After playing five matches away from Seattle — and a two-week FIFA international break — Seattle Reign are finally back at Lumen Field on Sunday, April 26, where they’ll face the Utah Royals. Their first Seattle home match will kick off at 5 p.m. PT and stream on Victory+, a free streaming platform.
Led by second-year head coach Jimmy Coenraets, Utah is starting the season a lot stronger than last year. The Reign enter the weekend in third place with a 3-1-1 record (10 points), while the Royals are 2-1-2 (7 points).
The Reign are focused on building on their strong early results and establishing their dominance at Lumen Field.
“We’re really excited to be back in front of our fans and get that home opener feel – a little bit more delayed than most teams. [This next set of games] is about taking the really good things we did in the first five games – creating chances, scoring goals in different ways, being creative on set pieces, being hard to break down on the defensive side — and how can we increase our ability in all aspects of the game,” head coach Laura Harvey told media ahead of the game.
Sunday’s match is the first chance for fans to celebrate Jess Fishlock after she announced earlier in the week that she will retire at the end of the NWSL season. The midfielder, currently playing her 14th season with the Reign, will be honored in the club’s second-to-last regular-season match in October.
Jess Fishlock will retire at the end of the 2026 season
The Welsh Dragon burns bright one last time after a 14-year career in Seattle
While a few players returned from the international window with minor knocks and will be evaluated after Saturday’s final training session, the Reign have a lot of positive news coming out of the break. Mia Fishel, Maddie Dahlien, and Holly Ward are all expected to be available.
Head-to-Head
The Reign have a 9-2-3 record against the Royals, including a 5-1-1 record at home. The Reign have scored 21 goals and conceded 13 in the series.
Key departures
While the Royals parted ways with several players in the offseason, relatively few of those players were consistent starters. The biggest loss was arguably midfielder Claudia Zornoza, who retired at the end of the season. Forward Bianca St-Georges signed with the Boston Legacy in free agency. In the middle of last season, the Royals traded star forward Ally Sentnor to Kansas City.
Key additions
Utah made a number of key positions across all lines. They signed Haitian international Dayana Pierre-Louis and Club America and Mexican international forward Kiana Palacios. Palacios is Club America’s top goal scorer in all competitions, and is also their appearances leader. Utah also traded the Washington Spirit for midfielder Narumi Miura and added former Reign player Madison Hammond and fullback Miyabi Moriya from Angel City.
Key stats
- After five games, both teams have demonstrated that they like possession – with the Reign averaging 54.2% posession compared to 51.1% for Utah
- Utah leads the league in long balls (24) and accurate crosses (6) per match
- Utah has scored 6 goals and conceded 6
- The Reign have scored 7 goals and conceded 4
What to watch
Transitional play
The Royals remain a very threatening team in transition, a key part of their game over the last few years. They work really hard to win the ball back on the defensive end, and they have the speed up front to punish teams in transition.
“They’re very aggressive in their defensive press. They put a lot of bodies high up the pitch to try and get pressure on the ball, which is challenging. They’re very good in transitional moments,” Harvey said. “And they’ve obviously been getting some good results of late, so we know it’s always a difficult game against them. They’re always a really difficult team to play, and obviously, right now with confidence and the results going their way, I expect nothing different tomorrow. I think it’ll be a really hard challenge for us.”
The Reign can counter this threat in a few ways — being clean on the ball, especially as they build out of the back; creating transitional moments of their own that help pin the Royals back in their defensive third; and leveraging their speed on the wings to get in behind Utah, especially when they are pressing high.
Set pieces
Utah is dangerous on set plays. They lead the league in shots (26) and expected goals (2.38 xG) from corner kicks, direct free kicks, and set pieces. As these two clips demonstrate, the Royals like to mix things up on their set pieces, so the Reign will need to be ready for just about anything.
The Reign, in comparison, have created just 0.37 xG on set plays. Despite the disparity in expected goal totals, both teams have scored two goals already off set pieces. Utah has also conceded twice, while the Reign have allowed one set-piece goal. Which side is going to take advantage in these moments?
Lumen Field dominance
It’s been 84 years, but the Reign are finally back at Lumen Field. The club is on a 10-game unbeaten run at home (including their three Spokane matches) and will be extremely motivated to put on a good show after fans had to wait until the club’s sixth match of the season to see them in Seattle. Can they make Lumen Field a fortress in 2026?
For Seattle Reign FC, the club is on a 10-game unbeaten run at home: WDDWWDWWWD
That’s a combined streak of 29 games unbeaten across Washington State.
Both clubs return to Lumen Field this weekend looking for more.
Who to watch
Cloé Lacasse
Canadian forward Lacasse has been a big addition for Utah since joining the club midseason in 2024. She scored a hat-trick against the Reign toward the end of that 2024 season — a moment most fans want to forget. After missing most of 2025 with an ACL tear, she’s back making an impact for the Royals this season. Lacasse leads the team with two assists. She has already attempted 30 crosses — averaging six per game — and is second in the league with 15 chances created. The Reign will need to mark the winger tightly and prevent her from getting in behind.
Kate Del Fava
The veteran centerback has become a real leader for Utah. She leads the team in passes per 90 and defensive contributions per game. She’s good in the air, winning 72% of her aerial duels, which means the Reign are going to have to place their crosses with precision if they want to beat Del Fava in the box.
Mina Tanaka
The Japanese forward has two goals to start the season and leads the team in shots and expected goals. Tanaka is a smart player who makes tricky runs in the box — as seen in her opening goal this season. She knows how to get around defenders. The Reign’s backline will need to keep a close eye on her in the box.
Kit matchup
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Lynn Biyendolo (maternity leave), Jordyn Bugg (Leg), Sofia Cedeño (Leg), Ruby Hladek (Leg)
Utah Royals
OUT: Cece Delzer (Ankle), Madison Hammond (Lower Leg), Alex Loera (Knee – SEI), Lara Prašnikar (Thigh), KK Ream (Knee – SEI)
How to watch
Seattle Reign hosts the Utah Royals at Lumen Field on Sunday, April 26. The game kicks off at 5 p.m. PT and will stream on Victory+, a free platform available on most smart TVs, mobile streaming devices, and web browsers. Fans can also tune into the match on 950 KJR AM.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.sounderatheart.com ’
