The Seattle Reign just took a brutal hit, right when they needed to regroup: Maddie Dahlien, one of our key players, is out for the rest of the season after tearing her ACL on Tuesday while with the US U23 team. This devastating news drops right as the Reign are gearing up for the first of three critical final games this Sunday in Evanston, Illinois, trying to claw their way back into the playoff spots they recently lost.
Injuries Hit Hard, But The Grind Continues
Our girls have been through a rough patch, dropping out of the playoff picture, but that international break last week was supposed to be a chance to hit reset, reassess tactics, and plan for this make-or-break stretch. Now, the Dahlien injury changes everything about that plan. Coach Laura Harvey kept her cards close to her chest during Saturday’s pregame presser, not giving away how the team will adapt. But Emeri Adames has seen plenty of minutes in that role and looks like the most probable candidate to step up. It’s a huge loss, no doubt about it. We’re coming off a frustrating 1-0 home loss to the North Carolina Courage, and the team needs to find that spark again on the road. The Reign sit at 12-11-4 (40 points), good for 9th place right now, and their road record is 4-7-2. Every goal counts, especially when you’ve scored 33 and conceded 32 this season.
The Chicago Stars Are A Hot Mess, But Don’t Get Complacent
This Sunday, the Reign are facing the lowly Chicago Stars, a team already eliminated from playoff contention. You’d think that’s good news, but this isn’t the same Stars squad Seattle narrowly beat 1-0 at Lumen Field back in August, thanks to a Maddie Mercado goal. Chicago has been busy! They brought in former Reign and Kansas City coach Vlatko Andonovski as their new Chief Soccer Officer last month. They also shipped off midfielder Manaka Hayashi to Juventus and mutually terminated defender Leila Ouahabi’s contract, who then immediately signed with Gotham FC. Their biggest move? Dropping $700,000 in intra-league transfer funds on forward Racheal Kundananji from Bay FC. That’s a serious investment.
However, there’s a twist: Kundananji and her Zambian teammates in the NWSL are reportedly out for this weekend’s match, and likely more, due to CDC safety protocols. They were in Uganda during the international break, a country currently affected by an Ebola outbreak, leading to additional screening and travel restrictions. So, while Chicago tried to bolster their roster, they might be short-handed. Even with these moves, Chicago’s stats are grim. They are 5-20-2 (17 points, 16th place) and have been absolutely bleeding goals, conceding 63 this season, the most in NWSL history. They’ve only scored 15, the fewest in the league, averaging a measly 0.6 goals per game. Since that mid-August match against us, Chicago has gone 1-6-1 and given up 29 goals. Even former Reign forward Jordyn Huitema, who’s been out with an ACL injury since mid-July, still leads the Stars with 4 goals. This team is a mess, but we cannot underestimate them, especially on the road where our all-time record against them is 3-9-3.
What’s Next: A Defining Moment
The Reign are 12-12-10 all-time against Chicago, with 50 goals scored to their 48. This isn’t just another game, it’s the first of three chances to fight our way back into the playoff picture. Losing Maddie Dahlien is a gut punch, no doubt, but it’s also a chance for the rest of the squad to step up. This Sunday’s match in Evanston against the Chicago Stars is absolutely crucial. We need to capitalize on their struggles, find a way to score goals, and kickstart our comeback. Every single point matters from here on out. Let’s go, Reign!
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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