Reign Extend Midfielder Sam meza Through 2028
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Our Seattle Reign FC continue to lock up young players making an impact for them this season, as the club announced today that they’ve signed midfielder Sam Meza to a three-year contract extension that keeps her with the franchise through the 2028 season. Meza joins goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and midfielder Ainsley McCammon as they only players to have contracts on the Reign that go through the 2028 season. Meza represents the third player on the younger side who gets some starting minutes that the club has signed a multi-year extension this year, alongside Dickey and more recently midfielder Sally Menti.
“I’ve learned so much since entering the professional environment, and I’m incredibly excited to continue building my career here in Seattle. The culture, the people and the standards at this club push me every day to be my best. I’m proud to be part of this team and can’t wait to keep growing with the Reign.”
Seattle Reign FC midfielder Sam Meza throughout the 2025 NWSL season, so far. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Meza is in the middle of a breakthrough 2025 campaign, and this extension caps off a gratifying last few days for her which include her first USWNT cap and start as she helped the country soundly beat the Republic of Ireland by a final score of 4-0. Sam started and played 87 minutes in that match, playing well enough to be nominated as one of the three candidates for the USWNT player of the match that ultimately went to her Reign teammate, Lynn Biyendolo. The 23-year-old has earned her way to a consistent spot in Seattle’s starting XI and it appears that more than just those in the Pacific Northwest are taking notice.
Earning her way to a USWNT call up came through the work that Meza has put in for the Reign through their first half of the season, as she’s featured in all 13 matches the club has played including nine starts. Meza has proven to be one of the more productive players in the NWSL as well, not just getting the playing time but actually making the most of it, as she leads the Reign in tackles (47) and tackles won (29) while her ranks in those categories are among the top across the NWSL. In addition to those statistics that emphasize Meza’s strong play in the midfield for Seattle, her two assists on the season so far have come in crucial moments for the Reign. Her ball in to Jordyn Huitema helped the club equalize on the road against Bay FC in a tough match that Seattle was happy to split the points in and her other assist came on the lone goal that the club scored against Racing Louisville FC (also on the road) as Meza found Maddie Dahlien in transition.
“Sam’s growth this past year has been nothing short of inspiring. Since her loan to Dallas Trinity in the USL during the second half of 2024, she has truly taken the reins of her career. Sam is focused, driven and maturing into the best version of herself – on the field, in the locker room and as a person. Her commitment to continuous improvement is exactly why we’re excited to invest in her future. We believe she is only scratching the surface of what promises to be an elite and long career in this game.”
Seattle Reign FC midfielder Sam Meza during the clubs May 11th, 2025 match against the Houston Dash at Lumen Field. (Photos by Sam Hotaling for Circling Seattle Sports)
Meza has become the engine of the Reign midfield after coming into the club following a strong collegiate tenure as a UNC Tar Heel where she started 71 of 72 career matches and was called “One of the greatest defensive midfielders” by her former coach, Anson Dorrance. Sam didn’t just turn the switch on in college, though, as her days of playing futbol around the Dallas area and watching Liga MX growing up inspired her journey and gave her an idea of the sort of player that she could become. Playing in Dallas helped her to receive multiple USYNT (United States Youth National Team) call ups, and that was a launch pad to earning a scholarship from the University of North Carolina. It’s been quite a journey from playing the sport in co-ed matches around the Dallas area to sitting behind some legends of the game as she did in 2024, but ultimately Meza’s journey led her back to Dallas.
While Seattle had traded up to select her in the 2024 NWSL Draft with the 17th overall pick, the last draft that the league had as they’ve since ditched it, Sam wasn’t getting playing time behind club original Jess Fishlock and Ji So-Yun. The Reign wanted to continue her growth and knew it wasn’t going to come at the NWSL level, so a midseason loan sent her to a USL Super League club near home: Dallas Trinity FC, where she was a nominee for the leagues MVP award despite only appearing in 13 matches. Sam earned Player of the Month honors in November and was back to looking like a strong player on the ball who could get it back for her team. That stint close to home helped sharpen Meza’s game, regain her confidence, and prepare her for what would ultimately be a much bigger role this season.
“I think the thing that every young player has to look at is Sam Meza’s journey, because for some people, that can be literally the thing that stops them getting where they want to be, because they can’t get over that adversity. She just wasn’t ready for what we needed her to be [last year]. And that alone is hard to take. And I’m so happy for her that she’s been able to come out the other side of that, and then go, ‘I’m going to show everybody how good I am.’ And I don’t think we’re scratching the surface with her either.”
Meza’s extension marks another instance of Reign general manager Lesle Gallimore putting pen to paper with several key players that are making an impact on the club now and will ideally do so in the future. Whether that’s more veteran faces like Lynn Biyendolo and Sofia Huerta being signed through 2027, or younger faces like Emeri Adames, Madi Curry, Maddie Dahlien, and the others we’ve mentioned that are signed through 2028. With these players all playing some strong role throughout the course of the season so far and showing signs of only getting better, Seattle is looking like they’re setting the foundation for the future while still competing with the top teams in the league now.
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