International Impact at Seattle Reign FC

By Marisa Sexsmith

The NWSL has been the home of many international coaches, players, and other staff. Their impact has been felt throughout the NWSL. At Seattle Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey comes from England and had extensive experience in the Women’s Super League (WSL) in England, before coming to coach in the USA. Harvey is now the NWSL's winningest coach. She came to coach the Reign in 2013 and stayed through 2018. Her return in 2021 was exciting news for fans as they expected her return to coaching the team to championships and further success. 

Ji So-Yun has previous experience in the WSL playing for Chelsea from 2014-2022, then going to play for Suwon FC from 2022-2024 before joining Seattle Reign FC. In her second game for Reign FC on March 23rd against the Chicago Red Stars, Ji scored her first NWSL goal. She became the first South Korean player to score in the NWSL.

It is clear that experience in other leagues in other countries translates well into the NWSL. Seattle Reign FC seems to understand this and is very willing to capitalize off of it. Of course, they were not the only team in the NWSL to sign international players over the break. As head coach Laura Harvey called the NWSL the most competitive league, how will increasing international signings change the game?

Will the NWSL create a larger international audience in the coming years by signing big names from other countries or by proving their status as the most competitive league. The future is bright for the NWSL as their team values grow exponentially and women’s sports are on the rise faster than ever before.