Reign will welcome back some old friends when they host Gotham FC

The Reign will welcome former teammates in Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett back to Seattle, then work to defeat their NJ/NY Gotham FC team in pursuit of a playoff berth.

The U.S. internationals left via free agency last winter. They were integral in Reign’s playoff run last season. The Reign and Gotham met in the NWSL championship final last fall, Sonnett provided strong defense and Lavelle scored the Reign’s only goal in a 2-1 loss at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

Here’s a look at Monday’s match:

Reign (5-9-5) vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC (11-4-4)

Time/place: 7 p.m. Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle.

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: N/A

Series history: Seattle leads the all-time series 12-9-8 since 2013.

Storylines

Loaning opportunity

Reign coach Laura Harvey has used 19 different lineups this season. Monday will be another different look since the club sent defender Sofia Huerta on loan to French side Olympique Lyonnais. Huerta started every match this season.

Hanna Glas, a defender acquired from Kansas City earlier this month, could work her way into the lineup. Glas is still working her way back from a season-ending knee injury suffered in 2023.

Vibe check

The Reign are on a seven-game unbeaten streak, including winning their past three outright. Another victory/tie Monday would give the team their longest streak since 2021.

Seattle is currently five points behind Bay FC for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Reign are 11^th with 20 points while Gotham is fourth with 37.

Quotable

“I’ve never had to really sit out,” said Reign captain Lu Barnes, whose leg injury has limited her to 12 starts, the fewest in her 12-year career. “For me, there’s a lot of tears. A lot of confusion. A lot of frustration all mixed together. I’ve learned a lot about myself to really accept what’s happening and trust the process, which when you’re older and having to do this later in your career is hard to do. I’m not young. I’m not recovering as well as I used to. My time is short. There’s a clock ticking in the back of my head at all times, and I want to get out there as much as I can. I also realize my role is always going to be evolving and changing.”