The Seattle Reign are absolutely reeling from a brutal 3-2 loss at Gotham FC last week, where they watched a 2-0 lead vanish into thin air. That gut punch has stuck with Head Coach Laura Harvey, who called the late defeat “hard to swallow,” even if she found “a lot of positives” in the performance itself. It’s clear the message in the locker room this week isn’t about *how* they’re starting games, but how they’re *finishing* them as they roll into Snapdragon Stadium this Sunday to face San Diego Wave FC.
The 90-Minute Problem and a Massive Boost
Coach Harvey isn’t sugarcoating it: “game management is something that we need to continue to improve on.” She’s been hammering home the need for the Reign to “see games out” and figure out “changing momentum in games when we don’t have it.” It’s not just a coach’s directive; defender Ryanne Brown, who just signed an extension through 2027, echoed that sentiment, stressing the team needs “a complete 90-minute performance.” The past few games have seen the Emerald City squad start off red-hot, but they’ve stumbled at the end. Can they finally put together a full match? They’ll need to against a strong San Diego side. In a huge positive for the squad, though, every player who was injured is now available, which Harvey called “great, huge positive” for the team’s road trip.
San Diego’s Mixed Bag and Reign’s Dominant History
The Reign (5-7-2, 17 points, 12th place) are still looking to climb the standings, and they’ll have their work cut out for them against San Diego (9-5-2, 29 points, 3rd place). The Wave are coming off a 2-2 draw at Kansas City and have had some mixed results lately, going 2-2-1 in their last five after dominating earlier in the season. They average 10.5 shots per game and lead the league with 6.1 shots on target, plus they control possession a hefty 56.4% of the time. Their star, Trinity Byars, leads the team with six goals. But here’s the thing, despite those numbers, San Diego’s defense has actually been more vulnerable than you might think, conceding goals in bunches during recent losses. And get this: the Reign have absolutely owned the all-time series against the Wave. In 13 regular season matchups, Seattle holds a commanding 9-1-3 edge, outscoring San Diego 18-7. Remember that 3-0 road win back in May 2023? That’s the kind of dominance we know this club can show.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. PT on Sunday, airing nationally on CBS Sports Network, locally on FOX 13+, and on 950 KJR AM. This isn’t just another game on the road for our Reign; it’s a chance to prove they’ve learned from their past stumbles and can deliver that full 90-minute performance everyone is talking about.
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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