The Seattle Reign front office believes this roster can compete right now, which explains why the team had such a quiet offseason. After two years of scrambling and uncertainty, general manager Lesle Gallimore says the club is finally in a place to build a winning team for the long term.
The Wild Ride to Here
Just three years ago, Lesle Gallimore stepped into her role as Reign GM, and talk about a trial by fire! In April 2023, OL Groupe announced they were selling the club, throwing a massive cloud of uncertainty over everything, even as the Reign were pushing for the playoffs. They made it all the way to the 2023 NWSL Championship, a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Gotham FC, which also tragically saw club legend Megan Rapinoe tear her Achilles in her final game. The team then spiraled, falling from near the top of the league straight to the bottom the very next season. It’s been an uphill climb ever since. With the sale not finalized until mid-June 2024, the club lost huge names like U.S. Women’s National Team stars Emily Sonnett and Rose Lavelle, plus Brazilian midfielder Angelina, all in free agency at the end of 2023. Gallimore summed it up perfectly, saying, “We lost a lot of free agents at the end of 2023, the sale was still happening. And so it was just an interesting time for our roster.” The 2024 season was rough; they simply couldn’t build the roster they wanted while the club was up for sale. It makes you wonder what could have been if the Sounders and Carlyle Group had taken over in the offseason instead of halfway through.
Youth Movement Takes the Wheel
But Gallimore didn’t dwell on what-ifs. Instead, she pivoted, recognizing the club needed a fresh perspective. She started hunting for the next generation of Reign players, noting, “Looking at a club that had three OGs in it, and we were not necessarily getting younger as the years were going by.” She pointed out that the top-of-the-table teams typically have an average roster age of around 27-28. That’s the blueprint the Reign has been following for the last two years, bringing in young talent that’s already making a big impact. We’re talking about the U-18 signings of Emeri Adames, Jordyn Bugg, and Ainsley McCammon in 2024, college draft picks Sam Meza and Maddie Mercado in the same year, and then Maddie Dahlien and Emily Mason joining as the first post-draft college free agents in 2025. This deep belief in these young players is a huge reason the Reign didn’t make a ton of signings this offseason. They truly believe this current group can compete right now.
Playing the Long Game in the Emerald City
The lack of big moves wasn’t just about the young guns, though. Gallimore shared that the front office spent two years being reactive, just trying to keep their heads above water. Now, they feel like they’re finally in a position to build a winning team for the long haul. “We felt for two years that we’ve just been kind of scrambling to put a winning club together, and we’ve had time to step back and stop reacting in the moment as opposed to longer-term planning,” she emphasized. After all that chaos, it sounds like the Reign are making a deliberate shift. A quiet summer transfer window might feel different, but if it’s the result of smart, long-term planning and a deep belief in their current squad, then Emerald City fans have something big to look forward to. Let’s see these young players light it up!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Sounder at Heart.
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