Reign Sign Maddie Mercado To One-Year Extension, Loan Her to Carolina Ascent In USL
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - On the day of one of their training sessions prior to their upcoming road match against the Houston Dash, our Seattle Reign FC made a move that showed their continued commitment to the growth of their younger players. The club announced that they’d signed midfielder/forward Maddie Mercado to an extension to keep her with the Reign through the 2026 season with a player option for 2027 before sending her on loan to Carolina Ascent FC in the Gainbridge Super League through the remaining time left on the 2025 campaign.
“We’re excited to extend Maddie Mercado’s future with the club. Her work ethic, positivity and love for the game inspire everyone around her. While she’ll be spending the remainder of the season with Carolina Ascent FC, this loan will give her valuable minutes and experience in a competitive environment. We look forward to her continued growth and the impact she’ll make when she returns in a Reign kit.”
Seattle Reign FC midfielder Maddie Mercado during the clubs 3-2 defeat to Club Tijuana during the group stage of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup on July 28th, 2024 at Lumen Field. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports)
Mercado’s versatility was on display in the early chapter of this season, getting decent playing time in the matches against Gotham, North Carolina, Angel City, and Orlando. Maddie played as a midfielder and forward throughout those matches, something she’d done in college at Notre Dame where she excelled to earn 2023 Second Team All-ACC honors amongst other achievements during her time with the Fighting Irish. Her goal scoring is something that turned heads while at Notre Dame, bagging 26 goals during her collegiate career while adding 12 assists, showing talent to contribute to goals that the Reign liked. We’ve seen a bit of that ability so far, with her first career NWSL goal coming late into last season in the match at Orlando on November 2nd, and her first career assist coming this season in the road win over North Carolina.
“I’m incredibly proud and grateful to represent the Reign and extend my time with this club. I’m eager for the opportunity to take this next step in my career with Carolina Ascent, continue developing my game and return ready to contribute even more to the team’s success in the future.”
Seattle Reign FC midfielder Maddie Mercado during the teams 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride on April 12th, 2025 at Lumen Field. (Photo by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Mercado has already more than doubled her games played total from last year, including getting her first four NWSL starts earlier this season, but a chunk of her appearances this year have seen her play 15 or less minutes for the club. Her starts early into the 2025 campaign came as a few of those in the Reign midfield and forward groups were dealing with injury, so Seattle used the versatility of the 24-year-old to fill in the gaps and she performed well in those opportunities. In two of her first three starts this season, Mercado earned a rating over 7.0 from FOTMOB, as that number deems a players performance as a good one in their respective rating system. While her strength in college was goal scoring, it’s been Mercado’s passing ability that’s graded well with FOTMOB as her passing accuracy and cross accuracy show well comparatively with the rest of the NWSL.
This loan will give Mercado the opportunity to get more minutes and play in a league that’s less competitive than the NWSL, where she has already shown well but hasn’t gotten consistent minutes since the early months of the season. While the Reign as a club provide a unique opportunity for younger players, with a path to playing time if you earn it through training while being able to learn from veterans that have played all over the world in some of the best leagues there are, not playing doesn’t allow for the best growth.
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