No one predicted the season that the Seattle Reign FC had in the 2016 NWSL season. Pre-season predictions had them going to a third straight championship game but when the regular season ended, the Reign finished out of the playoff spots for the first time since 2013.
Not only did they not perform to their very high standards, the Reign also are now without the services of influential players such as midfielder Kim Little, Keelin Winters and Manon Melis while also remembering that Hope Solo's future is still in limbo. The 2017 NWSL College Draft will be a place that head coach Laura Harvey will look to for some of her needs while her reputation in the international market may see Seattle bring more international talent to the NWSL in 2017.
The gap left by Little and Melis has to be addressed
The biggest need for Seattle in 2017 will be replacing the production and genuine magic that Scotland's Kim Little has left with her transfer to Arsenal Ladies. A player of Little's talent is never easy to replace but the Reign have made strides to try and plug that gap by trading for former Reign and now former Washington Spirit player, Christine Nairn. Nairn's acquisition will also help cover the leadership and experience left behind by Keelin Winters who announced her retirement at the end of 2016. A player like University of Connecticut's Stephanie Ribeiro or Brigham Young University's Michele Vasconcelos would most certainly bolster Seattle's attacking options if Harvey wants to dip into the draft to replace Little's creativity.
The Reign will also need to add to their attack after Melis announced her retirement. Beverley Yanez continues to be the standout forward for the Reign and with the likes of Megan Rapinoe still on the roster, another forward would be useful for the Reign. With the sixth overall pick, the choices are many for Seattle and someone like UConn's Rachel Hill would be a good pick up for the team. The Reign will probably also look into drafting a defender and another midfielder to bolster their depth this season so expect them to make some interesting choices with their late round draft picks.
The current goalkeeping situation in Seattle needs solving
With the uncertainty over where Hope Solo will be playing in 2017, Haley Kopmeyer is more than capable of cementing herself as the number one goalkeeper in Seattle. Kopmeyer proved to be a solid number two whenever Solo was absent and the Reign coaching staff seem keen on making her their first choice goalkeeper. The Reign have two options right now; bring in a highly rated college goalkeeper like Stanford's Jane Campbell, to compete for the starting position against Kopmeyer or draft a lower ranked goalkeeper to be her number two.
If the club decides to keep Kopmeyer as their number one, they will need a backup for her as Andi Tostanoski was waived late last year. The draft has choices for the Reign in that department such as Clemson's Kailen Sheridan or Florida State's converted forward/goalkeeper Cassie Miller, if no team above them picks these goalkeepers up in the draft.
2017 could be the year for the Reign
After so many near misses and an inconsistent 2016, the Reign are not far off from building a team that will bring them that elusive NWSL Championship. Laura Harvey will most probably try to bring in some experience in the form of an international player but given some of the quality on hand in the draft, Seattle may just find the right rookies to push them over the edge and secure that title that they have been so close to winning in 2014 and 2015.
Their fans remain a solid core of support and the club itself is seemingly growing and improving off the field every year. Also, with no national team distraction which could potentially take away key players bar Euro 2017, the Reign are a few good roster choices away from bringing the NWSL Championship to Seattle for the first time in their history.