Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe are joined by former US National Team and Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Reign co-owner Bill Predmore in a pre-game send-off ceremony.
Seattle Reign 1 : 1 China
by Vanya Tucherov
With the start of the Women’s World Cup in Canada just on the horizon, teams across the NWSL are sending their allocated players off to their respective national sides, and those national teams are tuning up for the competition culminating on the 5th of July in Vancouver.
Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe were joined by former US National Team and Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Reign co-owner Bill Predmore in a pre-game send-off ceremony.
Seattle Reign FC sent off its representatives to the US National Team camp two weeks ago, and Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo returned to Seattle and the familiar confines of Memorial Stadium for a formal sending-off as their Reign squadmates took on the World Cup-bound team representing China – presently ranked #16 in the world.
The crowd of 4021 gathered at the Moda Pitch saw the host Reign dominate possession, take play to their Chinese visitors while out-chancing them, and end up unfortunate to need an equalizer goal by Beverly Yanez on a brilliant cross from Kim Little in the 48th minute to earn the 1:1 final.
China scores first.
The Reign were unfortunate in what coach Laura Harvey classified as “other than yielding the goal, possibly the best half of play this team has had” as a Chinese striker failed to get to a long cross played in from the left wing by Yang Li, but the runner held the focus of Haley Kopmeyer just long enough for Kopmeyer to miss getting to the cross as it curled in at the far post.
Opening the second stanza of the match, the Reign showed how the play may have been intended to work out, with Little playing in the long cross from almost the same spot, but Yanez successfully running onto it and finishing past the PRC keeper.
Seattle’s forward cadre sustained a high work rate all match, with Yanez being joined on the right by Merritt Mathias, and on the left by Danielle Foxhoven. The trio would be briefly joined by Kiersten Dallstream before the latter shifted back to fill in for Elli Reed. Amber Brooks and Keelin Winters played solidly alongside Little in midfield before yielding to Mariah Noguiera and Jess Fishlock.
Bev Yanez equalizes for the Reign
Rachel Corsie got her first significant playing time as a member of the Reign, starting at left center back, and seemed to fit in well with Reed, Barnes, and Fletcher, and showed the depth of the roster Laura Harvey has assembled, as they showed their capability to not merely compete, but control the flow of play against a very solid defensive team who will tangle with New Zealand, the Netherlands, and host Canada at the World Cup.
Next up for the Reign, a home match where they host the NWSL front-runner Chicago Red Stars this coming Saturday.
World cup send off for Rapinoe and Solo
