Seattle shows promise in Cascadia Derby win
First Reign home win of ’25 comes against Thorns
First home win of 2025, first win at all against the Thorns since 2023, first home win against the Thorns since 2021. The vibes are – in the words of Larry David – pretty, pretty, pretty good!
The highlights of the match were a fourth-minute strike by Maddie Dahlien (her first in NWSL!) and some clutch saves by Claudia Dickey in the back half. With Friday’s win against the Thorns (and last week’s close loss to Orlando), this team looks like it could be a real playoff contender. There are, of course, questions to be had: the team seems to have a problem handling high pressure or getting good clearances off, and a lot of the success stems from the team’s emerging young core.
Harvey used a 3.5-back system cored by Lu Barnes, Phoebe McClernon, and Jordyn Bugg, with Maddie Curry playing as a pretty high right wing back that connected to Huitema and Biyendolo with longer balls on the side. Sam Meza and Angharad James-Turner formed a pair of holding midfielders while Coco Mondesir played ahead of them at attacking mid. Maddie Dahlien and Jordyn Huitema played left and right wing, respectively, while Lynn Biyendolo (née Williams) played as the striker.
Dahlien early goal makes all scoring for first half despite further Reign pressure
The Reign struck early in the game – with Maddie Dahlien’s first NWSL goal just four minutes in – but not often, as they did not follow up on any of their later chances for the remaining forty minutes of first half play. Seattle had some difficulty maintaining good possession of the ball at spots during the half, but they succeeded in creating more chances, one of which nearly resulted in a goal by Lynn Biyendolo.
Seattle began in a bit of a rut for the first three minutes, unable to bring the ball out of their own half. Early in the fourth, Seattle briefly went up on the pitch, with Meza delivering a ball to Jordyn Huitema on the right side, but Jordyn’s attempted cross went nowhere and Seattle brought the ball back around the pitch to Dickey.
Then Dickey passed to Curry, who eventually worked it to Coco, who dropped it off to Biyendolo around midfield. Then, as the fourth minute was drawing to a close, Biyendolo saw an opening, sending a ball to an open Dahlien on the left side. Dahlien bolted up the pitch, moved rightwards past Portland right back Kaitlyn Torpey, and sent a ball directly between Bixby and the left post. 1-0 Reign.
Seattle had the potential openings of further threats immediately afterwards, with a long ball attempt by Curry in the sixth minute barely outpacing a charging Lynn Biyendolo and finding the foot of Reyna Reyes instead, who tapped it back to Bixby. Biyendolo was the intended recipient of another promising ball early in the seventh – this time a pass along the sideline from Huitema – but the ball once again went too far, this time finding Bixby’s glove.
Portland had a half-chance in the eighth, as center back Jayden Perry sent a long ball to right wing Payton Linnehan, who crossed to Moultrie in the center. However, McClernon and Bugg quickly converged on her in the box, and the Portland attacker’s shot harmlessly went beyond the line well outside the net.
Dahlien had a strong chance for a brace at the beginning of the 11th minute, as Coco sent her a ball from around midfield. As Torpey came in to defend, however, Dahlien shifted to her left. Though she worked past Torpey, her attempted cross had no available recipients.
Then it was Portland’s turn to create a series of threats, starting in the 15th minute. Linnehan took a ball from Jessie Fleming around midfield and took it towards the box, taking a shot from the edge of the 18 – right to Dickey.
After that came a few minutes of play around the midfield and an inconsequential Seattle free kick. But in the 20th, Portland won a free kick about ten yards outside the box that started a set of play near Seattle’s posts, as Moultrie took a shot towards the crowd that Phoebe McClernon knocked behind the line for a Thorns corner.
Coffey’s cross was caught by Dickey to end the immediate threat, but Seattle couldn’t get the ball out of their half immediately and Moultrie won another corner early in the 23rd. Coffey’s ball came into the crowd, but Lu batted it away and conceded another corner. This time Moultrie took the ball short and Seattle drove the visitors away.
Seattle regained possession but stayed in their own half for a few minutes before McClernon sent a ball up top in the 26th that moved the action higher up on the pitch. After four minutes of midfield maneuvering, Seattle brought the ball forward into the top quarter with a left-footed ball from Huitema going into the left corner for Dahlien, who worked her way into the box in the 30th.
But as she worked past Torpey once more, she tumbled down in the box and Portland recovered the ball. From the press box it looked like it might have been a foul – and the crowd certainly thought so – but the TV angle shows pretty clearly that Dahlien simply tripped up on her own.
Seattle came right back a minute later on the attack with a cross from Huitema towards Biyendolo on the edge of the box. Though Lynn missed the header, Torpey didn’t gain control, and Biyendolo got to the loose ball and rattled off a shot – wide of the left post.
The best chance of the half – after Dahlien’s goal, of course – for the Reign came in the 35th. James-Turner sent a beautiful through ball for Biyendolo, who charged past Sam Hiatt and had a nearly open shot on goal from 15 meters out. Lynn fired past Bixby’s right foot – but the ball went a foot outside the left post and hit the outside of the net.
