Seattle Reign returns to Lumen Field on Monday, September 16, as the club continues to fight to climb the NWSL standings and secure a playoff spot. They host Gotham FC at 7 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

The Reign will be able to call on new midfield destroyer Jaelin Howell, who is serving a one-match suspension, but for the first time this season the Reign will be without right-back Sofia Huerta, who is on loan to Olympique Lyonnais in France.

Gotham comes to Seattle at a time when the club has a busy schedule. Last week, the team traveled to Orlando on Sept. 1, Costa Rica for a Concacaf Champions Cup game on Sept. 4 and back to New Jersey to host Houston on Sept. 8. After their game against the Reign on Monday, they have a Concacaf Champions Cup game on Thursday and another league game on Sunday – both at home.

All of this is happening while Gotham is dealing with minor injuries to several players. Can the Reign take advantage of Gotham’s tough schedule and put them under pressure – and extend their seven-game winning streak in the process?

“We were good defensively, we need to continue that. Gotham is a good team, they are very dangerous and when we create chances we need to take advantage of them. That’s what we’ve been doing the last few weeks and we want to continue that tomorrow,” Seattle Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey said in her opening remarks during the team’s pre-match press conference on Sunday morning.

Harvey said newcomer Hanna Glas from the Kansas City Current is fitting in with the team and is considered a likely candidate for the right back position with Huerta now on loan to OL. Glas’ time in Kansas City was limited to just one appearance due to an ACL injury, but Harvey talked about the opportunity for Glas to contribute immediately now that she is fully healthy.

“I think before her injury she was considered one of the best right backs in the world, so we’re getting a really talented player who just didn’t play a lot of minutes in the NWSL but looked great in the short time she was with us,” Harvey said.

Captain Lauren Barnes said that the mood in the dressing room was obviously good because they had won three games in a row and were aiming for a place in the play-offs, but also because everyone remained committed, united and reliable, and not just because she had that responsibility as captain.

“I’m really proud of the group for being able to do that and really bring it all in from a lot of different players. We saw leadership coming from so many different players and that’s what you want to see when something like this happens and honestly when we’re in transition. We’re not going to be here forever so it has to happen organically and naturally and it does. I think this group has been great, change is always nice. The new guys that have come into the group have brought new energy, they didn’t really have to go through the first part of the season that we went through, which is tough when you’re not winning and losing and they came in without that mindset. So it’s great that they’re coming in and just saying ‘We want to win, we want to turn the season around.’ We saw that and it was super healthy and helpful.”

Barnes has missed virtually a month this season; she was virtually out of action during the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup while recovering from a leg injury. She spoke openly about learning something new about herself during her time away from the field.

“I’ve never really dealt with a bad injury before, and this one was unique. It’s not even necessarily bad, but I’ve never really had to sit out. I think for me, there was a lot of tears, a lot of confusion, a lot of frustration, all mixed together. I’ve learned a lot about myself and really accepting what’s happening and trusting the process, which you know is hard when you’re older and have to do this later in your career. I’m not young anymore. I don’t recover as well as I used to, so my time is short – there’s a clock ticking in the back of my head all the time, and I want to get out as often as I can. But I’ve also realized that my role is always going to evolve and change, and if I accept that role, I’m going to do my best and still be able to impact the team as much as I can. I realize that I can do that in other ways than being on the field, which is a good reminder,” Barnes said.

Current results

Last week, the Reign came back from behind to win 3-2 on the road against Angel City. Gotham scored a last-minute goal to beat the Houston Dash 2-1 at home.

Head-to-head

This will be the second meeting between the two teams in 2024.

• Their encounter on June 30th at the Red Bull Arena ended in a 1-1 draw.
• The Reign’s overall record against Gotham is 12-9-8.
• Seattle has a home record of 6-6-4 against the New Jersey/New York club.
• The Reign scored 43 goals in this duel, while Gotham scored 38.

Quick statistics

• Gotham (11-4-4, 37 points) has scored 23 goals and conceded 16.
• Seattle Reign (5-9-5, 20 points) has scored 23 goals and conceded 32, the highest in the league.
• The Reign have a 3-2-4 record at home this season. Gotham has a 5-3-1 record on the road.
• Both teams have won three of their last five games.
• Ella Stevens leads Gotham with six goals and three assists.

What you should see

A difficult team to beat

Gotham has only conceded 16 goals this season and allows the fewest shots in the league. Opponents average 8.7 shots per game against Gotham, while the Reigns have allowed just 11.5 shots per game.

In their 1-1 tie, the Reign had 7 shots compared to Gotham’s 15.

It’s no surprise that Gotham also leads the league in expected goals against (xGA) with 18.3 – the Reign’s xGA is 25.6. They get in front of opponents extremely quickly and work hard to prevent touches in their final third, which is why teams can’t get many shots on goal against them. In fact, Gotham allow the fewest touches in their attacking third and penalty area. They also allow the fewest passes from the opposition per defensive action – a sign of the intensity of their pressing.

Nevertheless, Houston was able to create some good opportunities last week in three ways:

• Change field
• In transition
• Bring additional players into the penalty area by crossing

The Reign have players who can score goals in all three ways. Can they pull themselves together against a strong Gotham team – and continue to take advantage of their chances?

Some injuries and rotation for Gotham

Gotham continues to sign high-profile league players, recently adding forwards Cece Kizer and Jéssica Silva to the squad as players such as Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams, Esther Gonzalez and Ella Stevens have struggled with injuries. Williams came on as a substitute for last weekend’s game, but Stevens and Lavelle were unavailable.

Gotham also transferred striker Katie Stengel to Crystal Palace this week. Due to injuries and absences of other players, Stengel has appeared in 15 games for Gotham this season, playing 830 minutes in eight starts.

While the Reign may not yet know who will be playing against them on Monday, one thing they can expect is plenty of movement along the offensive line and in the midfield. And with a player like Williams back healthy, Gotham has speed up front that could cause the Reign some problems.

Limit Gotham’s wide game

In Harvey’s words, Gotham like to play “expansive football” – they build from the back and look for their defensive midfielders or full-backs to pull the defence apart. Their strikers also come back to combine in midfield and pull the defence out of position.

The last time the Reign played Gotham, they played some of their best defense all season in the first half. The Reign let Gotham’s center backs have the ball while their wingers did a lot of work to make things difficult for Gotham. Meanwhile, the midfield worked hard to prevent balls into Gotham’s midfield.

Unfortunately, despite unsettling Gotham in the first half, creating five of their seven shots on goal, the Reign were unable to score before halftime. Gotham adjusted well in the second half and the Reign had to chase them more. Can the Reign put together a 90-minute defensive effort this time? With the Reign’s front line currently applying pressure and looking dangerous in transition – especially with the addition of Ana-Maria Crnogorčević – it’s certainly possible.

Injury/Availability Report

Seattle Reign

OUT OF: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Jess Fishlock (leg), Olivia Van der Jagt (excused absence)
QUESTIONABLE: Jordyn Huitema (illness)
INTERNATIONAL TASK: Emeri Adames (USA), Jordyn Bugg (USA)

Gotham FC

OUT OF: Sinead Farrelly (SEI – concussion), Svava Gudmunsdottir (excused absence), Sam Hiatt (foot), Maitane Lopez (hip), Kelley O’Hara (excused absence), Midge Purce (SEI – knee), Jessica Silva (illness), Abby Smith (SEI – lower leg)

How to watch

Seattle Reign hosts Gotham FC on Monday, September 16 at 7:00 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.