The Reign picked up a fourth loss in a row with another narrow home defeat, this time in the hands of Angel City. “We just weren't a threat, again,” said Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey following the 1-0 loss.
Harvey persisted in highlighting the team's ongoing struggles throughout the season. “I just said we've got to keep the ball more, and they knew that. We needed to control the tempo of the game more, which we did, but I think when you do that, you need to be a threat, and we weren't a threat.”
The Reign went into Friday’s match with a small hope to stay in the playoff race, as a loss would almost certainly eliminate the Reign from playoff contention. The NWSL salary cap rules found Angel City FC guilty on Thursday, deducting three points from the current regular season standings and fining them $200,000. After the points deduction, the Reign leapfrogged over Angel City to 11th place, standing one point ahead.
“Disappointing” was the first word that came to Phoebe McClernon’s mind when reflecting on the loss. McClernon continued on providing her thoughts on the game: “I think we had a lot of expectations before the season started and a lot of hope, and I feel like we just lost our way somewhere along the way this year. I think we still have an amazing locker room of girls and a group of girls who want to win championships, and I think we'll find our way back to that one way or another, but this one hurt.”
Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network
Straight from kickoff, Angel City were in control for most of the first half, looking more dangerous on the attack and shutting down any Reign opportunities. Already, the Reign team was looking similarly to the vast majority of the season, and this time the postseason was on the line.
Creating scoring opportunities is something the Reign have notoriously struggled with in 2024, especially when it comes to hitting through balls too strongly and out of the desired attacking teammate’s reach. Despite the dominant outcome of first-half possession and momentum, the Reign were able to find a promising goal-scoring opportunity from Ana-Maria Crongorcevic, who headed the ball downwards from a long cross but barely went wide.
Shortly after the Crongorcevic opportunity, however, Angel City opened the scoring after 33 minutes of constant pressure on the Reign’s backline. Defender Mary Vignola found Claudia Dickey’s bottom-left corner after a smart one-two layoff, assisted by Alyssa Thompson, penetrating the Reign defense arguably a bit too easily.
Angel City also hit the crossbar around the 43rd minute via a Katie Zelemheader, and the rebound opportunity was almost as threatening. However, following the scramble, a penalty appeal surfaced after Reign defender Shae Holmes appeared to foul Megan Reid inside the box as she was fighting to get the ball away from Angel City danger.
Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network
Referee Matthew Thompson was sent the VAR monitor to review the potential penalty, and after a few minutes, Thompson ruled against making the call for a penalty. The Reign, fortunate to trail by only one goal at halftime, knew they couldn't afford a similar second half.
As the second half went into full swing, the Reign began to fight back and gained a better foothold in the game. Compared to the first half, the Reign appeared significantly more confident and hungry, controlling the majority of the second half by possessing the ball for extended periods and registering more shots.
Harvey reminded the Reign squad to remain focused and to control the game better. The team has shown they can control games, and gaining momentum was the clear first step: "I just said we've got to keep the ball more, and they knew that. We needed to control the tempo of the game more, which we did, but I think when you do that, you need to be a threat, and we weren't a threat.”
However, the Reign were unable to secure a result. Although they are still mathematically in the playoff race, a berth is highly unlikely at this point due to the significant reliance on several other future results.
Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network
“It's been a tough season. We know that,” said Jordyn Huitema, reflecting on the result and season as a whole. “All we can kind of do moving forward is fix the things that we need to take what we can. I think we can find positives in the season to be better, and it's as simple as that.”
Huitema also spoke about her injury struggles throughout 2024, revealing she missed about half of the regular season due to a spinal fracture.
The Reign will travel to the Utah Royals for match 24, and the Reign must beat Utah to mathematically stay in the playoff race. However, if both Portland and Bay FC win their games, or if Portland draws and Bay FC and Racing Louisville win, they will eliminate the Reign, regardless of their victory in Utah.
As the season progresses through its final regular season games, surviving game 24 will increase the number of elimination scenarios. While even the smallest of chances means there is a possibility of success, the odds are heavily against the Reign in 2024.
Cover Photo: Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network
