566 days. That is how long had passed since the last time OL Reign played a match at Cheney Stadium in the presence of their fans. That was so long ago that back then the club was known as Reign FC. It was a gap no one could have ever imagined, but finally, OL Reign welcomed fans back to Cheney Stadium as they began their 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup campaign against the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup champions, Houston Dash.
The result was a scoreless draw for their first competitive match in 2021 in which they looked rusty in the first half but were able to settle down in the second half and establish some of their system and show flashes of what they can do on the attacking from.