The 2020 OL Reign season was the team's eighth season of play and their eighth season in the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. It is the team's first season under new majority owner OL Groupe, the parent company of French soccer clubs Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, and the resultant new team name.
After leading the team for the past two seasons, former head coach Vlatko Andonovski departed in October 2019 to become the head coach of the United States women's national soccer team. Frenchman Farid Benstiti was named the third head coach in team history in January 2020.
On March 12, 2020, the preseason match schedule was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the NWSL announced on March 20 that the regular season start will be delayed.
On May 27, 2020, the NWSL announced that the 2020 Challenge Cup will mark the return to action following the COVID-19 pandemic. The 25-game tournament, to be held from June 27 to July 26, will be hosted by the owner of Utah Royals FC Dell Loy Hansen. Subsequently, OL Reign resumed team preseason training in Missoula, Montana, on June 1.
On June 22, 2020, the NWSL announced, in conjunction with the full rules and regulations for the 2020 Challenge Cup, that the 2020 NWSL regular season and playoffs have been canceled.
On August 25, 2020, the NWSL announced that the season will continue with the Fall Series, where the nine teams are divided into three regional pods and play four games each.
Team Coaching staff
Roster
NameDate of birth (age)Previous teamNotesGoalkeepers1Michelle Betos2018 Vålerenga26Casey Murphy2019 Montpellier29Carly Nelson2020 Utah UtesSTADefenders2Amber Brooks2020 Adelaide United3Lauren Barnes (co-captain)2013 Philadelphia IndependenceLOA13Celia Jiménez Delgado2019 FC RosengårdINT, LOA14Steph Cox2019Retirement16Julia Ashley2020 Adelaide United19Kristen McNabb2017 Virginia Cavaliers23Taylor Smith2019 Washington Spirit27Sam Hiatt2020 Stanford CardinalSTA30Machaela George2020 Santa Clara BroncosLOA33Kimberly Hazlett2020 Portland PilotsSTA99Madison Hammond2020 Wake Forest Demon DeaconsMidfielders5Quinn2019 Paris FCINT, LOA6Allie Long2018 Portland ThornsFED10Jess Fishlock2013 Bristol AcademyLOA12Morgan Andrews2018 Boston Breakers17Dani Weatherholt2020 Orlando Pride25Kelcie Hedge2020 Santa Clara Broncos28Shirley Cruz2020 AlajuelenseINT31Rosie White2019 Chicago Red StarsINTForwards11Darian Jenkins2019 North Carolina CourageLOA15Megan Rapinoe (co-captain)2013 LyonFED18Miranda Nild2020 Gintra UniversitetasSTA20Sofia Huerta2020 Sydney FC21Nicole Momiki2020 Nippon TV BelezaLOA22Jasmyne Spencer2018 Orlando Pride24Bethany Balcer2019 Spring Arbor Cougars35Leah Pruitt2020 North Carolina Courage
Competitions
All times are in PT unless otherwise noted.
Preseason Thorns Spring Invitational
Regular season On February 25, 2020, the NWSL announced the full, 24-game schedule for the regular season. However, the regular season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 22, 2020, the NWSL announced that the 2020 NWSL regular season and playoffs have been canceled.
Playoffs On June 22, 2020, the NWSL announced that the 2020 NWSL regular season and playoffs have been canceled.
Challenge Cup
Preliminary round
Preliminary round standings
Knockout round
Fall Series
Standings
Appearances and goals
|colspan="16" |Goalkeepers:
|colspan="16" |Defenders:
|colspan="16" |Midfielders:
|colspan="16" |Forwards:
|colspan="16" |Players who left the team during the season:
|colspan="16" |Own goals for:
Transfers For incoming transfers, dates listed are when OL Reign officially signed the players to the roster. Transactions where only the rights to the players are acquired (e.g., draft picks) are not listed. For outgoing transfers, dates listed are when OL Reign officially removed the players from its roster, not when they signed with another team. If a player later signed with another team, her new team will be noted, but the date listed here remains the one when she was officially removed from the OL Reign roster.
Transfers in DatePlayerPosSigned FromNotesRef January 22, 2020 Dani Weatherholt MF Orlando Pride Traded in exchange for the team's natural second-round pick in the 2021 NWSL College Draft March 4, 2020 Julia Ashley DF Adelaide United Free March 4, 2020 Amber Brooks DF Adelaide United Free March 4, 2020 Sofia Huerta FW Sydney FC Free March 6, 2020 Kelcie Hedge MF Santa Clara Broncos Free March 17, 2020 Shirley Cruz MF Alajuelense Free May 22, 2020 Nicole Momiki FW Nippon TV Beleza Free June 1, 2020 Adrienne Jordan DF Birmingham City Free June 23, 2020 Carly Nelson GK Utah Utes Signed to short-term agreement June 23, 2020 Machaela George DF Santa Clara Broncos Signed as National Team Replacement Player June 23, 2020 Madison Hammond DF Wake Forest Demon Deacons Free June 23, 2020 Mariah Lee FW FF Lugano Signed to short-term agreement June 23, 2020 Leah Pruitt FW North Carolina Courage Claimed off waivers August 16, 2020 Rose Lavelle MF Washington Spirit Traded in exchange for the team's natural first-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, $100,000 in allocation money, and conditional allocation money September 4, 2020 Kimberly Hazlett DF Portland Pilots Signed to short-term agreement September 4, 2020 Sam Hiatt DF Stanford Cardinal Signed to short-term agreement September 4, 2020 Miranda Nild FW Gintra Universitetas Signed to short-term agreement September 10, 2020 Carly Nelson GK OL Reign Signed to short-term agreement
Draft picks Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as incoming transfers. Only trades involving draft picks and executed on the day of the 2020 NWSL College Draft will be listed in the notes.
