Seattle Reign Claim 2-0 Cascadia Rivalry Victory over Portland Thorns
By Becca Weinberg
SEATTLE, WASH. – An exciting return to Lumen Field brought the Seattle Reign a 2-0 win over the Portland Thorns this weekend in the 45th edition of the Cascadia rivalry. In their first match back home since May due to the FIFA Men’s World Cup, the Reign held Portland scoreless with two first half goals.
Images from the Seattle Reign FC win against the Portland Thorns at Lumen Field on July 12th, 2026 (Photos by Kallie Hansel-Tennes and Jane Gershovich, provided by Seattle Reign FC).
“I thought we played really well in the first half, and then we showed our mentality, grit, determination, willingness to not get beat in the second half, which has been something we’ve been talking about wanting to get better at,” said head coach Laura Harvey post game. “And it was probably the closest to the best 90-minute performance that I can remember since Orlando, maybe.”
Defender Ryanne Brown opened the scoring for Seattle in her first start since 2024 with a rocket into the far post. In the 8th minute, Brown connected with a cross from midfielder Ainsley McCammon and took a control touch before scoring her first regular-season NWSL goal. She was met immediately with a swarm of teammates and thunderous cheers from the crowd of 14,793, the fourth-highest attendance in club history.
“Not only has she been through the rehab and come back, but then to not be getting a ton of minutes, that takes a lot mentally to stay in it,” said head coach Laura Harvey post game on Brown’s performance. “She is a brilliant teammate, she always wants to develop for herself, and she’s willing to do anything for the team. And those types of players are priceless.”
With momentum on their side, Seattle netted one more before halftime. A looping cross into the box from midfielder Sam Meza in the 43rd minute found forward Maddie Mercado, who headed the ball past diving Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold for a 2-0 Reign lead.
Both teams traded chances on goal in the second half but the Reign held their own, and a career-high nine saves from goalkeeper Cassie Miller powered Seattle to an important win against their rivals.
"You guys know how we feel about Portland. This is always a huge game for us, especially at home,” said Brown postgame. “The way that we could get a win and a shutout, I think it speaks volumes. This is huge for us and our momentum going into the second half of the season. It was a really big win for us."
The Reign will now embark on a three-match road trip, beginning against Gotham FC on Saturday, July 18th at 9 AM. The match will be streamed on ABC.
Match notes from Reign PR
Head Coach Laura Harvey has named 12 different starting XIs through the club's first 13 matches of the 2026 season. Today's lineup featured one change from last week's match at North Carolina, with Ryanne Brown replacing the injured Madison Curry.
For the second time this season, Sam Meza assisted a Maddie Mercado goal. Both players were selected by Reign FC in the 2024 NWSL Draft, the league's final college draft. Meza was selected 17th overall, while Mercado was taken 27th overall.
Today’s crowd of 14,793 ranks as the fourth-highest attendance in club history and the third-highest regular-season attendance.
In her first start since July 7, 2024, Ryanne Brown gave Reign FC an early lead in the eighth minute with the first regular-season goal of her NWSL career. Brown becomes the sixth player in club history to score her first NWSL regular-season goal against Portland.
Ainsley McCammon recorded her second assist of the season on Ryanne Brown's opening goal. Her first assist came against Racing Louisville FC on March 28, making her the youngest player in club history to record an assist at 18 years old.
Mercado headed in Reign FC’s second goal of the day, marking the fourth goal of her NWSL career. The 25-year-old now leads the team with three goals this season.
Sam Meza recorded her second assist of the season on Maddie Mercado's first-half goal. Both assists have come on Mercado goals, matching Meza's single-season career high set in 2025.
Marking her second consecutive start, Cassie Miller recorded a career-high nine saves to earn her first shutout since March 2024. Miller's last three NWSL shutouts have all come against Portland while playing for three different clubs — Seattle, Gotham FC and Kansas City.
With today’s result, Seattle holds a record of 17-18-10 against Portland across all competitions.
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Check out our previous Seattle Reign FC articles here.
Check out our previous articles written for CSS by Becca Weinberg here, and her work with Lookout Landing here.
Photos in this article by Kallie Hansel-Tennes and Jane Gershovich, provided by Seattle Reign FC.
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