May 19 , 2026 Episode Summary

The Forecast is a weekly Seattle-based women’s sports show on KBRU 105.7 FM and KVRU.org, hosted by independent journalist Maggie Mertens with producer Jeff Scott Shaw, opens with recaps of a difficult week for local teams, including the OL Reign’s 2–0 home loss to Gotham FC that extended a scoreless streak to five matches and highlighted both Gotham’s star-studded roster and Seattle’s offensive struggles and sparse home attendance. The hosts preview the Reign’s upcoming road trip to Boston, Washington, and North Carolina before a July 12 home match against the Portland Thorns, and discuss efforts to energize fans and the Royal Guard supporters’ section.

They then break down the Seattle Storm’s back-to-back losses, including a close defeat to the Toronto Tempo that doubled as the Tempo’s first franchise win, and a loss to the Indiana Fever. The conversation emphasizes the Storm’s incomplete roster—missing Ezi Magbegor, Katie Lou Samuelson, and No. 2 draft pick Awa Fam—and the heavy load on rookie Dom Malonga, who suffered a head injury and entered concussion protocol, as well as the development arcs of young players like Flau’jae Johnson and Jordan Horston.

College coverage includes the end of the University of Washington softball season at the Fayetteville Regional, where a young Huskies team beat Fordham but twice lost to South Florida, prompting reflection on recent regional exits and optimism about next year if the roster stays intact. The show also celebrates UW women’s track and field finishing fourth at the Big Ten Championships with their highest conference point total since 1998, highlighting medals from Julia David-Smith (5,000m), Ashley Schroeder (javelin), Chloe Thomas (10,000m), and record-breaking pole vault performances by twin sisters Hanna and Amanda Moll.

In the “hot take” segment, Mertens critiques the media’s fixation on Caitlin Clark as the singular driver of WNBA growth, arguing that league popularity was already rising and that Clark’s narrative eclipses other stars and historical contributors. She acknowledges Clark’s strong early-season performances—including a 21-point, 10-assist, 7-rebound outing against the Storm and multiple 20-point/10-assist double-doubles—while contrasting Clark’s college statistics with those of Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, and others to show that Clark’s shooting and playmaking are impressive but not unprecedented.

The episode’s featured interview brings back journalist Susie Rantz of Sounder at Heart to dissect the Reign’s offensive drought. Rantz explains that after a promising start in temporary Spokane “home” matches, the team has slid into what could become a historic NWSL scoreless run, with current minutes without a goal approaching a previous Reign drought and still short of the league record held by the Washington Spirit. She identifies issues less with pure finishing and more with chance creation and progression from midfield to the final third, noting that forwards like Mia Fishel, Maddie Dallin, and Emeri Adames are not consistently being found in dangerous positions, especially in the absence of injured playmaker Jess Fishlock.

Rantz describes head coach Laura Harvey’s approach of focusing training on opponent-specific game plans rather than overemphasizing finishing, praising the Reign’s strong performance in a narrow loss to the Washington Spirit but criticizing their inability to execute a more direct, vertical strategy against Gotham’s high-press defense. She underscores the value of veteran “winning” experience—previously supplied by players like Fishlock and Lynn Biyendolo now on maternity leave—and points to captain Sofia Huerta’s leadership on the back line. Looking ahead, she notes that the upcoming NWSL summer transfer window and new high-impact player rules give the Reign financial and roster flexibility to add a key attacking or veteran presence after the World Cup break.

The show closes by previewing a dense Storm homestand against the Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics, the Reign’s final two matches before their break (at Boston and at Washington Spirit), and noting that the Seattle Tempest have qualified for playoffs while the Seattle Majestics have finished their season.

Episode Notes

0:00 - Weekly Sports Recap

25:05 - Maggie’s Hot Take

33:54 - Interview with Susie Rantz from Sounder at Heart

____________________________________________________________

Susie Rantz is a self proclaimed nerd, storyteller, and soccer fan. Susie writes mostly about the Seattle Reign and women’s soccer for Sounder At Heart : www.sounderatheart.com/author/susie/

____________________________________________________________

The Forecast is a Production of :

KVRU (https://www.kvru.org/shows/the-forecast/) & JEFFSCOTTSHAW

_____________________________________________________________

Executive Producer + Host // Maggie Mertens // Maggie@KVRU.org

Executive Producer // JEFFSCOTTSHAW // Jeff@KVRU.org

Additional Production Support Provided By // Crystal Fincher & Shannon Cheng & Maurice Jones Jr.