Elli Reed, a Seattle Reign FC defender since the inaugural 2013 season, has announced her retirement as a professional soccer player. Reed plans to finish the remainder of the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season with Reign FC before closing out her soccer career.
“My five years with the Reign have been incredible and I will never forget them,” said Reed. “But it feels like to right time to move on and start the next chapter of my life. I am ready to settle down and focus on challenging myself and growing in new ways.”
Reed, 28, joined as a free agent in 2013 and has played all five NWSL seasons with Reign FC. The defender has appeared in 78 matches for the club, starting 60, and has tallied four assists.
“Elli’s been here since day one, and I can’t talk highly enough of what she’s meant to this club,” said Seattle Reign FC head coach and general manager Laura Harvey. “She’s a fantastic teammate, and proven that all the way through. Whether she’s played every minute, come off the bench, or not seen time she’s never changed. That’s a testament to who she is.”
After finishing second-to-last in the standings in 2013, Reed was part of Seattle’s back-to-back NWSL Shield winning seasons in 2014 and 2015. A critical player in the club’s NWSL record-setting shutout streak during the 2016 NWSL season, Reed started in four of the five matches in which Reign FC earned a clean sheet.
Prior to joining Reign FC, Reed began her career playing for the Boston Breakers in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), after being selected as the eighth overall pick of the 2011 WPS Draft. Reed appeared in nine matches, logging 579 minutes, and tallied one assist. After the WPS folded, Reed joined the Breakers in WPSL Elite, helping them win the regular season title with the game-winning goal over the Western New York Flash.
A standout from the University of Portland, Reed also played for FCR 2001 Duisburg in the German Frauen-Bundesliga in 2012, Kristianstads DFF in 2013, and Melbourne Victory in Australia’s Westfield W-League during the 2014 season.
“Elli loves everything about this club and she’s given everything to it,” said Harvey. “It’s hard to put into words what someone like that means. She’ll be remembered for all the positive things that she has done since day one, and going through all the ups and downs that this club has been through. I wish her all the best in the future.”
