Latest news with #SeattleReign
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Chelsea forward Fishel signs for Seattle Reign
Seattle Reign have signed Chelsea and United States forward Mia Fishel on a contract until undisclosed transfer fee will be paid to the Women's Super League (WSL) champions who Fishel, 24, appeared for 21 signing from Mexican club Tigres for the start of the 2023-24 season, Fishel scored the winning goal against Tottenham on her WSL debut before an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury cut her campaign two-time WSL winner returned in March to make three appearances. "I'm incredibly excited to sign a long-term contract in the NWSL and take this next step in my career with Seattle Reign FC," said Fishel. "This league is one of the best in the world, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity. I can't wait to get started and contribute to the team's success."America's National Women's Soccer League is currently on a midseason break but Seattle Reign return to action against Angel City on 1 August.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USWNT's Mia Fishel joins Seattle Reign from Chelsea for the ‘long run,' signing through 2029
The Seattle Reign have signed U.S. women's national team forward Mia Fishel to a multi-year contract through 2029, the club announced Thursday. The move makes her the longest-contracted player on the club's roster. Fishel, a 24-year-old San Diego native affectionately known as 'Big Fish,' joins the Reign immediately from Chelsea in the Women's Super League (WSL) for an undisclosed transfer fee. She scored two goals in 14 appearances for the west London side, but spent the majority of her time there recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Advertisement 'Mia is a player with tremendous upside — a goalscorer with presence, creativity and a drive to keep growing,' said Seattle Reign general manager Lesle Gallimore in a statement. 'This move represents an important step in her return to top form, and we're committed to giving her the environment and support to thrive.' Fishel was selected fifth in the 2022 NWSL draft by the Orlando Pride, managed at the time by Fishel's former UCLA coach, Amanda Cromwell. However, Fishel forwent joining the league and instead signed with Liga MX Femenil side Tigres UANL in Monterrey, Mexico. (Later that year, the NWSL terminated Cromwell's contract after allegations of favoritism, verbal abuse, and retaliation were upheld by a league investigation.) With Tigres, Fishel scored 17 goals in the club's Apertura, the fall season, contributing to their title-winning campaign that year. In the Clausura, the spring season, Fishel netted another 13. 'I've always just wanted the best for myself, and I didn't really care what other people thought,' Fishel said from Seattle, fresh off the Reign training ground and a subsequent photoshoot. 'That mindset has taken me places that some players may not be as comfortable with. I'm the type of player, if you sit me down and I listen to how you think of me, how I fit in your system, living situation, lifestyle, and check all the boxes, I'm going to go there. That's what Tigres did for me.' Advertisement On August 4, 2023, Fishel signed with Chelsea, who were managed at the time by the current USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. The following month, Fishel earned her first senior national team camp invitation. But five months after that debut, while training with the national team in February 2024, she sustained an ACL injury. She has since worked her way back and made appearances for club and country, but Fishel knew she needed consistent play time — not an easy ask from any No. 9 on a stacked Chelsea roster, which includes Colombian striker Mayra Ramirez and the legendary Sam Kerr. 'Chelsea is different. There's a bunch of stars, so it can be very individualistic,' Fishel said. Last month, ESPN reported that Fishel was in talks with multiple NWSL clubs. Her Southern California roots hinted at a return home to the likes of the San Diego Wave or Angel City FC. Fishel told , however, that while her decision was informed by a desire to be closer to home so her family could more easily travel to her games, and she to see them, she also needed to feel at home at her next club. Advertisement 'I'm fortunate to be in a position where I had the privilege to choose where I wanted to go,' she said. 