There are few individuals with as a lot experience within the NWSL as Laura Harvey, the Seattle Reign head coach who has been in and across the league since its inaugural season in 2013. The three-time Coach of the Yr enters each dialog with the arrogance that naturally accompanies that degree of proficiency, a lot in order that she will be able to difficulty a sizzling take with the identical ease and professionalism that she boasts when speaking concerning the common grind of teaching.
“The true, true rivalries, I believe, are Portland-Seattle and LA-San Diego,” she informed CBS Sports activities forward of the Reign’s rivalry sport on the Portland Thorns on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, CBS). “The remainder of them aren’t true rivalries. That is my very own opinion. I simply do not suppose they’re.”
The Reign’s rivalry with the Thorns is definitely the league’s most storied and oldest, with its forty third version happening this weekend, and has nearly at all times lived as much as the billing largely as a result of each groups have traditionally been two of the NWSL’s greatest. Harvey believes the mixture of qualities has additionally fostered a novel – and wholesome – sense of competitors between the 2 groups.
“It is genuine, proper?,” Harvey mentioned. “And I do suppose it is constructed on respect, truly, which, I believe when individuals discuss rivalry, we do not actually essentially at all times present that however I believe the factor that these two golf equipment have performed is whether or not or not it’s Shields or Championships, there’s not a few years the place both of these groups has been in that dialog and I believe that alone has made the rivalry be much more highlighted.”
When the Reign and the Thorns meet on Sunday, it will likely be a battle between two playoff contenders in fifth and sixth place, respectively, although each are inside touching distance of second place. The Thorns are 4 factors behind the Orlando Satisfaction and the Reign simply two, even when gathering all three factors in Portland seems like an uphill battle after being shut out of their final three journeys south. Harvey’s aspect, although, are in nearly as good a place as any to snap their dropping streak – a number of months faraway from their lowest-ever NWSL end of thirteenth, the Reign are as soon as once more one of many NWSL’s high groups and are displaying no indicators of slowing down.
“We need to solidify among the actually good issues we did within the first half of the season,” Harvey mentioned. “We have modified formation this 12 months, in the beginning of the 12 months and actually digging in on what that may appear like so we is usually a little bit extra unpredictable at occasions, I believe, is essential.”
Placing ‘final season to mattress’
If the Reign’s journey from final season to this one appears like an train in contrasts, the transition from 2023 to 2024 is an instance of extremes. In nearly report time, the Reign went from a visit to the 2023 NWSL Championship to coping with a depleted roster, augmented by the retirement of U.S. ladies’s nationwide crew star Megan Rapinoe and the exit of fellow Ladies’s World Cup winners Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett as free brokers. Harvey mentioned the crew was unprepared for the changes that awaited them, worsened by the membership’s sale by France’s OL Groupe to MLS’ Seattle Sounders that dragged out for the opening months of the 2024 season.
“I believe we have been embedded on having individuals, gamers, workers who’ve been at this membership for a very long time and steadily, these individuals have dwindled away,” Harvey mentioned, particularly mentioning Rapinoe, Lauren Barnes and Jess Fishlock as three gamers who had performed for the Reign for the reason that NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013. “Pinoe was in all probability one of many three that had been right here for such a very long time and her management and the way in which that she operates actually introduced the most effective out of Lu and Jess … The three of them have been an excellent group to work off one another and with out kind of Pinoe’s affect with the opposite two, that kind of factor obtained misplaced.”
The Reign, although, “have been by no means miles away” from the NWSL’s higher groups in 2024 – at the same time as they notched 15 losses final season, solely 4 have been by a margin of a couple of purpose. There have been crucial changes to be made after a defensively shaky season through which they averaged 1.69 objectives in opposition to per sport, a departure from a Harvey crew’s signature steadiness on the again. The Reign then had their desired offseason with no main departures and a significant incoming in USWNT veteran Lynn Biyendolo, the group collectively stepping as much as the plate individually. Harvey additionally up to date the crew’s tactical basis, lining up the group in a 3-5-2 somewhat than the 4-2-3-1 from the 2023 season, through which they made a run to the NWSL Championship.
A few of this was enabled by the Sounders’ June 2024 takeover from France’s OL Groupe, which gave them an early head begin on their 2025 rebuild.
“The factor that we have at all times advocated for right here is that we’re individuals first,” Harvey mentioned. “We care about everyone that is right here. We would like them to really feel like that is their place, their household, their membership. I believe having the French possession made that difficult as a result of there was a little bit disconnect between what that meant, what that had at all times meant and what it now means. Having possession which can be U.S.-based, Seattle-based with regard to how we function each day, I believe it is enabled us to essentially push that on.”
