Seattle Reign Are Running on Fumes Before Portland Showdown
The Seattle Reign's opening week was absolutely brutal, and now they have to turn around and face their fiercest rivals. After a nightmare trip to Orlando that included a 12-hour travel delay due to snow in Washington, a canceled return flight on Monday, and a three-hour in-game delay because of lightning strikes at Inter&Co Stadium, the Reign are heading into a Cascadia derby against the Portland Thorns on Friday night running on vapors. Coach Laura Harvey put it bluntly: the team, including technical staff, combined for just 15 hours of sleep over three days. "It's week 54," Harvey joked about how long that opening week felt.
The Body Says No, But the Calendar Says Go
Here's the wild part. When Harvey looked at the workload data from the 2-1 win over Orlando on Sunday, the metrics showed players who actually took the field had stats equivalent to playing two full matches. And because the team had to do three warm-ups during that halftime delay, even the players who didn't see action had workload numbers as if they had. Thursday was finally the first real training session before one of the biggest matches on the schedule. The Reign will be without defender Jordyn Bugg (hamstring), midfielder Sally Menti (knee), and defender Shae Holmes (leg) on Friday night.
The Thorns Come In Sharp
Portland is no joke right now. The Thorns also started their season on the road, beating the Washington Spirit 1-0 on Friday. They've got new Swedish coach Robert Vilahamn, who missed most of preseason getting his visa sorted after coaching Tottenham Hotspur's women's team. But they've got weapons. Striker Sophia Wilson just returned from maternity leave, and midfielder Olivia Moultrie, who scored last week, gives them real offensive punch. Portland does have injuries of their own: keeper Bella Bixby (knee) and forward Morgan Weaver (knee) are both done for the season.
What's Next
The Reign (1-0) face Portland (1-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Providence Park on Prime Video. Portland leads the all-time series 17-16-10 since 2013. But here's the thing: Seattle's opening five matches are all away from Lumen Field because the stadium is getting renovated to host FIFA men's World Cup matches this summer. They'll play three "home" matches at One Spokane Stadium, and March is packed with four matches in 14 days. Jess Fishlock, a 14-year veteran, said it best: "It's one of the worst situations I've been in." But the Reign are sticking together. They have to be ready.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.