'I knew coming from Chelsea how important a coach is. I was with (Reign head coach) Laura (Harvey) for the under-20 (World Cup) qualifiers, and that was just an amazing experience for me — how she coached the team, the way that she ran it, the style of play.' With Hayes now at the helm of the USWNT and reconfiguring the system's developmental pipeline, Fishel recently spent time training with the under-23 U.S. women's national team, along with players such as Korbin Albert and Jaedyn Shaw, who also have senior caps. The trio were called up to the squad's late-May camp and played two matches against the under-23 German national team. By the time she arrived in Stuttgart, Fishel knew she was headed stateside. 'They all saw me with three big bags coming from England and were like, 'What's going on?'' Fishel recalled with a laugh. 'And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm lowkey going to the NWSL.'' Advertisement That under-23 camp proved advantageous in more ways than one. Other participants included Seattle Reign players who are now Fishel's teammates: goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, defender Jordyn Bugg, and midfielder Sam Meza. Together, Meza and Fishel won Concacaf titles at each age group. 'It was cool that I was able to talk to some players from Seattle, kind of knowing that I wanted to go there, and talk about how the team culture is here,' Fishel said. 'Everyone's like family, and obviously, the players are quality.' The decision to leave a club like Chelsea is inherently heavy, but Fishel recognizes the weight of Seattle's history, too. Harvey has coached the team since its inception in 2012, and Fishel said that maturity, along with the star players who've come through the club, such as Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, added to its appeal — and to her intention to set her roots in the Pacific Northwest. 'I knew coming to the states, I'm gonna be on a team for the long run. I wasn't expecting to just hop from team to team. Like, no, I want to put stakes in the ground. I want to eventually lead this team at some point,' she said. Advertisement There's also the draw of Seattle's extracurricular activities. Fishel is a fan of the WNBA and is eager to check out Storm games. 'I heard the fishing is really good here,' she gushed. 'I'm excited to talk to (defender) Shay (Holmes) about salt fishing, freshwater, so I'm looking forward to that.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. US Women's national team, Chelsea, OL Reign, NWSL, Women's Soccer 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
USWNT's Mia Fishel joins Seattle Reign from Chelsea for the ‘long run,' signing through 2029
The Seattle Reign have signed U.S. women's national team forward Mia Fishel to a multi-year contract through 2029, the club announced Thursday. The move makes her the longest contracted player on the club's roster. Fishel, a 24-year-old San Diego native affectionately known as 'Big Fish,' joins the Reign immediately from Chelsea in the Women's Super League (WSL) for an undisclosed transfer fee. She scored two goals in 14 appearances with The Blues but spent the majority of her time there recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Advertisement 'Mia is a player with tremendous upside — a goal-scorer with presence, creativity and a drive to keep growing,' said Seattle Reign general manager Lesle Gallimore in a statement. 'This move represents an important step in her return to top form, and we're committed to giving her the environment and support to thrive.' Fishel was selected fifth in the 2022 NWSL draft by the Orlando Pride, managed at the time by Fishel's former UCLA coach, Amanda Cromwell. However, Fishel forwent joining the league and instead signed with Liga MX Femenil side Tigres UANL in Monterrey, Mexico. (Later that year, the NWSL terminated Cromwell's contract after allegations of favoritism, verbal abuse, and retaliation were upheld by a league investigation.) With Tigres, Fishel scored 17 goals in the club's Apertura, the fall season, contributing to their title-winning campaign that year. In the Clausura, the spring season, Fishel netted another 13. 'I've always just wanted the best for myself, and I didn't really care what other people thought,' Fishel said from Seattle, fresh off the Reign training ground and a subsequent photoshoot. 