Reign captain Lauren Barnes retiring at end of season

Seattle Reign FC captain Lauren Barnes will retire at the end of the 2025 NWSL season, the club announced Monday.

The 36-year-old defender will play her final regular-season match Friday at Lumen Field in Seattle against the Utah Royals.

With the Reign since the club's inception in 2013, Barnes is the league's all-time leader in games (250), starts (238) and minutes (20,940).

"From day one, Seattle has been home," Barnes said. "I've grown up here -- as a player, a leader and a person. I'm incredibly proud of what we've built and the culture we've created. To have spent my entire professional career with this club, in this city, surrounded by the people I love, is something truly special. I'm so grateful to my teammates, coaches, staff and our fans who have supported me through every season. This chapter of my life has been a dream, and I'm excited to take it all in one last time with my Reign family."

Barnes was the 2016 NWSL Defender of the Year and made the NWSL Best XI first team in 2015 and 2016. She led the Reign to three NWSL Shields in 2014, 2015 and 2022.

"Lu has been the heartbeat of this club since the very beginning," Reign coch Laura Harvey said. "She has been the glue that has held us together through the ups and the downs. Everything about who we are, whether it's our standards, our values or our resilience, Lu has her fingerprints on it all. Throughout her legendary career, Lu has been authentic, selfless and a leader on and off the pitch. It's been an honor to be a part of her journey, and her legacy will be felt here for generations."

"What makes Lu so rare isn't just her longevity or her records, it's her humanity," general manager Lesle Gallimore added. "She's been a leader, a role model and a constant source of strength for this club and the community. You simply don't see players spend their entire career in one city anymore, and that loyalty speaks volumes about who she is and what Seattle means to her."

--Field Level Media