Culture and Talent Made Seattle Fishel’s Top Choice
On Thursday, it was announced that Mia Fishel would make the jump to the NWSL and join Reign FC in Seattle through 2029. With an innate hunger to be the best and a plethora of experience on the international stage for club and country, Seattle was the right fit for Fishel – and she knew it.
The Reign have always been a club that attracts top global talent, with 15 players receiving call-ups for international duty this month alone, in addition to the upcoming friendly against Urawa Red Diamonds, a top Japanese side.
For Fishel, her decision to come to Seattle was straightforward. In her experience with the United States Youth National Team, she crossed paths with Reign FC Head Coach Laura Harvey and feels confident her coaching style will allow her to find success on the pitch.
“Laura Harvey was definitely one of my biggest reasons for going to the Reign. We had a great connection with the U-20s when we were trying to qualify for World Cup.”
She continued, “I know that she brings the best out of me as a player and a person. I know that she knows where I want to be at ultimately, on the U.S. Women’s National Team, I know that she can get me there within the system that she created.”
Harvey is just one part of the renowned culture that the Reign locker room has cultivated. Defined by grit and the desire to compete, in addition to an unshakeable comradery, the notable attributes that make the Reign unique fueled Fishel’s desire to sign with Seattle.
"[Harvey] has made a great team culture, so that's another thing that drew me to Seattle. Being in the U-23 group in Germany, I was able to kind of pick players’ brains about different teams when I was trying to decide where I want to go to. One thing that really stuck out to me was the family culture that Reign had that was created by the players and staff members as well.”
Fishel believes that the family-oriented culture of the Reign will correlate to winning on the field. Additionally, she was impressed by how many players have been able to use their performances at club level with Seattle to break into the national team setup.
"You see now with the calls to the U.S. Women’s National Team and U-23 group that many of these players on Reign are getting called into camp, so it’s good to know that Reign is going to be top. It’s going to push me as a player. It’s going to help ultimately push this whole team to winning a championship because you know how competitive the games are in the league as well.”
The San Diego native has been to Seattle just once, as a young teenager, so she doesn’t remember much of the city. Her father, however, did spend time in Seattle growing up.
“His dad was in the Navy, so he just keeps talking about how beautiful Seattle is and the nature. Obviously, the big sports culture there with the Seahawks, Storm, the MLB team and I also heard the fishing is great too.”
And of course, the Reign’s dedicated fanbase is something Fishel is looking forward to.
“I'm very excited to see and meet all of them at Lumen Field and to entertain them with my football and how I play and how it goes with the Seattle Reign team and as well, make great memories with them, and hopefully one of them is one of them is bring the Championship trophy back to Seattle.”
After an extended break from action, Reign FC returns to Lumen Field on Sunday, July 20 at 1:00 p.m. PT to take on Urawa Red Diamonds in an international friendly match. Single match tickets for the match up, as well as an exclusive pickleball promo are available now.
The Reign continues its summer of soccer in Seattle with its annual Pride Match on Friday, August 1 against Angel City and the new Queen’s Match, honoring the legendary 1985 national team against Chicago Stars FC on Monday, August 18.