Seattle Reign fans gear up for a new era, minus Rapinoe and plus a new look

When the Seattle Reign kick off their 2024 season, the team and its fans will enter territory they haven't seen in many years — a season without Megan Rapinoe.

Hear Kim Malcom's full conversation with Cyd McFarland on Seattle Now

“I will always stay on the positive side for the Reign, and I think we can easily make it to the semi finals,” superfan Cyd McFarland said before pausing, thinking again.

“Maybe not 'easily.' It'll probably give me a heart attack or two throughout the season, but I think they can do it.”

RELATED: Meet the Royal Guard, the OL Reign's most dedicated supporters

The Reign's season starts with a home game Sunday, March 17, at 3 p.m. But McFarland will be there hours earlier. As a volunteer leader of the Royal Guard, the Reign’s official supporters, they’ll drive from Skagit County to set the stage at Lumen Field for a next era in the Reign dynasty.

Rapinoe’s absence is the biggest shake-up since the Reign lost in the Championship game of the National Women’s Soccer League last November. She spent 11 years with the team, making waves internationally on the U.S. women's soccer team. The Reign will retire her number 15 jersey at a game this August.

In Seattle, Rapinoe became a household name that drew large crowds. Roughly 34,000 fans packed Lumen Field for her retirement game, breaking the NWSL attendance record.

“Not having that huge name is kind of a bummer,” McFarland said. But the dramatic end to last season may have a lasting impact. “I'm hoping that we showed what we're kind of about and that we were able to capitalize on the last of [Rapino’s] glory. And that was a gift she could leave us… a couple thousand extra fans for this year.”

Star Rose Lavelle also left during the off season, jumping ship to New-Jersey-based Gotham F.C., who beat the Reign in the NWSL Championship last year.

But the last few months have also brought positive change. McFarland lauded the growth of younger Reign players who have upped their game over the last year and pointed to three key additions: Welsh National Team players Angharad James and Lily Woodham and South Korean midfielder Ji So-yun.

“We didn't get a whole lot of new players this season, but who we did get are really quality and really interesting. I'm so excited to see how they are all going to come together as a group. I think that has been a strong suit of the Reign,” McFarland said.

The team is also playing under a new name, new colors and a new logo. That change is thanks to the current ownership — French club Olympique Lyonnais — selling the team, leaving its future up in the air at the end of last season. Many fans breathed a sigh of relief when media outlets reported the Seattle Sounders were in talks to buy the Reign.

Along with the announcement came a return to the Seattle Reign name and a redesign of an old crest. It features a blue woman — who many fans call the Queen or the Valkyrie — with a gold crown.

“It’s a little bit of history, it’s a little bit of nostalgia. But also, from a purely graphical and T-shirt wearing standpoint, that is just the coolest logo,” McFarland said. “We are so happy to have her back.”

RELATED: 'Forever Reign.' A celebration of Megan Rapinoe in Seattle

The changing lineup and new identity mean the Reign are entering a new era: One where their players may not make international headlines, and trips to the NWSL championship may be further out of reach. McFarland and the rest of the Royal Guard are optimistic that the team — and women’s soccer in general — will continue to grow, even as players come and go.

The numbers back them up. The Reign doubled its average attendance between 2022 and 2023. NWSL added two new teams this year, in San Jose and Salt Lake City. The United Soccer League, a different organization, is launching a less-competitive professional league in August (and one of the eight founding teams will play in Spokane).

“It is so exciting to see [women’s soccer] grow, and all I want it to do is grow because I want our players to be paid and be healthy and be taken care of,” McFarland said.

Still, they’ll miss some things about the days when only a few thousand attendees filled the stands at Lumen Field.

“We're very excited for this, but also there's a line for the bathroom [now].”