This weekend soccer fans will get the chance to celebrate the retirement of a global icon and Seattle sports legend. The Seattle Reign FC will be honoring Megan Rapinoe in a jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Lumen Field. Rapinoe's number 15 jersey will be retired commemorating the number she wore throughout her career in Seattle and also on the global stage. She will become the first player in club history to have their jersey retired.
“I can’t wait to return to Lumen Field for this once-in-a-lifetime moment,” Rapinoe said in a statement. “It has been an honor to wear 15 throughout my career and represent a city that means so much to me. Seattle, this is a celebration of all that we’ve accomplished together.”
Rapinoe ended her Seattle Reign FC career with 115 regular season goals and 11 playoff appearances. She signed with the Reign and 2013 and announced her retirement in June 2023.
Her legacy extends beyond soccer. Rapinoe has been an advocate for equal pay,LGBTQ issues, and racial justice.In 2022, President Joe Biden awarded Rapinoe the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
The retirement ceremony will take place before the Reign faces the North Carolina Courage. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy all of the festivities. The ceremony will feature guest speakers, the half-time show will have live performances, and there will be an unveiling of a permanent LED display.
A Celebration of Rise and Legacy
The Seattle Reign FC has announced a variety of celebrations for the Megan Rapinoe Jersey Retirement Match, presented by Google Pixel, on Sunday, August 25 at 7:00 p.m. PT. With gates opening at 5:30 p.m. PT, fans are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy the matchday festivities for this can’t-miss Seattle sports moment.
The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a reversible RISE-branded bucket hat. Prior to the match at the Muckleshoot Heritage Plaza, there will be live music, food trucks from locally-owned businesses and other activities for fans to participate in. At the Olympic Hall, TOGETHXR will host a Megan Rapinoe inspired photo station. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase limited-edition merchandise from the RISE Collection at all retail locations around Lumen Field.
In preparation for the pre-match ceremony, fans should be in their seats by 6:28 p.m. PT to be a part of the celebration. The ceremony kicks off with The Highlight Pro Skydiving Team, an elite all-female skydiving team focused on highlighting women’s rights initiatives, flying into Lumen Field with a RISE flag and streamers. The ceremony will feature a fan-involved visual spectacle, surprise guest speaker, an on-field appearance of Reign alumni and past Starbucks Legends. To countdown the celebration, a flag will be raised by several members of the historical 1985 U.S. Women’s National Team. In honor of Megan Rapinoe’s jersey retirement, there will be an unveiling of a permanent LED display. Prior to kickoff, The Residency, which includes Rainbow Jackson, Brihana Jua, Sania Lewis and Tah-Jae Shante, will perform the National Anthem. At halftime, the festivities continue with a performance from The Brittany Davis Band and a special check presentation featuring Rave Foundation, Brandi Carlile and the Looking Out Foundation.
A Partnership for Social Impact
A new partnership between RAVE Foundation, aimed at supporting access and inclusion in soccer, and Looking Out Foundation, the nonprofit organization founded by Grammy-Award winning artist Brandi Carlile, will be announced at the match. Brandi Carlile and her wife Catherine Carlile, Executive Director of Looking Out Foundation, will be joined on the Lumen Field pitch for a halftime announcement by Reign FC Chief Business Officer Maya Mendoza-Exstrom and Executive Director of RAVE Foundation and Vice President of Social Impact for Reign FC, Ashley Fosberg.
Fans are encouraged to donate to this alliance to support Reign FC’s efforts to Affirm LGBTQ+ Rights, Further Access to Soccer for all, and to assert and support the power of women and gender diverse people. Donations can be made by texting LOF to 76278 or by visiting the donation page.
“We hope this will be the start of a powerful, long-term partnership between our three organizations,” said Looking Out Foundation Executive Director, Catherine Carlile. “Looking Out Foundation is committed to supporting and advocating for both global and local causes – and we couldn’t dream of two better organizations to be aligned with locally than Seattle Reign FC and RAVE Foundation, and we are honored to launch our partnership while honoring social justice hero and soccer legend, Megan Rapinoe.”
A Matchday to Remember
Seattle Reign FC is proud to partner with Microsoft, Rad Power Bikes and Umpqua Bank in the club's efforts to make attending Reign FC matches accessible. Thanks to the support of Reign FC partners, community groups across the state are able to attend the Megan Rapinoe Jersey Retirement Match on August 25!
