giving as good as she got. The growth of her defensive game this year has been meteoric, and this was a good match for her to turn in a 7 duels / 2 tackles performance in 45 minutes.
Brittany Ratcliffe – 5 (on 71' for Emeri Adames)
The Closer didn't secure three points for the Reign, but she came on and was a real, real active participant in the team's late push for a bona fide goalscoring chance. Playing just 20-or-so minutes, she had 15 touches, completed 5 of 6 passes, won all three of her attempted dribbles, and constantly drove the ball towards the endline looking for an opportunity. Opportunities were not forthcoming, but Ratcliffe certainly did her part to try to create one.
Mia Fishel – N/A (on 86' for Nérilia Mondésir)
The fourth and final substitute of the night, Mia Fishel played for just a few minutes, touched the ball 4 times, got in the penalty area a couple times, bodied up Kate Del Fava (who had been excellent throughout the match) to try to create some space and chaos, and ultimately wasn't able to produce a chance before time expired.
Royals POTM
Cece Delzer
In a match where nobody created all that much, Delzer created the most not much, and also embarrassed Reign defenders a few times on the dribble in a way that created some excitement, if not, like, all that much actual danger. Her 51st minute shot from the top of the area didn't really challenge Claw-dia, but it was somehow actually one of Utah's better chances of the game.
Referee
Alex Billeter – 4
I normally think Alex Billeter is a just fine, pretty inoffensive referee who's a good middle-point of what to expect from PRO. I was less happy with this match than I have been with most matches I've watched her call. It was very choppy and inconsistent, and on at least two occasions, she made an (incorrect) call from well out of position. One might rationalize it by noting the Royals run a track team approach at extreme elevation, and it can be really hard to keep up with the play. But when you can't keep up on the fast-developing play, you should probably rely on your better-positioned ARs instead of just guestimating what you think might've happened?
But none of the bad decisions were particularly game-altering, so overall, two shrug emojis and one perplexed emoji, I guess.
The Handling Rule
IFAB – 1
Kelyn Rowe was astonished the Reign were not awarded a penalty for a pretty clear case of handling in the area, which surprised me, because Kelyn Rowe has theoretically been watching the same Reign officiating we have this season and theoretically has watched the team not be awarded a penalty for pretty clear cases of handling in the area repeatedly, game after game.
But I'm not holding this against Alex Billeter, or even against the wildly inconsistent VAR interventions for handling that seem to bite the Reign twice a year while never being awarded for seemingly identical instances in turn. No, the failure of the handling rule continues to go back to IFAB. It's a bad rule with bad outcomes, capriciously enforced, game-altering one match and utterly ignored the next, and will remain so until it is fundamentally reimagined.
And Another Thing!
It all comes down to Sunday. Win and we're in. Don't Lose and we're plausibly in, needing North Carolina to Not Win. Lose, and it's all in the hands of merciful Poseidon with both North Carolina and Denver looming to steal our spot. And as discerning readers of Matt Fraction and Christian Ward's psychedelic space opera epic ODY-C know well, we absolutely never want to leave things in the hands of merciful Poseidon.
