NWSL Seattle Reign FC

Reign FC to Face Chicago Red Stars at Home this Sunday Afternoon

Published on May 20, 2016 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Seattle Reign FC News Release


SEATTLE - Seattle Reign FC (2-2-1, 7 pts) will face the Chicago Red Stars (3-1-1, 10 pts) this Sunday, May 22, at 4:00 p.m. PT at Memorial Stadium - the first meeting between the two teams in 2016.

Seattle currently resides in fifth place in the NWSL standings, with Chicago holding the second spot behind the undefeated Washington Spirit. Reign FC has accrued seven points through its first five matches, a total identical to where the club stood after last season's first five games. Mirroring the start of last season, Seattle will face the Red Stars at home in the sixth match of the season. Last year's game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Last Saturday, Reign FC went head-to-head against Cascadia rivals Portland Thorns FC. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after an intense and physical battle between the two clubs. Portland was the first to get on the board in the 47th minute, when defender Meg Morris chipped a ball inside the six-yard box between goalkeeper Hope Solo and defender Lauren Barnes. When neither player moved to clear the ball, Portland forward Nadia Nadim made the most of the opportunity, heading the ball above Solo into the back of the net. It was Nadim's first goal of the season. Reign FC delivered a response just two minutes later, when in the 49th minute they leveled the score off a corner from Barnes, which found midfielder Beverly Yanez at the far post, who headed the ball into the left side of the frame. The match ended with the score knotted at 1-1, marking the first tie between the two clubs, while leaving Reign FC's all-time record against Thorns FC at 4-5-1.

Meanwhile, on May 13, Chicago managed a scoreless draw on the road against FC Kansas City. Red Stars forward Christen Press entered the match as the league's leading scorer with three goals, but none of her seven shots in the KC match found the back of the net.

While Reign FC currently stands a few spots behind Chicago in the NWSL standings, the squad is choosing to focus on their own game rather than their place in the table.

"Each game, especially now, is all about focusing on what we need to do as a team to perform our best. Because when we do, it's difficult for teams to beat us," said defender Kendall Fletcher. "So it's more of a focus on what we need to do, not necessarily on who we're playing."

While generally pleased with last week's performance, head coach Laura Harvey still sees opportunities for significant improvement.

"We have to build on the things we did really well against Portland and work on the things that we didn't do well. A lot of our possession was good, but we didn't hurt them enough at times and our quality in the final third wasn't quite there enough," she said. "There are little things we can work on, and the girls are working hard. Getting healthy bodies back on the field is priority."

Sunday's match will be a tipping point for the all-time record between Seattle and Chicago, which currently stands at 3-3-3 between the two sides.

"I think how they set up, how organized and disciplined they are, is always tough. But I think we know each other well enough now on our strengths and weaknesses," said Harvey. "They've been grinding out some results on the road and I'm sure that they want to come here and do the same."

Forward Beverly Yanez has been slotted into the midfield in place of Jess Fishlock, who remains sidelined while she recovers from a fractured left tibia that occurred in Seattle's April 24 match against the Boston Breakers. Yanez is excited for this weekend's match against Chicago, which she views as an opportunity for Reign FC to prove themselves.

"Chicago is a great team and I think Christen Press is an amazing player," said Yanez. "So being able to identify what their strengths are and how to counteract them and bring our game is crucial. We just have to bring it and continue to be a team difficult to beat when we're at home."

In addition to the absence of Fishlock for Sunday's match, Reign FC will be without forward Megan Rapinoe, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last December while training with the US Women's National Team. Seattle will also be missing forward Manon Melis, who suffered a fractured left tibia in the 3rd minute of last Sunday's match. Melis is expected to miss 4-6 weeks as a result of the injury.

Tickets to Sunday's match start at just $18 and can be purchased at reignfc.com/redstars or by calling (855)-REIGN-FC.

Reign FC will welcome Arsenal Ladies FC to Memorial Stadium for an international friendly on Thursday, May 26, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. PT. Arsenal is Harvey's former club, where she and Reign FC midfielder Kim Little led the team to a FA Women's Super League championship title in 2011. Tickets to the friendly begin at $18 and can be purchased at reignfc.com/arsenal or by calling (855)-REIGN-FC.

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