Portland brought the ball back into Seattle territory over the next few minutes but did not create a strong threat. The Reign came right back off transition in the 39th, but Biyendolo was unable to get control of the cross from Huitema.
Both teams traded the ball over most of the rest of the half, with neither side able to put together a strong attacking play. There were promising moments, such as a drive up on the right side that saw a connection between Huitema and Coco, but they fizzled out before anything could come of them.
The final threat of the half for Seattle came in stoppage, as Kaitlyn Torpey was shown a yellow for tugging Dahlien’s jersey. Lu Barnes took the kick from Seattle’s defensive half and sent a long ball towards the front, which Huitema headed to Dahlien. The Reign winger took a couple of steps and fired the shot, but it went right into Bixby’s arms. Despite some more play up top, neither side made any serious threats for the rest of the match.
Portland plays better as second half wears on, Dickey and Reign hold on for win
The second half saw the Thorns become more of a threat and the Reign drop back into a more defensive position. The visitors had eleven shots on the half compared to four for the home side, as well as a 62-38 possession split over Seattle (compared to essentially dead even in the first 45). Seattle played with a high press for much of the half and was able to break up and prevent Portland drives, but the team had issues clearing the ball and so the Thorns would get it right back and continue the threat.
Both sides began the half going back and forth across the field, each stymied in the midfield before making much of a fuss up top for the first five minutes. Then, as the 51st minute dawned, Portland launched their first of many attacks.
Linnehan took a ball up the right side and crossed it over to attacking midfielder Hina Sugita on the left, who tried to bring it into the box but found herself boxed into passing it down the line. Mallie McKenzie – who subbed on for Torpey at the beginning of the half – sent in a second cross to the box that dropped right in front of Reilyn Turner inside the keeper’s box. Curry quickly booted it out of danger to prevent a goal.
A couple minutes later, Moultrie drew a foul about a half yard to the left of the 18 box and sent in a free kick in the 54th. Haz knocked it away, and although Hiatt mustered a weak cross thirty seconds after, the defense held for a few more minutes until a collision between Huitema and Sugita in the box gave the Reign a goal kick to end Portland’s attacking phase.
A brief attacking spell by Seattle followed as Jordyn, Lynn, and Dahlien took Dickey’s goal kick into Portland’s quarter. The initial attack fizzled out into an easily saved kick by Coco in the face of Thorn pressure, and Seattle was not able to maintain possession in the attack for long enough to reconstitute a drive.
The next ten minutes or so saw Portland put together one attack. Perry sent a long ball in for Moultrie, who took it up to the left corner and dropped the ball off for Sugita, who ran forward a few yards and sent it to the central crowd, where the Reign deflected Sam Coffey’s 62nd minute attempt. But the play was interrupted by both Maddie Curry and Coco Mondésir going down – the latter of which was subbed of for Ji immediately after.
The attack by the Thorns was part of an emergent pattern where the Thorns would get the ball into the box but prove unable to get past Seattle’s defense, due to a mistake of their own or because of the home side’s pressure. A corner kick in the 67th proved inconsequential, as did a spell of Portland possession around the 70th and 71st minutes. Coffey slightly shanked a pass to Reyes during a promising transition in the 72nd. Deyna Castellanos offered to do it herself – sending a 74th minute free kick directly at the goal – but Dickey dove and smothered it.
After that, the Reign took the play over to the other side. Ji caught a ball on direct transition and brought it up to Huitema in the attacking zone. Jordyn got stymied by her defender and the ball came loose in the crowd. Ji found the ball and sent it left to an open – if barely onside – Maddie Dahlien, but Dahlien’s kick bounced off Bixby’s arms. Turner attempted to clear the ball but found Lu Barnes instead, who sent Dahlien another chance, but Bixby caught Dahlien’s shot. The young Reign wing got a third chance in the 76th as Huitema sent her a beautiful through ball past Mallie McKenzie, but Dahlien tried to cross through traffic to Biyendolo rather than taking the shot.
The teams traded takeaways over the next few minutes, with Portland getting some important steals at the top of their box. Adames came on for Biyendolo in the 80th, and Portland got a good chance off a Castellanos cross but offsides on Turner ended the chance. The Thorns had another transition as Castellanos found a breakaway Mimi Alidou, but McClernon kept up the pressure and forced Alidou to take a shot well wide of the net.
In the 84th, Portland had their best chance yet to equalize. Coffey sent a beautiful through ball to Caiya Hanks, who had an open run on the net with only Dickey in her way. Hanks barreled forward and took the shot on the edge of the keeper’s box, but the kick flew across the mouth of the goal and wide of the right post.
Seattle’s best chance during the half came a couple minutes later as Meza took Alidou off the ball in Thorn territory, allowing Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic – recently in for Jordyn – to bring it downfield, passing to Adames in the box before Adames sent it back to the advancing Crnogorcevic. Ana-Maria took the shot from ten meters out with only the keeper guarding the net, but the ball found the right post and Portland soon cleared it.
