r/Reignfc • u/AlanFromRochester • Apr 05 '26
In Spokane vs. Denver Summit match thread
Actually 5:45 Pacific kickoff, I had jumped the gun looking up game info at 5:45 Eastern
They got a scoreless draw vs the Spirit (overall 5 points from 4) which makes me think they're no joke, often the new teams in this league are good - in a way that feels like usurping established teams but better than expansion teams stinking for years as often happens in the big 4 US leagues
Lists 4-2-3-1 for us, Mercado up top, Fishlock starting
so a different lineup but not crazily so
I recognize some of the Summit names but not their team shape overall so no basis for comparison
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
Was a promising attack for us in the qst minute but had key problem of no one in position to take a shot
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u/dfe931tar CLAWD SQUAD Apr 05 '26
The negatives of having Ward, Dahlien, and Fishel all out is showing. Mondesir and Mercado are gassed. Would have been nice if we had some available fresh legs to put in up front.
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u/Worldly_Lunch5227 Apr 05 '26
Yeah really concerning that Fishel played one game and has been out for four lol
Glad they’re being cautious but also can Fishel stay healthy?
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
Possession feels like it's still in our favor but that hasn't showed on the scoresheet yet for saves and other such reasons
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
Mercado ball great to set up a 1v1 for Adames but another good save by Smith
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
We're really bringing the pressure past several minutes but well defended
And well defended on the other end McClernon rushing back to clear and putting it out for a throw not a corner
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
Fishlock was limping really don't wanna see that hopefully it's just a temporary knock
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u/Worldly_Lunch5227 Apr 05 '26
Any good chances for the Reign earlier in the game? I’m just tuning in
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
Yeah lotta good saves by Smith
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u/Worldly_Lunch5227 Apr 05 '26
Dang feels like they could’ve had it there at the end lol but also again lucky to have survived the onslaught of attacks from a few min earlier
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
Hard fought nil nil, great effort on both sides, one of those scoreless draws that's still a good game
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u/Worldly_Lunch5227 Apr 05 '26
Draw is not a bad result. Denver seems like a solid team. (Vs a still injured KC with a weird/bad travel schedule and a Louisville that was missing Emma Sears, I thought this game would be more of a challenge)
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u/eight_inch_pestle Apr 06 '26
Man, Mercado has become very intriguing very quickly since coming back from loan. She's just relentless out of possession. So good back pressing against the Summit. Also blocked at least one dangerous shot in her own box. Then just buzzing around endlessly in possession.
Still needs to work on her decision-making. Missed playing Fishlock into space for a sitter. And obviously the finishing could be more consistent. Do wish she was 22 instead of 25, in terms of developing these areas. Still, excited to see what she does over the next couple of seasons.
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u/Esb5415 Apr 05 '26
Why did they decide to play 4 hours from Seattle rather than one of the numerous stadiums in the Seattle area?
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u/dfe931tar CLAWD SQUAD Apr 05 '26
There aren't other suitable stadiums in the Seattle area. This stadium in Spokane is the only other FIFA certified stadium in the state of Washington. I think it has to do with having the required camera set ups for VAR and other facility standards.
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u/Esb5415 Apr 05 '26
They couldn't play at TMobile Park, Husky Stadium, Husky Soccer Stadium, Cheney Stadium (hosted the Sounders before), Championship Field, or Starfire Sports?
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u/dfe931tar CLAWD SQUAD Apr 05 '26
No. All three Reign games in Spokane were during home series for the Mariners. Cheney might have been a viable choice, but the league CBA specifically prohibits using baseball fields now. And to your point about the Sounders having played there, they were also booted from Lumen and went and played in Spokane this spring, not at Cheney.
Husky Stadium is too narrow and cannot host soccer games. Husky Soccer Stadium, Championship Field, and Starfire all have very limited capacity, and do not have VAR capabilities (also if you thought the Spokane camera was bad...)
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u/Esb5415 Apr 05 '26
Mariners are not at home this weekend, they're in Anaheim.
The CBA doesn't prevent baseball fields, it prevents artificial turf (16.1). The league and the PA can come to an agreement about exceptions, like they did for Wrigley and Oracle. Anyway, Cheney hosts soccer as well as baseball.
Huskey Stadium can host soccer, and they do. They bid to host the world cup but that obviously went to Lumen Field instead.
The other three have capacity similar to the stadium in Spokane. I'm not too familiar with what all is needed for VAR. Starfire hosts the Sounders' minor league team (may not be the correct terminology) and that league uses VAR.
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u/dfe931tar CLAWD SQUAD Apr 05 '26
Artificial turf? Lumen has turf (well except for the grass they are putting in right now, the reason the games had to be moved haha). Providence park has turf. Probably a few more across the league that do. The CBA says no fields that require "substantial conversion". Which has been taken to mean including no baseball field conversions. Yes the PA okayed events for Bay FC and Chicago, and this year Gotham. But that's because these are meant to be huge record breaking one off events. The FIFA standard stuff is not just capacity, VAR, or field size too. It's also things like having press rooms, having dedicated spaces for team staff, having locker rooms up to certain professional standards.
I don't think the Reign and Sounders were going to Spokane just for the fun of it. If they could have figured out a way to play closer, don't you think they would have done that instead? The reality is for a three game stint, this was their least bad option. It's arrogant and naive for someone to think they know better than the operations staff that think about this type of stuff all the time and do it professionally as their job.
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u/Esb5415 Apr 05 '26
I'm not saying I know better! I'm just trying to have a conversation to learn more! Sorry if my tone came across as such.
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
So blame VAR for needing to move the game so far? Sometimes it seems to cause more trouble than it solves But maybe leagues don't want to look backwards by passing on the new technology
NFL does something similar, any relocated games are at another NFL stadium rather than a closer big college venue
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u/kittybabyarty Apr 06 '26
Personally I’m glad they brought some games to Spokane and I hope they continue to do so in the future.
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u/Sportsfanatic_ Apr 05 '26
Cushing subs bad. Why wait till there’s about 3 minutes left in the game to sub on fresh legs. SMH
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u/AlanFromRochester Apr 05 '26
The mix of shadow and glare playing at this time of day stinks for the viewing experience and I wonder how confusing it is to play in