On Monday, Gotham FC beat Seattle 2-0, snapping the Reign's seven-game NWSL unbeaten streak behind goals from midfielder Delanie Sheehan and striker Esther González.
The road win saw Gotham leapfrog Kansas City to claim third place in the standings — prime positioning as NY/NJ stares down a second-straight NWSL championship.
Seattle, on the other hand, sits in 11th place with only six matches left. The Reign will need to rack up as many wins as possible to keep their postseason dreams alive.
Rodman ups the celly game in the NWSL
In lighter NWSL news, Washington star Trinity Rodman hit her second NBA-inspired celly of the season on Sunday.
After launching a rocket to secure the Spirit's 3-0 win over Houston, Rodman dropped to the pitch, curled up, closed her eyes, and laid her head on her hands in a nod to Steph Curry's signature "night, night" action.
The move followed last week's slam dunk celly. After netting an equalizer, Rodman leapt into the air while sprinting toward new Spirit investor and NBA legend, Magic Johnson.
LaBonta's NWSL cellies give Rodman stiff competition
While iconic celebrations have become part of the NWSL's DNA, Rodman’s main competitor in this season's top celly race is Kansas City’s Lo’eau LaBonta.
The midfielder’s 2024 highlights include mirroring gymnast Simone Biles’s Olympic floor routine, using the ball as a baby bump, and recreating the signature lift from Dirty Dancing.
On Tuesday, 25 Seattle-based sports and business professionals announced their investment in a new USL W League team operated by popular semi-pro USL League Two men’s side Ballard FC.
Headlined by Lauren Barnes (Seattle Reign), Jess Fishlock (Seattle Reign), Olivia Van der Jagt (Seattle Reign), and Sam Hiatt (Gotham FC), alongside Seattle Storm co-owner Ginny Glider and Jen Barnes, owner of the women's sports-focused Rough & Tumble Pub, the yet-to-be-named Ballard squad will enter the pre-professional league next May.
Current Ballard FC president Sam Zisette will oversee both the men’s and women’s clubs, while vice president and seasoned athletic trainer Tiffany Mallick will shift her focus on the women's team.
"Our goal is to create better opportunities for young women to develop their skills on and off the field," said Reign captain Lauren Barnes in a team press release. "The path to professional soccer didn’t exist on the same scale while I was growing up, and I’m thrilled to be part of changing that for future players."
"Introducing a USL W League team to Ballard is a monumental step in advancing our organization and soccer community," added Zisette. "Ballard is a special place with an immense sense of pride, passionate spirit, and love for soccer. We can’t wait to see the community embrace this new team!"
What is the USL?
The United Soccer League (USL), which organizes multiple US leagues across all divisions, has recently upped its commitment to the women's game.
In addition to the developmental USL W League — which started in 2022 and now fields 80 teams across four conferences plus three 2025 expansion teams, including Ballard — USL is set to launch the fully professional USL Super League next month.
With eight inaugural clubs (and plans to expand to 20 teams by 2026), the USL Super League will join the NWSL as the only other Division 1 women’s league in the country. But unlike the NWSL, the USL Super League will mirror the European schedule, operating from fall through spring with its official kickoff slated for August 17th.
As with USL W Ballard, the Super League also has some star power behind it. In May, WNBA All-Star rookie Angel Reese joined the ownership group of Washington's forthcoming DC Power FC.
USL W League gears up for postseason action
But before the USL Super League takes the pitch, their pre-professional counterparts will finish up their 2024 postseason run.
On Saturday, the USL W's four conference champions will square off in the league semifinals on Saturday, July 13th, with NC Courage U23 hosting Tennessee SC and the Colorado Storm facing Detroit City FC in Michigan. Winners from those two matches will then battle it out at the USL W League final on July 20th.
All USL W postseason action can be streamed live on SportsEngine Play.
The Seattle Reign have officially been sold, with the OL Groupe selling the club to an ownership group that includes MLS’s Seattle Sounders and private equity firm the Carlyle Group.
The team was sold for a reported $58 million, after being acquired by OL Groupe in 2019 for $3.5 million.
"It's all about the potential going forward," Alex Popov of the Carlyle Groupe told ESPN. "And frankly, our starting point was off. You know, that's what attracted a lot of us to, including ourselves here at Carlyle, to think about investing in women's sport. We have seen the potential."
The valuation is the latest of rising numbers in the NWSL. San Diego Wave FC is in the process of a sale that values the team between $113 and $120 million.
In the sale announcement, chief business officer of the Reign Maya Mendoza-Exstrom said that the team has no plans to move from Lumen Field.
"It feels a little bit like we have the gritty startup mentality of an expansion franchise in this exciting moment, but we have this benefit of having a dedicated fan base that has been dedicated to this club, even though it has moved a ton and changed a ton over the last few years," she told ESPN. "So, I think the opportunity just to root this club in place — Lumen is our home. The club's not moving anywhere."
Seattle Reign FC is back.
On Tuesday, OL Reign announced that it will return to the club’s original name, Seattle Reign FC, as well as the original crest. The move was announced on social media with a video and the Reign account writing that “the restoration has begun.”
The restoration has begun, Seattle. 👑 #ReignReturns pic.twitter.com/TtuOeAq39i
— Seattle Reign FC (@OLReign) January 9, 2024
The updated crest has a color palette differing from the original Seattle Reign logo, with gold replacing the original silver. The new shade of gold will be titled Seattle Reign Gold and symbolizes the club’s three NWSL Shields.
“Today is the start of a new chapter for our unique club, fans and community,” said Seattle Reign CEO Vincent Berthillot. “Bringing back the club’s original name and identity from the 2013 season as the club prepares to enter a new era is our way of honoring the history of this club while respecting the progress and success we’ve experienced firsthand.
“Seattle Reign FC was a founding club in this growing league, and our OGs, our supporters and our community have remained by our side from the very beginning to help pave the way for the future.”
The transformation back to Seattle Reign FC comes as the club inches closer to the completion of its sale. Despite being a popular logo, the Reign became OL Reign when purchased by OL Groupe in 2020.
There have been no updates on when a new owner could be announced, although the MLS’ Seattle Sounders are expected to be part of the new ownership group.
“When considering the opportunity in this moment to link our past to the future, there was no doubt about the connection this mark has to the legacy and identity of this storied club,” said Michelle Haines, who’s vice president of marketing and ticketing for the Reign. “Ultimately, this refreshed look is an embodiment of our roots in Seattle, honors the dedication of our fans, reflects the caliber of our players and aligns with our core values.”