Top takeaways from the Seattle Reign FC home loss to Angel City FC, October 4th, 2024
By Becca Weinberg, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - This Friday, the Seattle Reign once again found themselves in a must-win match with massive playoff implications, and once again fell in a 0-1 final score against Angel City FC for their fourth straight loss.
Just over 24 hours prior to kickoff, the NWSL announced that Angel City FC had enacted a salary cap violation, and among the team’s punishments was a three-point deduction in the 2024 standings, effective immediately. This brought Angel City down to 12th place and bumped our Seattle Reign up to 11th place before the match began, adding even more drama to an already important matchup.
Pressure came early from both sides, but only one team was able to capitalize on its opportunities on goal. A one-two combo into the box from Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson and defender M.A. Vignola led to the only goal of the match in the 33rd minute.
With this loss, the Reign are not yet mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but any hope for qualification that was left continues to dwindle and even if Seattle is able to win out for the rest of the handful of matches this season they will need outside help for any hope of the playoffs.
Seattle Reign FC forward Jordyn Huitema was not able to get a shot off in the teams 1-0 loss to Angel City FC on Friday, October 4th, 2024 at Lumen Field. (Photo by Maddy Grassy/Seattle Reign FC)
Need for more pressure in the box
A big focus for the Reign from this match is winning 50/50 balls in the box and capitalizing on chances to score. It’s hard not to sound like a broken record when looking at the team’s missed opportunities for chances on goal recently, but getting to the ball first in those situations would’ve made a massive difference in these last few tight losses. The chances have been there, with corners, set pieces, and other balls won in the attacking third, but the finish is still lacking. Head coach Laura Harvey commented postgame on the team’s inability to find the back of the net throughout this match. “I mean, we probably put 30 balls in the box and connected on two, maybe, and you’re not going to win football games like that,” Harvey said.
Importance of finishing the season on a high note
Although the team is not officially eliminated, it would seem very unlikely at this point to claw back out of 12th place in the standings and into a playoff spot. With the disappointments that came with this season, there are still many positives to shed light on, and it would be very beneficial for the team to focus on those as they finish out their season. There is much to build and improve on, but also a significant amount of potential looking into next season. As tough as it's been in 2024 for the Reign, the best thing they can do moving forward is finishing the season strong and looking into next season with a focus on building on the positives. With some quality players remaining on the roster and the hope to add more reinforcements in the offseason, Seattle isn’t necessarily in some sort of deep dark hole that they could be in for years.
What’s next?
The Reign will prepare to face the Utah Royals FC at America First Field on Sunday, October 13th with a kickoff time of 2PM PT, being broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN DEPORTES, and ESPN+. Utah sits at 12th place in the NWSL table, just one point above the Reign currently at 21. With both teams likely not playing for anything significant for the rest of the 2024 season, this will be a great match for the team to hone in on tactical movements and make some fixes in their attack before the season ends. Forward Jordyn Huitema acknowledged the disappointing end to the Reign’s season, but had a great outlook on finishing strong. “I think that no matter how bad a season is, you can always gain something from it, and we will,” said Huitema. The Reign will look to learn from their mistakes, and begin building for next season with these last few matches remaining.
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Check out our previous Seattle Reign FC articles here.
Check out our previous articles with writing by Becca Weinberg here, and her work with Lookout Landing here.
Cover photo by Maddy Grassy/Seattle Reign FC. Check out Maddy’s portfolio here!
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