Artificial intelligence is making its way into professional sports, including women’s soccer, as evidenced by its recent use in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). One of the league’s most experienced coaches, Laura Harvey, head coach of the Seattle Reign, openly shared how she experimented with ChatGPT during the offseason. Her exploration was driven partly by curiosity about the AI’s knowledge of women’s soccer and partly to seek tactical ideas for competing more effectively in the league.
During an interview on the “Soccerish Podcast,” Harvey described how she engaged with ChatGPT by inputting a range of questions—from broad inquiries about her team’s identity to very specific tactical prompts. She recounted typing, “What is Seattle Reign’s identity?” and receiving a detailed response from the AI. While she expressed some skepticism about the accuracy of the answers, the interaction piqued her interest. More intriguingly, when she asked, “What formation should you play to beat NWSL teams?” the AI provided a comprehensive list of recommended formations tailored to each opponent. Notably, for two teams, the AI suggested playing a back-five defense — a formation Harvey had never seriously considered before.
Harvey’s admission that she had never coached a back-five formation before this season sheds light on her openness to new tactical ideas. Traditionally, she had viewed the back-five setup as a defensive tactic mainly used to protect a lead late in the game, something often seen in men’s soccer but rarely implemented in women’s leagues. However, the AI’s suggestion encouraged her and her coaching staff to research the strategy more deeply and experiment with it in practice and games.
While Harvey did not reveal the exact details of the AI’s recommendations, the prompt about the back-five formation stuck with her enough to influence her coaching decisions. This led Seattle Reign to adopt the back-five in specific matches early in the season. A quick look at the season’s games confirms this: for example, in April, they played with five defenders in a narrow 1-0 loss against Orlando Pride. Then, in an important early-season win over Kansas City Current in May, the Reign again started with a back-five formation, securing a 1-0 victory.
Harvey was candid about sharing this story with her coaching staff, who found it “interesting” and decided to study the approach further. After conducting a deep dive into how the formation could be adapted for women’s soccer, they implemented it with some success. The use of a back-five formation made the team harder to break down defensively and contributed to some positive results on the field.
Later in the season, Seattle Reign lost 2-0 to Kansas City, who went on to clinch the 2025 NWSL Shield, the league’s regular-season title. Notably, the Reign started that particular game with a more traditional three-back defense rather than the back-five, highlighting their tactical flexibility. This fluidity in defensive setups has become a hallmark of Harvey’s coaching this season.
Despite initially using ChatGPT as a tool for brainstorming and curiosity, Harvey emphasized that the AI did not provide detailed tactical instructions or how to execute the back-five formation. Instead, it served as a spark for ideas, which Harvey and her staff then developed and translated into practical game plans. The Reign have alternated between using five-back, three-back, and standard four-back formations throughout the season, adapting to different opponents and game situations.
While adopting the back-five formation has not turned Seattle Reign into a prolific goal-scoring team, it has made them a challenging and frustrating opponent to face. Their defensive solidity and tactical adaptability helped them secure enough points to qualify for the NWSL playoffs. Currently, the Reign sit in fourth place heading into the final regular-season match, known as Decision Day.
Decision Day will see Seattle Reign face off against the third-place Orlando Pride, with both teams vying for the advantage of hosting a playoff game. The stakes are high: the winner could claim third place and a potentially easier path in the postseason, while the loser risks falling as low as seventh, depending on other league results. This final match encapsulates both the competitiveness of the league and the strategic chess match that coaches like Harvey navigate all season.
Harvey’s confidence in her team’s adaptability remains strong. She highlighted how the team has oscillated in and out of the back-five formation throughout the season, now moving fluidly between formations even within