'That mindset has taken me places that some players may not be as comfortable with. I'm the type of player, if you sit me down and I listen to how you think of me, how I fit in your system, living situation, lifestyle, and check all the boxes, I'm going to go there. That's what Tigres did for me.' On Aug. 4, 2023, Fishel signed with Chelsea, who were managed at the time by the current USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. The following month, Fishel earned her first senior national team camp invitation. But five months after that debut, while training with the national team in February 2024, she sustained an ACL injury. She has since worked her way back and made appearances for club and country, but Fishel knew she needed consistent play time — not an easy ask from any No. 9 on a stacked Chelsea roster, which includes Colombian striker Mayra Ramirez and the legendary Sam Kerr. Advertisement 'Chelsea is different. There's a bunch of stars, so it can be very individualistic,' Fishel said. Last month, ESPN reported that Fishel was in talks with multiple NWSL clubs. Her Southern California roots hinted at a return home to the likes of the San Diego Wave or Angel City FC. Fishel told The Athletic, however, that while her decision was informed by a desire to be closer to home so her family could more easily travel to her games, and she to see them, she also needed to feel at home in her next club. 'I'm fortunate to be in a position where I had the privilege to choose where I wanted to go,' she said. 'I knew coming from Chelsea how important a coach is. I was with (Reign head coach) Laura (Harvey) for the U-20 (World Cup) qualifiers, and that was just an amazing experience for me — how she coached the team, the way that she ran it, the style of play.' With Hayes now at the helm of the USWNT and reconfiguring the system's developmental pipeline, Fishel recently spent time training with the under-23 U.S. women's national team, along with players like Korbin Albert and Jaedyn Shaw who also have senior caps. The trio were called up to the squad's late-May camp and played two matches against the under-23 German national team. By the time she arrived in Stuttgart, Fishel knew she was headed stateside. 'They all saw me with three big bags coming from England and were like, 'What's going on?'' Fishel recalled with a laugh. 'And I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm lowkey going to the NWSL.'' That under-23 camp proved advantageous in more ways than one. Other participants included Seattle Reign players who are now Fishel's teammates: goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, defender Jordyn Bugg, and midfielder Sam Meza. Together, Meza and Fishel won Concacaf titles at each age group. 'It was cool that I was able to talk to some players from Seattle, kind of knowing that I wanted to go there, and talk about how the team culture is here,' Fishel said. 'Everyone's like family, and obviously, the players are quality.' The decision to leave a club like Chelsea is inherently heavy, but Fishel recognizes the weight of Seattle's history, too. Harvey has coached the team since its inception in 2012, and Fishel said that maturity, along with the star players who've come through the club, like Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, added to its appeal — and to her intention to set her roots in the Pacific Northwest. Advertisement 'I knew coming to the states, I'm gonna be on a team for the long run. I wasn't expecting to just hop from team to team. Like, no, I want to put stakes in the ground. I want to eventually lead this team at some point,' she said. There's also the draw of Seattle's extracurricular activities. Fishel is a fan of the WNBA and is eager to check out Storm games. 'I heard the fishing is really good here,' she gushed. 'I'm excited to talk to (defender) Shay (Holmes) about salt fishing, freshwater, so I'm looking forward to that.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Seattle Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock, 38, scores history-making goal for Wales at Euro 2025
Servitude: the state of being subject to something more powerful than yourself. This is how Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson described what makes Jess Fishlock so special to Wales fans with the final answer of her post-match press conference following Wales' 4-1 Euro 2025 group stage defeat to France on Wednesday. Advertisement 'I don't think you have many players anywhere in the world who are such servants to their nation,' she said. The question is effectively a riddle. Because how do you measure the sky? And really, the notion of Fishlock — Wales' all-time record-cap holder, men's or women's (164), all-time record goalscorer, men's or women's (48) and, as of Wednesday, Wales Women's first major tournament goalscorer — being subject to anything is quite frankly unfathomable. The Seattle Reign midfielder is less a player in her home nation and more an irrepressible force of nature, the very reason Wales are in Switzerland in the first place. (In qualifying for the Euros, the 38-year-old was directly involved in nine goals — six goals, three assists — in 10 matches.) Wednesday's defeat represented Wales' 244th international match since 1993. Since making her debut in 2006 against Switzerland, Fishlock has played in 164 matches. She has been a part of more than 67 per cent of the team's modern history. 