Sam Meza Continues Solid Performance as a Mainstay in the Midfield
Seattle Reign FC worked their way back into the win column over the weekend, earning a gritty comeback victory over the North Carolina Courage. It was a tenacious performance from the entire team, anchored by another stellar performance from midfielder Sam Meza.
The 23-year-old continues her breakout season with the Reign, claiming her place as a mainstay in Seattle’s lineup. The Dallas native was initially drafted by the Reign in 2024 before signing with the team. However, her journey to success in the NWSL was not linear. She spent her first season as a professional on loan with Dallas Trinity, before returning to the Reign for 2025 and displaying the progress she had made on the pitch.
It’s no secret that she’s been on a tear in the 2025 NWSL season, making waves as she first entered Reign FC’s lineup, drawing the attention of fans and foes around the league – and for the first time this summer, the United States Women’s National Team.
On June 29, she made her USWNT debut, earning her first career cap and first career start in the same match against Ireland. Her long-awaited appearance came on the back of Concacaf titles at the U-15, U-17 and U-20 levels for the USA, and made her the first player who played in the USL Super League to earn a USWNT cap.
She went on to make another appearance during the same international window, subbing onto the pitch in the USA’s 3-0 win over Canada.
Returning from the summer break, Meza has started in eight of nine matches for the Reign, playing 720 minutes and posting six 90-minute performances. Through her consistent work ethic, she has become an integral part of Reign FC’s midfield.
Meza has made the most appearances of any Reign midfielder this season and is one of four players to appear in all 22 matches in 2025. Touted for her physical defensive play and ability to navigate through tight spaces, she leads the team and league in tackles won.
“She's just committed to what she wants to be good at. Her ability to break up plays is something like we've not seen for a long time. She's fantastic at it. And her ceiling's so far away from where she's at right now, which is so exciting. So yeah, really, really happy for Sammy,” said Reign FC Head Coach Laura Harvey.
One of the characteristics that defines Meza’s play is her ability to persevere, no matter the circumstance. A testament to this, she was briefly down in the Reign’s most recent match against the Courage and had to be evaluated by the training staff but quickly bounced back.
Harvey continued, “I thought she was going to have to come out with the knock she got, but I think that's a big part of Sammy's growth too is, you know, it's hard to play at this level every week and you're going to get kicked about and things might hurt, yeah, but you've got to grind it out sometimes and tonight she did that. So proud of her.”
It hasn’t been an easy path for Meza, but she takes joy in giving her full effort every week, motivated by her desire to perform at the highest level not only for herself, but for her team as well.
“First of all, it's my job, right? I'm paid to be out there and do my job well and I think I take pride in doing that,” shared Meza. “Honestly, it's just about going out there and giving my all every time that we go out there for my team.”
“Secondly, like it's fun, right? I love doing this and it's not every day that everybody gets to wake up and go kick the ball around with some of your closest friends.”