The Seattle Reign hit a major speed bump on their challenging three-game week, falling 3-1 to Angel City FC in Los Angeles. This wasn’t just another road loss, folks, it was a gut punch that puts our playoff spot in a seriously precarious position, dropping their lead over Angel City to just one measly point.
Set Piece Nightmares In The First Half
From the opening whistle, it felt like the Reign were playing catch-up. Angel City controlled the tempo, kept the ball glued in our half for much of the first 15 minutes, though thankfully, timely blocks and mishit shots kept the scoreboard clean. That clean sheet didn’t last long, though. In the 18th minute, an Angel City corner kick bounced around the box, hit Angharad James-Turner’s elbow in a scramble, and the ref pointed right to the spot. Ally Sentnor buried the penalty, putting us down 1-0. Our girls did manage to grow into the game after that first goal, but Angel City just kept on punishing us on set pieces. In the 40th minute, it was deja vu: a corner kick found Ary Borges completely unmarked on the near side. She redirected that laser right inside the far post, leaving Claudia Dickey flat-footed, and just like that, it was 2-0. What in the world was our defense doing? Angel City came into this game as the league’s best on set pieces, scoring nine goals from them. To concede both first-half goals from corners? That’s a breakdown we just can’t afford.
Second Half Choppiness And A Late Consolation
The second half was a bit of a messy affair, choppy and without much to write home about from either side until Angel City made some late changes. In the 80th minute, Taylor Suarez entered the game and immediately made her mark. She took a couple of touches in the box, created some space, and absolutely rifled a shot into the upper corner for Angel City’s third goal. It was the nail in the coffin, really. Later, in stoppage time, Sofia Huerta managed to snag a consolation goal for Seattle, which was nice to see, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome. That second Angel City goal, where Ary Borges was left untracked as she ran across the box, was a complete defensive breakdown. Too many Seattle players were trying to zonal mark in the six-yard box, Jess Fishlock was left to cover two attackers, and no one saw the danger until it was too late. That’s gotta change, and fast.
The Reign are still clinging to the 8th and final playoff spot, but it’s a much more precarious position now. Angel City is only one point behind us. Every single game from here on out is going to feel like a must-win. We need to tighten up that set-piece defense, figure out our marking, and bring that fight to every single whistle if we want to hold onto that playoff spot. Let’s go, Emerald City!
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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