'And she's flying from Seattle, Washington,' said Wilkinson. 'That's a terrible flight.' Advertisement But even 67 per cent feels too slight a representation of her importance. From those early days of bleached blonde wisps flitting around Cardiff, then Bristol, then Melbourne and eventually Seattle. Then, the red Wales shirt streamed off her shoulders the way men's long-sleeve shirts do on women who are 5ft 2in (157cm). It's this shirt Fishlock infamously took a pair of scissors to, slashing off the sleeves of the borrowed kit provided by the FAW for a match in scorching summer heat played in front of a smattering of family and friends. The moment inspires its own kind of lore. Fishlock has never been afraid to challenge, whether it's opponents, the system, Wales' very understanding of itself and the world's of Wales. She is a two-time Champions League winner with Frankfurt (2014-15) and Lyon (2018-19). She was the NWSL's most valuable player in 2021. In her prime, Fishlock was a player capable of reducing the midfield to obscurity, an irrepressible smirk engulfing her face as she seamlessly covered the pitch. Yet, any domestic triumph always came at odds with Wales' history of near misses. The result was Fishlock almost existing as a tragic myth. Advertisement But still, she flew from Seattle. 'Wales haven't quite made it to the world stage,' said Wilkinson, who played and coached against Fishlock during her time in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) with Portland Thorns. 'But now Jess is on it. She scores that goal. And everyone knows that's one of those moments we should celebrate.' That Wales' first goal in Switzerland would arrive through anyone but Fishlock was a nonstarter. Just as it was John Charles in 1958 in Sweden for Wales, Gareth Bale in 2016 in France, main characters who transcend their poetic tropes. Before Wales' women's teams were given names on the back of their shirts in 2019, Fishlock's was the one people could reel off, a byword for Welsh women's football. And perhaps that is lazy script writing from the football gods. Fishlock herself would cringe. 'I can't play the game by myself. I don't try to, and I don't need to,' she told in October 2024. Advertisement But even in this space — in fading twilight, her legs a slower whirring, injuries refusing to abate, the oldest goalscorer in Euros history — Fishlock's presence for Wales is a default setting. So in the brutalist chill and blinding night lights of St Gallen's Kybunpark, there was Fishlock at the back post with 13 minutes on the clock. There she was meeting Ceri Holland's cross and willing the moment into being by sheer force of desire and personality. Because it has been 19 years for Fishlock but so much longer for this team. The ball cradled into the back of the net because there was nowhere else for it go. Every possible misfortune and near-miss had been endured by this point. And because it is Wales, there was still a moment of purgatory, a forced waiting at the gates for a credential check, before the VAR's confirmation ushered in the red rope lifts and Wales. Scoring at this tournament is not the most exclusive of clubs, but it is one that matters for a team whose chances of lifting the trophy were just 0.2 per cent, according to Opta. Wales need a five-goal swing and the game of their lives on Sunday against reigning European champions England to escape Group D. But in a group of such meagre hope, it is about relishing the slivers of light that break through. Advertisement 'We're not naive, we're minnows,' said Wilkinson. 'But we're at the very cusp of what we're going to be doing in Wales with women's football. Jess is leading that charge.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Wales, OL Reign, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Seattle Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock, 38, scores history-making goal for Wales at Euro 2025
Servitude: the state of being subject to something more powerful than yourself. This is Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson's answer to the final question in her post-match press conference following Wales' 4-1 Euro 2025 group stage defeat to France on Wednesday night: What makes Jess Fishlock so special to Wales fans? Advertisement 'I don't think you have many players anywhere in the world who are such servants to their nation,' she said. The question is effectively a riddle. Because how do you measure the sky? And really, the notion of Fishlock — Wales' all-time record-cap holder, men's or women's (164), all-time record goalscorer, men's or women's (48) and, as of Wednesday, Wales Women's first major tournament goalscorer — being subject to anything is quite frankly unfathomable. The Seattle Reign midfielder is less a player in her home nation and more an irrepressible force of nature, the very reason Wales are in Switzerland in their first-ever major tournament (in qualifying for the Euros, the 38-year-old was directly involved in nine goals — six goals, three assists — in 10 matches). Yet Wednesday's defeat represented Wales' 244th international match since 1993. Since making her debut in 2006 against Switzerland, Fishlock has played in 164 matches. She has been a part of more than 67 per cent of the team's modern history. 