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In the middle of a long break from league action, the Reign won't be completely idle. Tonight at 7 they host the Chinese national team, which is taking the opportunity to play a warm up game against a pro team as they build up to the 2015 Women's World Cup, kicking off in a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately for those not attending, the game will not be streamed. Unlike a certain USL team down in Tukwila, it's not to drive up attendance. Instead the Chinese team doesn't want the match publicly broadcast, presumably to make them a little harder to scout. It's not uncommon for national teams to play behind closed door — the US played a closed match against Canada earlier this month.
The Reign's two US nationals — Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe — are in attendance and will be honored in a pregame ceremony but aren't expected to play. Otherwise, the full roster should be available with their next league match eight days away.
The Chinese team has a) one of the coolest nicknames in the sport (The Steel Roses) and b) one of the coolest crests in the sport:
I mean. . come on.
They are ranked 16th in the world, but the players aren't well known outside their own country. The only player to play outside of China or the Korean league is goalkeeper Wang Fei, who plays for Turbine Potsdam. They are led by top goalscorer Yang Li and playmaker Xu Yanlu.