International Friendly with Urawa Brings Fresh Style of Play to Reign FC
On Sunday, Seattle Reign FC hosted Urawa Red Diamonds, a top Japanese team with a long, rich history of excellence. The match ended 2-1 in favor of the Reign, headlined by a brace from defender Sofia Huerta in her first match back in Seattle after spending the better part of a year away on loan.
Every match is important for the Reign, but this international friendly uniquely so. Urawa brought an unfamiliar style of play to Seattle that provided a unique challenge for the squad ahead of their return to NWSL play and further solidified the Reign’s place in the global game, with Lumen Field as the backdrop.
“We were tested in ways that we don't often get tested in our league, really, so that was fun” shared Reign FC Head Coach Laura Harvey. "I thought it was a good occasion for the club and obviously to get international opposition here is always fun.”
The tightly contested match featured two very different tactical systems, with both teams bringing distinct obstacles to the field to challenge the other. For Urawa’s Head Coach Takafumi Hori, the biggest challenge for his side was getting through the Reign’s final line of defense.
“That was actually the challenge that Urawa had,” he said. “Urawa can bring it until the last line, but from there to give out a good quality ball and good idea, that's the part where we thought that was not good for today. So, during the U.S. build, we want to try and improve that point.”
He continued, “Urawa is a very historical club, and so that's why we want to play very honest football, soccer and we want to show how Japanese will play. We want to be a leading club and for that to show. It's like, even though the team is losing, we will never give up – those sorts of mentalities are part as well. And for Urawa, there's a very big, long history, so we have got a top team and many academies leading and now we try to bring this back in a good shape again. So, what Urawa is trying to do is try to move the balls and by moving it around and making a high quality, we wanted to show that. We hope that the fans could feel something like a Japanese style from that, we’ll be very happy.”
The match marked the first-ever meeting between Reign FC and Urawa Red Diamonds and represents a continued commitment by both clubs to international collaboration and competition. Urawa became the first Japanese club to face an NWSL side on U.S. soil, with the fixture organized in partnership with Japan's WE League.
The Sunday afternoon friendly drew a crowd of nearly 6,500 fans at Lumen Field, with fans eager to see the Reign take on the iconic opponent. Urawa’s track record of achievements speaks for itself and the decision to come to Seattle to take on the Reign was an easy one.
“So first of course, we are in a Japanese league, but as a team we are aiming for Asia and even the global team. So for that, we're very happy that when the opportunity came [to play the Reign], it was easy to make a decision because we are already aiming for the highest place.”
Next up, Reign FC play another friendly match, this time against a very familiar foe in Portland Thorns FC. The match at Providence Park kicks off at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. Though the match will not be broadcasted or live-streamed, fans can follow along for real-time coverage on club social media channels and the Reign FC app.