Photo Credit: Bella Munson | The Equalizer
SEATTLE — Lauren Barnes spent 13 years anchoring the Reign back line. She retired as a club and National Women’s Soccer League legend, with a league-record 252 appearances and 21,110 minutes played, all for Seattle. On November 7, 2025, she played her final professional minutes. Now, she is back with the team she helped build, but this time as an assistant coach through the end of the 2026 season.
“It’s been kind of a crazy last six months,” Barnes said of the transition. “I’m just excited to be back. It’s obviously home; it’s been home for a really long time. So, different capacity, different role, different lens, so super excited about that, to get started and have a taste of what this side looks like. I feel like, as captain, you kind of get to see both sides of it, but you just get to see it, whereas now I kind of get to live both sides of it.”
The opportunity came about from the departure of assistant coach Lee Nguyen, who accepted the role of First Team Manager and Technical Director with Dallas Trinity FC of the Gainbridge Super League. Nguyen, a former professional himself, was in his second season with the Reign.
Reign head coach Laura Harvey said she had already been thinking about tweaking the role to focus more on individual player development, as the team’s young roster needs and development on top of tactics and strategy to execute. Nguyen leaving presented Harvey with the opportunity to make that change.
“For me, there was no better person to come and take that on than Lu,” Harvey said. “She knows the players, she knows me and the things that we care about from a coaching perspective … It just seemed like a really seamless transition to bring somebody in who could hit the ground running real quick.”
It is important to Harvey and the club that Barnes hits the ground running, because they don’t have a lot of time. Games are coming hard and fast, and it is easier to focus on individual player development when games are spread out. “To have somebody that’s dedicated to being in charge of that and pushing us as coaching staff to commit to that was something that I felt we needed,” Harvey said.
Barnes’s value partially comes from the fact that she spent her entire NWSL career with the Reign. “She knows the ins and outs of this club better than most people ever could,” Harvey said. The coach sees the “top human being” bringing some of the things that have been lacking in the team environment and bridging the gap between an older coaching staff and a younger roster.
“I think she’s going to be a brilliant conduit between the players and staff,” Harvey said. “I think the players will say things to her that they may not say to me, and then it’s Lu’s job to articulate that in a way where we can help develop these players as best as we possibly can.”
Barnes’ former teammates are similarly excited to have her back.
“I think she’s just a wealth of knowledge,” said defender Phoebe McClernon, who played four seasons alongside Barnes. “To get her tactical mind, and her tactical feedback on a day-to-day basis, especially in a player development role, where we can actually get into the weeds with stuff, whereas historically, when I’ve been playing with her, it’s kind of been like this is what this game needs, not like this is what Phoebe needs for her development …
“I think soccer is a better place when Lu Barnes is involved with it,” she continued. “So I think we’re all pretty grateful to have her back.”
While Barnes doesn’t have much coaching experience, she makes up for it with her immense professional experience.
“I think getting somebody in who, one, knows the club, knows the history of the club, knows what it takes and what is needed to be successful at this club is super important. But also having someone who has such a great level of experience of the women’s game and of this league is also hugely impactful for us, for anyone really,” fellow Reign original Jess Fishlock said. “What Lu represents in terms of experience, knowledge, game understanding, management in this league — this league is unforgiving, it is relentless, and it takes a lot of work on and off the field. And getting people in who understand that at a high level is very important for any club in this league.”
It could be awkward coaching players she was teammates with just six months ago; some, like Fishlock, were teammates for many years. But Fishlock doesn’t think there will be any issues. Fishlock herself is coaching her former teammates as an assistant coach for the Wales’ women’s national team.
“If anything, I think it’s helpful that she knows people because she has a better understanding of them already. She doesn’t need to take time to build relationships; they’re already built,” Fishlock said. “She’s a leader, and she led for so long. The only difference right now is she’s not your peer; she is a coach, you know, so you need to listen a little bit more.”
Fishlock thinks Barnes will be able to say more in her new role, things you probably couldn’t or wouldn’t want to say to a teammate. She will also be able to see the game differently, no longer focused on just the back line; her opinion and knowledge will be able to affect the entire group. And because she experienced so much in her professional career, she will be able to help mentally.
“I think I have this perspective of what they’re going through emotionally, physically, the demands of what we go through. I can sympathize. I can empathize. I’m there, I’ve been that and now I can fully share that probably with technical staff,” Barnes said. “I think I will be able to, one, be direct and honest, because I’ve been there and I know what players want to hear and what they need. And then being able to also coach … I can at least be in those conversations to really help navigate that and find these pathways where we can continue to grow and move forward. And I do think that’s going to be a big role for me.”
Barnes acknowledged that boundaries will change with her title, but feels everything else is the same as it’s been — at least as long as she was captain.
“Being a captain … it’s a lot of coaching, it’s a lot of managing, it’s a lot of not worrying about yourself but everyone else, and I think that’s exactly what a coaching role is — you are doing everything in your power to get these girls ready to be successful,” Barnes said. “My relationships with players, that doesn’t change, but I get to now be in a different light for them. Which I think, honestly, could probably be more impactful now than it was while I was playing because now it’s my sole focus.”
Barnes will approach this opportunity the same way she approached the game throughout her career, with a constant desire and drive to improve. She would like to argue that we are never truly ready for anything, this coaching role included, but then it becomes about practice, repetition, making mistakes and fixing them.
“I think what’s great is that … it’s probably the easiest place to make mistakes and be able to still be successful and have the best people around you to support you and help me through this journey,” Barnes said. “I’ve been in this world for so long that, yes, a part of me is definitely ready. The coaching side, there’ll be nuances that I have to learn and details I have to learn, and, like I said, there’s no better place to do that than here for me.”
