Harvey Uses Ninth Lineup as Gotham Fc Vs Seattle Reign Fc Begins
Seattle Reign FC arrived at gotham fc vs seattle reign fc on April 6 with a new starting XI again, and Laura Harvey used her ninth unique lineup of the 2026 season at Lumen Field. The Reign have now used a different XI in all nine matches, and 18 players on the active roster have already earned at least one start this year.
Lumen Field lineup shifts
Three changes separated this group from last week’s team. Angharad James-Turner returned to midfield for Ainsley McCammon, Emeri Adames started for Maddie Mercado, and Shae Holmes came into the backline for Madison Curry.
Holmes’ inclusion carried its own marker. It was her first appearance of the 2026 season, and her last outing for Seattle came on October 17, 2025 against Utah Royals FC. James-Turner was back in the starting group for the first time since the scoreless draw against Denver Summit FC on April 4 at ONE Spokane Stadium, while Adames earned her first start since the scoreless draw at Houston on May 1.
Huerta and Dickey milestones
Seattle also kept its most durable pieces in place. Claudia Dickey, Sam Meza, Sofia Huerta, Emily Mason and Phoebe McClernon have started every match this season, and Dickey stretched her run to 49 consecutive starts.
Huerta wore the captain’s armband for the fourth time this season and reached two milestones in the same match: her 100th regular season appearance for Reign FC and her 210th regular season appearance overall in the NWSL. She became the sixth player in club history to hit 100 regular season appearances, and she was one start short of becoming the fifth player in league history to reach 200 regular season starts.
Meza’s midfield numbers
Meza kept the middle of the field anchored in a lineup that had already produced seven assists from five different players this season, with Huerta, Nerilia Mondesir, Adames and Meza all among the starters who had contributed one. She entered the match leading the NWSL with 36 tackles, 22 tackles won and 74 recoveries among field players, while ranking second in duels won with 61.
The midfield pairing of James-Turner and Meza was making its 11th start together. In the previous 10 matches with both in the XI, Seattle went 4-4-2, and the club had gone unbeaten in six games with them starting together. That keeps Harvey’s rotation under the microscope: the lineup keeps changing, but the core of Dickey, Meza, Huerta, Mason and McClernon has not.
Fishel remained part of that core as well, making her third consecutive start and fourth of the season after joining the club on July 10, 2025. She had made 16 appearances with eight starts since arriving, another sign that Seattle’s latest lineup was less about surprise than about fitting the same pieces into a different shape.
