Match Recap: Mercado Goal Leads Reign FC to 1-0 Victory Over Chicago
Seattle Reign FC picked up a 1-0 win over Chicago Stars FC in front of an electric crowd at Lumen Field on Friday in the club’s annual Pride Night.
The match started off at a blistering pace, with Mal Swanson forcing a flying save from Claudia Dickey in the 8th minute. Less than a minute later, Ainsley McCammon fired a venomous shot from distance that drew an acrobatic stop from Chicago goalkeeper Katie Atkinson.
Seattle continued to test the Stars backline in the 18th minute as McCammon rose above the crowd to meet Sally Menti’s corner kick, but her headed effort crashed off the crossbar.
Chicago fired a warning shot against the run of play in the 26th minute as Swanson weaved through two defenders and smashed a shot to the near post that missed by mere inches.
The best chance of the half for the hosts came in the 43rd minute. Mia Fishel curled a left footed cross to the back post for Mercado. The winger settled the ball before getting tangled up with Atkinson, but no penalty was awarded following Video Review.
The Reign picked up where they left to start the second half, with Dahlien providing constant danger down the left.
In the 47th minute, Dahlien beat her defender 1-v-1 before cutting it back for Angharad James-Turner, whose left-footed volley snuck through a sea defenders but rolled wide of the goal. Two minutes later, Dahlien blew past Taylor Malham once again and clipped a ball to the back post, but Mercado’s header was saved by Atkinson.
The Reign finally broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute. Dahlien picked out an underlapping run from Sofia Huerta with a fantastic through-ball. The NWSL’s all-time leader in assists burst into the final third and pulled the ball back for Menti, who played a one-time pass into Mercado. Seattle’s leading scorer saw her initial shot blocked by a Chicago defender before she swept home the rebound from close range for the 1-0 lead.
The Reign didn’t let up from there. In the 61st minute, Dahlien blew past Malham and played another left-footed cross that found Mercado at the edge of the six-yard-box, but the Seattle attacker was unable to steer her effort on target. One minute later, Dahlien fired a shot from the edge of the 18-yard-box that sent Atkinson sprawling but rolled inches wide of the goal.
Mercado came close to bagging a brace as she found herself isolated against Sam Staab in the 80th minute. Seattle’s No. 2 cut past the Chicago stalwart with ease, but her curled shot missed the target.
In the 88th minute, Emeri Adames cut into the box on her preferred left foot, but her powerful shot to the far post was denied by a full-extension save from Atkinson.
UP NEXT: Reign FC has a quick turnaround as the team travels to Kentucky to take Racing Louisville FC on Wednesday, August 19.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
MAGICAL MERCADO: There’s no stopping Maddie Mercado in 2026. A year after going out on loan, the Reign attacker is leading the team in scoring. She now has six goals on the season, four of which have come in Seattle’s last six matches.
SURGING SALLY MENTI: While she didn’t get on the scoresheet, Menti continued her terrific run of form. The Seattle native posted a whopping seven key passes on Friday after notching a goal and an assist her last outing for the Reign. The team’s impressive string of performances since returning from the break has coincided with Menti’s growing influence in midfield.
STOUT DEFENDING: Seattle’s improvement in the attack has garnered much of the headlines as they’ve scored 13 goals in their seven matches since returning from the CBA break. Friday night’s win marked their third shutout during that stretch. It was a collective effort as U.S. Women’s National Team and Reign FC goalkeeper Claudia Dickey was only called upon to make two saves. This marks the 18th career shutout for Dickey and her fifth this season.