Lu legend: Barnes reaches 200 career regular season matches, continuing to lead the club through character and action
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – With her start in the June 10th, 2023 match against the KC Current, OL Reign defender Lu Barnes hit 200 career regular season matches played in the NWSL. That’s the most of any player in league history, as Barnes continues to add to her historic resume, doing so all with the Reign. Since being selected by the Reign to begin their franchise in the 2013 supplemental draft (10th overall), Barnes has helped this club earn every piece of hardware it’s seen while adding an NWSL defender of the year award in 2016, while earning NWSL Best XI honors (1st team in 2015, 2016 and 2nd team in 2014, 2019) in terms of individual accolades. A stellar player on the pitch, Barnes may be remembered more for the human being she is when it comes to her leadership and efforts in the World to make it a better place.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it – 200 games in 11 years. Today, we kind of talked in the locker room about how three points is huge for us. We’ve been working hard, we’ve been a little unlucky in some games. So, for me, it’s another game. We’ve been focused on what’s ahead of us, game by game. So, I’m proud of the team, we put up a good performance together, today, and yeah, 200 with one club, I couldn’t be more proud. Yeah, I’m happy.”
OL Reign defender Lu Barnes is honored prior to the June 10th, 2023 match against the KC Current match with a framed jersey signifying her 200th regular season match played (Photos by Liz Wolter)
The playing journey
Barnes has been a classic defender, in the sense that she doesn’t particularly end up in the box score for goals and assists (only eight to date so far in these 200 career matches over eleven years), but she hasn’t needed to. Playing in the different positions along the backline (has bounced between center and fullback in recent years), Barnes has been able to push the pace up the field when needed while also clearing out attacking players that come her way. It’s been notable throughout the years, seeing Barnes battle with the younger generations of attackers in the league who have blazing speed. While continuing her career, Barnes hasn’t lost that step when it comes to ensuring those attackers don’t get by her. Patience and timing have put Barnes in the best position to dispossess attackers and clear them out of the opposing team's attack. While there’s been a lot of turnover with the roster throughout her time with the club, Barnes has been a constant with her play and her presence.
OL Reign defender Lu Barnes, playing in her 200th career NWSL regular season match, on June 10th, 2023 against the KC Current (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Setting an example
As mentioned, that presence on the field and in the locker room may be what Barnes is remembered for the most. That’s not a dig at all towards her playing ability, but rather a show of just how important her leadership has been. When to speak, when not to speak, and when to lead with action. Hearing her teammates and head coach Laura Harvey speak on behalf of the leadership of the OG’s of the club and Barnes in particular, it’s easy to find out just how much of an impact that she makes. You can’t talk to anyone in the Reign locker room, or even around the league that have met Lu, who doesn’t have incredible praise for who she is as a person. Through her character and grace, the next generation of Reign players have an idea of what they want their legacy to be like and how they want to lead when their opportunity arises.
“There’s not enough words, really. I was just thinking about it before I came in here and I think, it’s really hard to put in perspective how big of an achievement that is for her. I mean, someone can probably tell me this stat, but the amount of games that have been played in this league to have actually played in the amount she has is an unreal achievement. To have done it for the same club, in a league that’s set up for that not to happen, is phenomenal. I don’t think it will be matched. It shows just the level of talent she has, how consistent she is, how big of a role she’s played in the development of what this club is today. She’s willing to put her body on the line for the team and she does it without needing to be the star. It’s just a phenomenal achievement. Obviously, as a coach, getting that many games is one thing, but for a player to do it so quickly is frightening. It’s scary. She doesn’t get the credit she deserves. She’s not polarizing as a person, she’s humble and wants everyone else to get the limelight instead of it being her. I’m just really happy today that she can celebrate tonight with her family and tomorrow we can continue that on with Sue Bird’s [number retirement]. For me, there’s no better person and player to be the first to do it than (defender Lauren) Lu Barnes.”
The club has been big in this city for inclusion and celebration of pride, notably being one of the two professional women’s sports teams in the city (three if you include the Seattle Tempest, who just won the league title in the women’s ultimate Frisby league ‘WUL’) while having to manage constant chaos. Moving around venues, from memorial to Starfire to Cheney and now at Lumen. Different ownership, as the club was bought by Olympique Lyonnais and is now on sale from them, name changes from Seattle Reign FC to Reign FC to OL Reign. There’s been plenty that this club in particular has had to deal with on and off the field, but Barnes has been able to be the leader and the pillar that’s been needed through it. Whether it’s celebrating pride, welcoming in new teammates, or keeping the group together through difficult obstacles. Barnes’ name is synonymous with what the definition of leader is, doing so with grace and kindness.
“I think that’s why a lot of people love the Reign in general. We share and really have our values on our sleeve and I think that also comes with building our squad, Laura’s done a great job with that, just in terms of people coming in and standing up and using our platform, I think, is what’s really important. I’ve seen it for 11 years – never have I ever felt like this club was ever going to go any direction but forward for a bigger cause and everyone backs it, it’s super special. I don’t think you find that a lot in the NWSL, but that comes within us, within the group and being able to carry that on. So, it is really important because it is bigger than football for us.”