There’s a newfound stability to the Reign if you watch them, although they’re nonetheless rooted in Harvey’s tried and true rules. Anchored by goalkeeper Claudi Dickey, who USWNT head coach Emma Hayes as soon as described as the most effective shotsopper within the NWSL, two defenders getting into their peak years in Phoebe McClernon and Shae Holmes and 18-year-old rising star Jordyn Bugg, the Reign now common below a purpose conceded per sport. It has offset the truth that they don’t seem to be the league’s most dynamic attacking aspect however they nonetheless common 1.36 objectives per sport, greater than the 1.04 common they posted final season. Biyendolo, the USWNT’s ever-reliable veteran, has performed the identical with two objectives and one help in 10 video games for the Reign to date however it is only one of her many strengths.
“Lynn has crammed Pinoe’s void and I believe she’s not simply crammed the void,” Harvey mentioned. “She’s additionally influenced and impressed the opposite two [Barnes and Fishlock] to essentially be themselves once more, which has been the crux of this membership for a very long time. Their job now’s to verify the day that all of them stroll out the door, we do not get this gulf left once more so that is the tradition that we wish.”
Biyendolo’s presence, Harvey argues, was one thing the veterans wanted greater than the Reign’s rising skills.
“I believe the outdated ones with their expertise of final 12 months and never being profitable, taking a look at these younger ones and saying, ‘We have to ensure you get on our web page shortly as a result of we want you,'” Harvey mentioned. “Then bringing them in shortly, I actually suppose, helped the younger gamers as effectively to really feel a part of it actual fast.”
The bags of 2024, although, is lastly behind them.
“I believe we kind of put final season to mattress within the first half of the season,” she mentioned, “and now it is about we have gone by that kind of preliminary stage of constructing what crew we need to be.”
Reign’s younger core paved the way
The USWNT’s “off” years from main competitors have ushered in a first-of-its-kind interval of transition within the American ladies’s sport, one through which nearly everybody is keen of their pursuit of discovering the game’s subsequent stars. In few locations is that more true than Seattle, the Reign counting on a handful of younger gamers to steer the cost as they mount a comeback. A number of gamers, like main goalscorer Emeri Adames and rookie Maddie Dahlien, are of their first two years as professionals, whereas Dickey, Bugg and Sam Meza have just lately earned their first caps with the USWNT. The Reign’s most enjoyable up-and-comer, although, is a brand new recruit – ahead Mia Fishel. The 24-year-old made her debut for the Reign in final Friday’s win over Angel Metropolis in its place, Harvey easing her into the limelight as she appears to construct kind a 12 months after tearing her ACL.
Harvey had labored with Fishel when she was the pinnacle coach of the U-20 USWNT and “obtained an inkling” final spring that the ahead was searching for a transfer out of Chelsea. Identical to many, the Reign have excessive hopes for Fishel after she signed a take care of the crew that retains her in Seattle by the top of the 2029 NWSL season. Harvey was fast to acknowledge, although, that Fishel has the advantage of time, particularly with the Ladies’s World Cup just below two years away.
“She’s a participant that I loved to work with as a result of she needs to be taught,” Harvey mentioned. “She needs to be the most effective she presumably may be. I can work with that on a regular basis. The second layer of that’s she has the potential to be a extremely, actually good goalscorer in any league that she’s in. She’s proven that at Tigres, she confirmed that within the spurts that she had at Chelsea earlier than her harm but in addition I believe what’s thrilling is there is not any actual expectations on Mia at this time. We now have a roster meaning at this time, she does not want to come back in and be wonderful proper the second. If she is wonderful, nice. All of us need that however there is not any strain on her to try this and we’re invested in her long run.”
Despite the fact that the playoff push is high of thoughts with 12 video games to go within the common season, Harvey continues to strike the stability between endurance and urgency. Whereas Fishel begins to obtain that remedy, midfielder Sam Meza has already benefited from it. Meza was drafted by the Reign in 2024 however solely made two appearances in her rookie season, each in the course of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer season Cup that occurred throughout a break from the common season final summer season. She went on mortgage to the USL Tremendous League’s Dallas Trinity final August and used that as the inspiration for a breakout season to date with the Reign in 2025.
“For our crew, it might need been higher for her to stick with us and never exit on mortgage however for her, I felt it was going to be actually necessary for her improvement to go and play,” Harvey mentioned. “I did not suppose she was going to get these minutes final 12 months with us and he or she did not actually need that, proper? She needed to remain and I perceive that however I believe taking that threat, which was a threat for her and committing to it, she’s now reaping the reward. Which may not occur for everyone however I do suppose it is a actually cool story to say, take an opportunity on your self typically.”
The Reign’s gamers’ involvement with the nationwide crew is validation for his or her bets on themselves, in addition to Harvey’s work to foster their development. She and the Reign have created a symbiotic relationship with Hayes and the USWNT, one that’s in the end an important showcase for the gamers on the pitch than anything.
“Me and Emma did not actually have any earlier relationship so attending to see how she works and the way she operates has been good,” Harvey mentioned. “She’s very open about what she needs from her gamers. We’re very open about eager to take that on and assist them any means we will and I am actually blissful for all of the gamers … I believe the expectation for them is now they’ve seen what it may be like and what it may possibly appear like for them and it is over to them now to guarantee that these alternatives hold coming again to them.”
