After beating Chicago last week, Seattle Reign now enter the final two regular-season matches in a playoff position. That means the Reign control their own destiny, but the margins are tight. Sitting just one point ahead of 9th-place North Carolina Courage, Seattle will need to defeat 6th-place Utah Royals on Friday night to stay in the playoff hunt.

Their road match in Utah kicks off Friday, October 23, at 6:30 p.m. PT and will air on FOX 13+ locally and stream on NWSL+ for everyone else.

In true NWSL fashion, just five points separate 4th place from 9th place right now. A win could put the Reign even higher in the standings, as they sit three points behind Angel City and Utah and just one point behind Portland. With so much on the line, the Reign are treating every game right now like a playoff match.

"We have been thinking about every game as if it is a playoff game at this point because we want to stay in control of our fate, so we have a one-game focus. Right now, we're focused on Utah. It's a must-win scenario for us in this moment. And that's what we're thinking heading into it," Madison Curry said.

A win puts the Reign in a strong position heading into Decision Day next Sunday, November 2, when every match kicks off at the same time. Can they take care of business, at altitude, against Utah?

Head-to-Head

• The Reign are 9-3-3 all-time against Utah
• That includes a 4-1-2 record on the road
• The Reign have scored 21 goals and conceded 16 in this matchup
• The Reign had a rough start in their April home match against Utah, conceding two goals in the first 7 minutes of the game and three before halftime in a 3-0 loss

2026 record

Seattle Reign FC: 13-11-4 (43 points, 8th place)

Utah Royals: 14-10-4 (46 points, 6th place)

Key stats

• The Reign are 5-7-2 on the road (20 goals scored, 23 conceded)
• The Royals are 8-6-0 at home (21 goals for, 19 against)
• Seattle has scored 36 goals and conceded 33; Utah has scored 44 and conceded 37
• Forward Cloé Lacasse has 8 goals and 10 assists
• Forward/midfielder Mina Tanaka has 9 goals and 5 assists

Who to watch

Cloé Lacasse

Lacasse has been one of Utah's most important attacking players. Lining up on the left wing, she can whip in dangerous crosses and sneak into the box and get on the end of balls. She leads Utah in chances created (48) and has a league-leading 10 assists. Lacasse isn't on the ball much, but she's so effective when she gets isolated and can either find space or take defenders on 1v1. The Reign can't let her have that kind of time or space — or she'll do things like this:

Cloé Lacasse goal! 🙌 Cloé Lacasse finds the net from a Miyabi Moriya assist to put Utah ahead 1-0!

— NWSL ( @nwslsoccer.com) 4:33 PM · Sep 27, 2026

Mina Tanaka

Mina Tanaka missed last week with a hamstring injury, and we won't know her status until the injury report comes out later on Thursday evening. Tanaka, who leads the team with 9 goals, is right up there with Lacasse as a vital part of Utah's attack. She's tenacious defensively and, primarily lining up as the attacking midfielder, helps shuttle the ball forward quickly and skilfully. And you certainly don't want to give her time to get a shot off. Utah missed her in their 2-0 loss to the Kansas City Current last weekend.

Paige Cronin

Paige Cronin does not stop running. The 29-year-old captain has played all over the field, including as a winger and fullback. She was rewarded with Utah's opening goal against the Reign earlier this year by quickly making a run into the box after the Royals won possession. No matter where she lines up, she doesn't stop pressing her opponent. If she's at right back, look for her to push into the attack. If she's at right wing, expect Cronin to lead Utah's press.

What to watch

No mistakes in the build-up

The Utah Royals lead the league in fouls and yellow cards, showing the pressure they put on opponents. The Royals put teams under heavy pressure from kickoff, something that Reign haven't faced in recent weeks. Despite knowing it was coming, that Utah press caught the Reign off guard in their 3-0 loss back in April. In the first minute, a misplayed back pass gave the Royals the ball in the box — and Paige Cronin blasted her shot into the upper left corner to open the scoring. Their third goal also came in transition as Utah won a Reign pass near half and quickly found Lacasse.

The Reign have done well to bypass an opponent's press this season—deciding when to play through it and when to bypass it. They'll need to make smart decisions against Utah and keep their passing clean. Or they'll definitely be punished.

Set pieces

Utah is a dangerous set-piece team. They've scored eight set-piece goals on 10.7 expected goals (xG) from set pieces, second-best in the league behind Angel City. Their second goal against the Reign in April came from a recycled corner kick. While the Reign have created dangerous set-piece chances (generating 9.6 xG on set plays), they have scored only six goals. Both teams have conceded nine set-piece goals. Could the Reign find some set-piece luck on Friday?

An early goal?

The Reign haven't scored many first-half goals recently, and they haven't scored before the 20th minute since forcing an own goal against Kansas City in the 11th minute back on August 22. The Reign are a different team when they go up early and keep the pressure on their opponent. Can they flip the script against Utah and punish the Royals early this time around? In a game with a lot on the line, that would certainly help set the tone.

Kit matchup

Injury / Availability report

Seattle Reign

Pending league report

Utah Royals

Pending league report

How to watch

The Reign travel to face the Utah Royals on Friday, October 23, at 6:30 p.m. PT. The match will stream on NWSL+ and air locally on FOX 13+.