After spending the first week of the season on the road, the Missouri Reign gear up for their first home game of the year on May 30. The match will be held at Marvin Owens Stadium against Junction FC and kickoff is at 5:00 p.m.

Junction FC have not played a game this year in the WPSL, making this their season opener. 

Head Coach Dakota Acock is ready to continue building team chemistry and setting a good foundation for the rest of the season.

“We had some tough early tests while we’re trying to establish our roster and I think our team did a really great job of adapting,” Acock said. “We also want to focus on enjoying development and getting better together.”

The Missouri Reign kicked off the 2026 season on the road against FC Pride on May 23, however, they suffered a 4-1 loss against the veteran squad.

The two teams were tied 1-1 heading into the second half, with Rebecca Rheinheimer scoring the Reign’s first goal of the season.

During the second half is when things fell apart. The first 8 minutes of the half saw three goals for FC Pride, which blew the game wide open. The Reign’s defense tightened up from that point on, although the damage had already been done, they finished the game with some heart.

The Missouri Reign's second game of the season on May 25 against Lou Fusz Athletic showed growth. The scrappy matchup which featured 5 yellow cards (3 for the Reign, 2 for Lou Fusz) ended in a 1-1 draw.

Rheinheimer once again scored the lone goal, and it came as an equalizer in the 59th minute.

Lou Fusz is a quality proven team in the division, as they finished in first place last season.  

These two games served as a learning experience for the Reign. According to Acock the team's communication is leading to better team chemistry. This is helping the team to figure out how to play together, along with giving the coaches a better idea at the teams depth.

“This week there’s been a focus on building on top of a good performance against Lou Fusz and correcting the mistakes we made against FC Pride,” Acock said. 

The more that the Reign play together, the easier it is to adjust throughout a game to counter different play styles from other teams, added Acock.  

Although the teams in the Gateway Division have not all played an even amount of games, the Reign sit in 3rd place following their two contests. 

After the game, stick around to watch AFC Columbia take on Southside FC in their first home game of the season as well.