PlayerPosPrevious TeamNotesRef Kelcie Hedge MF Santa Clara Broncos Round 1, Pick 9 (9th overall) Sam Hiatt DF Stanford Cardinal Round 4, Pick 6 (33rd overall) Meg Brandt MF Nebraska Cornhuskers Round 4, Pick 7 (34th overall); pick acquired from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the rights to Christen Westphal
Transfers out DatePlayerPosDestination TeamNotesRef November 4, 2019 Scout Watson GK Team option not exercised November 4, 2019 Jaycie Johnson FW Kansas City Team option not exercised November 4, 2019 Lydia Williams GK Melbourne City Free November 27, 2019 Theresa Nielsen DF Brøndby Free January 16, 2020 Christen Westphal DF Portland Thorns Traded in exchange for the 34th overall pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft January 17, 2020 Ifeoma Onumonu FW Sky Blue FC Traded in exchange for the rights to Julia Ashley January 22, 2020 Schuyler DeBree DF Player Elected Leave; retired on June 23 January 22, 2020 Morgan Proffitt MF Retired January 22, 2020 Addison Steiner FW Waived February 3, 2020 Shea Groom FW Houston Dash Traded, along with Megan Oyster and a conditional second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, in exchange for the rights to Amber Brooks and Sofia Huerta February 3, 2020 Megan Oyster DF Houston Dash Traded, along with Shea Groom and a conditional second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, in exchange for the rights to Amber Brooks and Sofia Huerta February 10, 2020 Bev Yanez MF California Storm Retired February 13, 2020 Sammy Jo Prudhomme GK Waived March 4, 2020 Rumi Utsugi MF Tokyo Verdy Beleza Free May 27, 2020 Steph Catley DF Arsenal Elected not to return July 31, 2020 Carly Nelson GK OL Reign Out of contract July 31, 2020 Mariah Lee FW Celtic Out of contract August 4, 2020 Jodie Taylor FW Lyon Undisclosed August 12, 2020 Adrienne Jordan DF UDG Tenerife Free August 18, 2020 Rose Lavelle MF Manchester City Free
Loans in StartEndPlayerPosParent TeamNotesRef June 16, 2020 July 31, 2020 Alana Cook DF Paris Saint-Germain For the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup
Loans out StartEndPlayerPosDestination TeamNotesRef November 4, 2019 March 22, 2020 Lauren Barnes DF Melbourne City For the 2019–20 W-League season November 4, 2019 March 22, 2020 Steph Catley DF Melbourne City For the 2019–20 W-League season November 5, 2019 March 15, 2020 Darian Jenkins FW Melbourne Victory For the 2019–20 W-League season November 7, 2019 March 1, 2020 Celia Jiménez Delgado DF Perth Glory For the 2019–20 W-League season November 7, 2019 March 1, 2020 Morgan Andrews MF Perth Glory For the 2019–20 W-League season August 12, 2020 December 31, 2020 Quinn MF Vittsjö August 14, 2020 November 30, 2020 Lauren Barnes DF Kristianstad August 14, 2020 November 30, 2020 Nicole Momiki FW Linköping August 19, 2020 April 5, 2021 Jess Fishlock MF Reading August 28, 2020 December 31, 2020 Machaela George DF Fortuna Hjørring August 28, 2020 February 28, 2021 Darian Jenkins FW Bordeaux September 23, 2020 February 28, 2021 Celia Jiménez Delgado DF Lyon
New contracts DatePlayerPosNotesRef November 4, 2019 Sammy Jo Prudhomme GK Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Casey Murphy GK Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Steph Catley DF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Steph Cox DF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Schuyler DeBree DF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Celia Jiménez Delgado DF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Kristen McNabb DF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Megan Oyster DF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Taylor Smith DF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Morgan Andrews MF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Allie Long MF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Quinn MF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Rosie White MF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Bev Yanez MF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Morgan Proffitt MF Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Shea Groom FW Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Darian Jenkins FW Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Megan Rapinoe FW Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Addison Steiner FW Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Jodie Taylor FW Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Bethany Balcer FW Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Ifeoma Onumonu FW Team option exercised November 4, 2019 Jasmyne Spencer FW Team option exercised January 22, 2020 Jodie Taylor FW Signed to a new contract February 10, 2020 Jess Fishlock MF Re-signed February 13, 2020 Lauren Barnes DF Re-signed February 25, 2020 Bethany Balcer FW Signed to a new contract March 5, 2020 Michelle Betos GK Re-signed August 12, 2020 Machaela George DF Signed to a standard contract August 12, 2020 Quinn MF Signed to a new contract August 28, 2020 Darian Jenkins FW Re-signed
Awards
FIFA FIFPro Women's World 11
Megan Rapinoe: World 11 Shirley Cruz: shortlisted
BBC Women's Footballer of the Year Megan Rapinoe (nominee)
Women's International Champions Cup
Best XI: Megan Rapinoe
References
External links