'And she's flying from Seattle, Washington,' said Wilkinson. 'That's a terrible flight.' But even 67 per cent feels too slight a representation of her importance. From those early days of bleached blonde wisps flitting around Cardiff, then Bristol, then Melbourne and eventually Seattle. Then, the red Wales shirt streamed off her shoulders the way men's long-sleeve shirts do on women who are 5ft 2in (157cm). It's this shirt Fishlock infamously took a pair of scissors to, slashing off the sleeves of the borrowed kit provided by the FAW for a match in scorching summer heat played in front of a smattering of family and friends. The moment inspires its own kind of lore. Fishlock has never been afraid to challenge, whether it's opponents, the system, Wales' very understanding of itself and the world's of Wales. She is a two-time Champions League winner with Frankfurt (2014-15) and Lyon (2018-19). She was the NWSL's most valuable player in 2021. In her prime, Fishlock was a player capable of reducing the midfield to obscurity, an irrepressible smirk engulfing her face as she seamlessly covered the pitch. Yet, any domestic triumph always came at odds with Wales' history of near misses. The result was Fishlock almost existing as tragic myth. But still, she flew from Seattle. 'Wales haven't quite made it to the world stage,' said Wilkinson, who played and coached against Fishlock during her time in the National Women's Soccer League with Portland Thorns. 'But now Jess is on it. She scores that goal. And everyone knows that's one of those moments we should celebrate.' Advertisement That Wales' first goal in Switzerland would arrive through anyone but Fishlock was a nonstarter. Of course it was her. Just as it was John Charles in 1958 in Sweden for Wales, Gareth Bale in 2016 in France, main characters who transcend their poetic tropes. Before Wales' women's teams were given names on the back of their shirts in 2019, Fishlock's was the one people could reel off, a byword for Welsh women's football. And perhaps that is lazy script writing from the football gods. Fishlock herself would cringe. 'I can't play the game by myself. I don't try to, and I don't need to,' she told The Athletic in October 2024. But even in this space — in fading twilight, her legs a slower whirring, injuries refusing to abate, the oldest goalscorer in Euros history — Fishlock's presence for Wales is a default setting. So in the brutalist chill and blinding night lights of St Gallen's Kybunpark, there is Fishlock at the back post with 13 minutes on the clock. There she is meeting Ceri Holland's cross and willing this moment into being by sheer force of desire and personality. Because it has been 19 years for Fishlock but so much longer for this team. The ball cradles into the back of the net because there is nowhere else for it go. Every possible misfortune and near-miss has been endured by this point. And because it is Wales, there is still a moment of purgatory, a forced waiting at the gates for a credential check, before the red rope lifts and Wales are ushered in by the VAR's confirmation. Scoring at this tournament is not the most exclusive of clubs. But it is one that matters for a team whose chances of lifting the trophy were just 0.2 per cent, according to Opta. Wales need a five-goal swing and the game of their lives on Sunday against reigning European champions England to escape Group D. But in a group of such meagre hope, it is about relishing the slivers of light that break through, as so often is the case for this team with a dragon on their hearts. 'We're not naive, we're minnows,' said Wilkinson. 'But we're at the very cusp of what we're going to be doing in Wales with women's football. Jess is leading that charge.' Advertisement Some will claim a lone goal in a 4-1 defeat should not qualify for celebration. But how that goal was relished — a primordial screeching from 2,000-plus in red, an incorrigible, immortal notch canonised into Wales' sporting timeline. Although Wales might go home on Sunday, they will at least not go silently into that Swiss night.