Rad Power Bikes offered fans the chance to test their product and win free Reign tickets in their Test Ride Zone. Any fan wearing Reign gear in the Test Ride Zone at Rad’s storefront in Seattle had the chance to win free tickets to the match. In addition, Rad will be providing Season Ticket Members the opportunity to try out a Rad Power Bike at the Reign’s exclusive Member event on Friday.
Fans can be a part of the action-packed evening, which includes the return of Olympians Jordyn Huitema and Quinn and potential club debuts of recent signings Ana-Maria Crnogorčević, Jaelin Howell and Nérilia Mondésir. RISE for Rapinoe by securing tickets to see Megan Rapinoe’s jersey retirement celebration.
The match will also be a crucial one for the Reign as they aim to inch closer to a playoff position. Seattle Reign returns to NWSL regular-season play on Sunday, August 25, when they host the North Carolina Courage at Lumen Field. The match kicks off at 7 PM PT and will air on ESPN2 and stream on ESPN+. After a long break in regular season play, both teams enter the match on a four-game regular-season unbeaten streak. The Reign have played to four straight draws, while North Carolina won their last three matches.
Despite a very rough start to the season, the Reign still have a chance to make a playoff push—with eight teams making it into the playoffs this year. As head coach Laura Harvey said in a pre-match press conference, the team is hoping they are one of the clubs that make a late push.
A Battle for Playoff Hopes
This is the second matchup between the two teams in 2024. Under head coach Sean Nahas, it has become a North Carolina trademark to lead the league in passes and possession. They average 57% possession and have completed nearly 1,100 passes more than Bay FC in second. Unsurprisingly, per Opta, the Courage also lead the league in 10+ pass sequences and build-up attacks.
The Courage don't move the ball slowly and methodically to maintain these statistics. They pass quickly, usually taking no more than two touches before their next action—whether that's making another pass or dribbling into space. Their quick passing and movement are very intentional, as the Courage try to create space to strike when they pull defenses out of position.
One way they accomplish this is by combining with their wings and then crossing into the box. The Courage are second in the league behind the Current in completed crosses into the box. Look at this goal they scored against Racing Louisville in their last regular-season match. They move the ball in and out quickly and then score on the cross into the box.
“I think their philosophy of how they like to play means that we have to be collectively ready to defend as a team to try and stop their threats,” head coach Laura Harvey said before the Reign's match in April against the Courage. “They move the ball really well and play a brilliant style of football, in my opinion.”
The Reign are fortunate that the Courage will be without reigning league MVP Kerolin, who represented Brazil in the Olympics but is out with an excused absence this weekend. The Courage like to play their center forward in a withdrawn position to combine with teammates. At the same time, their attacking midfielder steps up, so the two players are essentially playing dual No. 10s together. As a result, despite having the most touches in the league, the Courage are sixth in touches in the penalty box.
The Courage aren't putting many numbers into the box, but instead combining slightly deeper. If an opposing team's centerbacks don't step up to mark these runs, the Courage can combine around teams. These two players also press together in the middle of the field, making the Courage dangerous in transition.
While the Courage aren't necessarily a high-pressing team, they do close down quickly and apply pressure in all areas of the field—trying to win the ball back as fast as possible. The Reign will need to be tidy on the ball.
A common word used by Harvey this year is “quality.” The team hasn't shown quality in key offensive and defensive moments. As a result, they have scored just 16 goals in their first 16 games and given up a shocking 28 goals—a significant number for a team known for its stingy defense. Most of the goals the team has given up this year have come from their own mistakes.
During this summer transfer window, the Reign made several moves to address this. They welcomed Nerilia Mondesir to the team to bring a lot more speed on the wings and service into the box. Ana-Maria Crnogorčević is expected to bring more quality up top with her movement and experience. Just this week, the Reign traded for Jaelin Howell to provide more bite and cover in the midfield.
While not every new player will start on Sunday, we will likely see them appear in the match. Can they bring the quality that the Reign have needed? And will it result in more goals—something that has plagued the team this year?
A Look at the Teams
Seattle Reign FC
OUT: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Olivia Van der Jagt (excused absence) QUESTIONABLE: Lauren Barnes (leg)
North Carolina Courage
OUT: Kerolin Nicoli (excused absence), Sydney Collins (D45 - ankle), Estelle Johnson (maternity leave) QUESTIONABLE: Maycee Bell (leg), Bianca St-Georges (leg)
Seattle Reign hosts the North Carolina Courage at 7 PM PT on Sunday, August 25. The match will air on ESPN2 and stream on ESPN+. Megan Rapinoe's jersey retirement ceremony will air on ESPN at 6:45 PM PT.