The Thorns, feeling the pressure, continued to put together attacking phases, winning a corner in the 89th. Coffey’s cross went in well, but Turner booted it over the net. Other than a brief spell of Reign possession that resulted in an Adames shot and a Seattle free kick in Portland territory, the game’s eight minutes of stoppage were a long defense against the Thorns’ last push.
In the 93rd, Perry got a drive going, sending a ball up the left side for Coffey who found Hanks in the corner. Hanks drove in past Curry and crossed to Turner, but McClernon knocked it away at the last second. The Reign cleared, then Portland brought it back. Coffey sent a cross to Pietra Tordin early in the 95th minute, but Dickey leapt up and caught it.
Later in that minute, Portland came mere inches from equalizing. Hanks took a ball from Coffey and sent a screamer aimed just below the crossbar. Dickey leapt up and tipped it over the net. The following corner came into the crowd. Turner took a shot on the net that bounced off the crossbar. Tordin recovered and took a shot of her own that Dickey caught to end the chance.
Both sides brought the ball deep into the attacking half during the remaining couple minutes, but the score held until the final whistle blew.
Maddie Dahlien’s breakout game
She “only” scored once, but Friday’s game definitively put Maddie Dahlien on the map as far as dangerous NWSL wings go. Dahlien had two other extremely strong opportunities on net and looked fast and threatening, exactly what you want out of your wings.
This wasn’t a one-off performance, as Dahlien also showed promise and versatility the previous week against Orlando, though she didn’t sink anything in the net.
2025 is Dahlien’s rookie season in NWSL after playing college ball for the Tar Heels at the University of North Carolina, where she played three seasons and won the NCAA DI Championship in 2024. She signed with Seattle in January of 2025.
Lynn Biyendolo ties assist record in first Reign start
Because of injury, Friday’s match was Lynn Biyendolo’s first start for the Reign, and she looked like the player the Reign hoped for when they signed her in the off-season. The all-time leader in NWSL goals was a serious presence on the pitch, nearly adding to her formidable goal total and making another notch in the history books with the 31st assist of her NWSL career. This matches Jessica McDonald and Sofia Huerta for most all-time.
The match showed that Biyendolo plays well in Harvey’s system, operating both as a striker and as an inflection point between players when one of the wings is making the threat.
The first point of her Reign career coming against the Thorns also fits narrative requirements – not only is she playing against her new team’s storied rival, she is also avenging her own Finals loss from her Courage days.
“Honestly, I feel like I’ve had a vendetta against Portland since 2017, when I was in North Carolina and we played them in the finals, and it was more of a rugby match than it was a football game,” Lynn said. “Since then, I have taken any time we play them personally.”
Brick wall keeps clean sheet
What would the Reign do without Claudia Dickey? I mean, this is what fans of the team were saying about Phallon Tullis-Joyce a couple of years ago, but Claudia has showed serious chops as the Reign keeper over the beginning of the season. Every game, she has at least a couple of stellar saves in net on dives or jumps or both.
But also, what would the Reign do without Phoebe McClernon? While all of the back line showed strong play on Friday, McClernon kept on her marks extraordinarily well and chopped the ball away from net in several key moments of the game, continuing what has been a good start to 2025 for the Reign center back.
Reign still have challenges
There was a lot of promise in the match, though there were also worrying mistakes. Though the Reign were sometimes very good on the ball, there were other stretches of play where they found themselves stymied by Portland’s press and passing the ball back into their own quarter of the pitch.
Related to this, the team’s clearances were less than desired, often times doing little but giving the back line a few seconds of breathing room as the Thorns regrouped and continued to advance. Coach Harvey commented on this postgame:
“If we’re clearing it, put it in Row Z. If we’re playing, pass it to someone. We get caught in between, and we give them the ball back thirty yards from goal, and their attack continues,” Harvey said.
Combined with the inconsistencies in passing under pressure, this gave Portland numerous chances to play in Reign territory and threaten the goal. Luckily for Seattle, Dickey was on her game and Portland’s attackers were a little bit off, so the clean sheet held – but it was closer than it needed to be.
Cascadia win cements good start to 2025
Friday’s win was the first home win and the second victory of the 2025 season for Seattle, bringing the team to 2-2-1 with seven points on the table after five matches. It is also the first time Seattle has beaten Portland since the 2023 season, when the Reign went down to Portland in a Challenge Cup matchup and won a 1-0 victory. When it comes to NWSL regular season play, Seattle’s no-win streak had extended to August 29, 2021, when a brace at home by Megan Rapinoe pushed the Reign on top 2-1 – also the last time Seattle had beat Portland at home.
The team is looking much improved from the 2024 season, where the Reign never quite got the season started, though the record was worse than the play. This year, Seattle’s team looks more cohesive and much more capable of putting strong threats together, with the addition of Curry and Dahlien allowing for more options along the wings.
The Reign’s next game is a match on the road against Bay FC on Saturday, April 26.