By Tim Clinton
Seattle reigns as one of the top franchises in the National Women's Soccer League since its inception in 2012.
The Reign team has reached the championship match three times in its history, coming up short on the scoreboard each time.
But to reach a championship in any major sport and take second place is impressive.
Seattle made the final first in its second season of action on the field in 2014, defeating the Washington Spirit by a 2-1 score in the NWSL playoff semifinals.
That pitted the Reign against the FC Kansas City team in the championship and Seattle came up short by a 2-1 margin.
Seattle returned to the final again the next summer after shutting out Washington, 3-0, in the semifinals.
The Reign faced FC Kansas City again with the same result, only this time by a 1-0 score.
Seattle had won first place during the regular season both years, claiming the NWSL Shield award. It posted a 16-2-6 record in 2014 and went 13-3-4 in 2015.
The Reign did not return to the playoffs again until 2018, when they took third during the regular season. They met Portland Thorns FC on the road in the playoff semifinal and lost, 2-1.
North Carolina's Courage eliminated Seattle in the semifinals after a fourth-place regular season finish in 2019 after the team moved to Cheney Stadium and was renamed as the Reign FC.
The 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID pandemic, with the Reign only competing in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup and the NWSL Fall Series.
Eventual champion Washington eliminated the team in the semifinals after a 2021 season in which it finished second, then the Reign announced that they would return to Seattle and play their home matches at Lumen Field.
Seattle finished first in the West Division during the regular season to earn the top seed overall and claim its third NWSL Shield. But it lost to Washington in a penalty kick shootout in the semifinals.
The Reign returned to the NWSL championship match in 2023 and this time lost, 2-1, to the Gotham FC team from New Jersey and New York.
But the team took a huge hit at the end of the season as star forward Megan Rapinoe retired after spending 11 years with it.
Seattle struggled to a 6-25-5 record in 2024 after she left, but it is hoping for a rebound year in its just started 2025 season.
The team now has new majority ownership, as The Carlyle Group that also owns the Seattle Sounders has taken over since June of 2024,