Seattle Reign FC will try to close the first half of the NWSL season with a result on Saturday when they visit the Washington Spirit at 3:30 PM PT. The match lands just before the league’s month-long June break, making it one of the last chances for both sides to bank points before play pauses.

For fans looking up Seattle Reign FC vs Washington Spirit now, the details are simple: the game will air on ION TV and stream free in the US through Ion on services including Tubi, Roku TV, Fire TV and Freevee. Seattle carry a 4-4-2 record into the match and sit ninth with a minus-2 goal differential, while Washington are fourth at 5-2-3 with a plus-8 mark.

The timing gives Seattle a chance to build on last weekend’s 2-1 win over the Boston Legacy, a result that ended a five-game winless streak. The Reign also know the task in front of them. They lost 1-0 to the Spirit in Seattle earlier this month, and Washington have won the past four meetings between the clubs.

That recent edge is what makes this trip more than a regular season fixture. Seattle are 14-13-8 all-time against Washington and have scored 48 goals while conceding 41 in the series, but their road record in the matchup stands at 4-7-3. The Spirit’s own form has been unsettled, too. Their eight-game undefeated streak in league play ended with a 2-1 road loss to the San Diego Wave two weekends ago, then they did not play a league match last weekend because of Concacaf W Champions Cup duty.

Both teams also go into the game with important absences. Lynn Biyendolo is out for Seattle because of maternity leave, and Jess Fishlock is sidelined with a lower leg injury. Washington are missing Ashley Hatch, Aubrey Kingsbury and Casey Krueger for the same reason. The Spirit’s cup run ended with a 5-3 loss to Club América in the final, but league points on Saturday are still the immediate issue, especially with the schedule about to go dark for a month to avoid conflict with the men’s World Cup group stage.

Seattle leave for the break with a chance to reset, but they first have to break Washington’s recent hold on the series. If the Reign cannot do that at 3:30 PM PT on Saturday, they will spend the pause looking at the same problem that has followed them into this matchup all month.