Reign are not ready for prime time – Equalizer Soccer

Mar 22, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Chicago Stars FC midfielder Maitane (77) defender Sam Staab (3) and FC defender Tessa Dellarose (34) celebrate their win against the Kansas City Current during the second half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Week 2 included quite a newsworthy set of NWSL matches. The Summit earned their first point, two teams moved to 2-0-0 for the first time, and the Thorns won with nine players on the field over the last half hour.

Here are 11 thoughts from the weekend. We’ll do this every Monday following NWSL match weeks. Some points will be factual, some will be opinion based. And some will just be random statements or observations.

Let’s dig in.

I. Reign not prime time ready

Any thoughts that the Reign were ready to be a top side in the NWSL were shattered Friday night at Providence Park. It is a long season — the league’s longest ever — and that could certainly change. But on Friday, the Reign were gifted a woman advantage through a 9th minute red card, failed to react, and fell down 2-0. They were gifted another player edge through another sending off in the 57th but were still unable to break through the Thorns’ bunker the rest of the way.