TLDR: Seattle Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey revealed she utilized OpenAI’s ChatGPT to develop a new defensive strategy, specifically a ‘back-five’ formation. This AI-suggested tactic led to a game win and contributed to the team’s significant improvement in the 2025 NWSL season, positioning them fourth in the league. Harvey emphasized using AI as a ‘sounding board’ to spark human research and decision-making, reflecting a growing trend of AI as an advisor across various industries.
In a groundbreaking move for professional soccer, Seattle Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey has publicly disclosed her use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to formulate a winning defensive strategy for the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season. The revelation came during an appearance on the ‘Soccerish Podcast’, where Harvey detailed her unconventional approach to tactical development.
Harvey, a three-time NWSL Coach of the Year, initially experimented with ChatGPT during the off-season, starting with broad inquiries such as ‘what is Seattle Reign’s identity?’ While not entirely satisfied with the initial generic responses, her curiosity deepened. She then posed a more specific question: ‘What formation should you play to beat NWSL teams?’ The AI chatbot responded by listing every team in the league with a suggested formation. Notably, for two specific opponents, ChatGPT recommended a ‘back-five’ – a defensive setup involving five players in the backline.
Unfamiliar with this particular strategy and having never implemented it in her coaching career, Harvey took the AI’s suggestion to her coaching staff. They conducted a thorough deep dive into the potential of the ‘back-five’ formation. ‘We liked it,’ Harvey stated, ‘And it worked — we won the game.’ While the specific opponent was not named, Harvey described them as ‘really good.’ The team has since incorporated the formation as a viable option during matches.
This innovative use of AI appears to have contributed significantly to the Reign’s improved performance in the 2025 NWSL season. After finishing second-bottom in 2024 with just six wins in 26 games, Seattle currently sits fourth in the NWSL standings with 38 points, a remarkable 15-point improvement over the previous year, heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The team first deployed the ‘back-five’ in April against Orlando Pride, a match they narrowly lost 1-0 but generated approximately 0.5 more expected goals than usual, according to women’s soccer analyst Kim McCauley.
Harvey emphasized that the AI did not provide a complete tactical blueprint. ‘It didn’t tell you how to play it, what to do in it or any of that stuff,’ she explained on the podcast. ‘But it was like, ‘This is what we would say to do.’ And I was like, ‘Hmm, interesting.’ And that was what spurred me to look into it. So then I really looked into it.’ This approach aligns with a broader industry trend where professionals are increasingly using AI tools like ChatGPT as ‘sounding boards’ – to explore ideas, test scenarios, and pressure-test strategies before making final decisions. OpenAI’s own research indicates a growing reliance on ChatGPT as an advisor rather than solely for task completion, suggesting it enhances worker output by providing decision support in knowledge-intensive roles.
The adoption of AI in sports tactics is not unique to Seattle Reign FC. Reports from 2024 indicate that Liverpool’s men’s team utilized an AI system called TacticAI for football tactics during corner kicks, analyzing over 7,000 Premier League corner kicks since 2020. Other prominent clubs such as Manchester City, Barcelona, and Brentford have also reportedly integrated AI into their men’s teams for various analytical purposes.
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Laura Harvey’s distinguished career includes managing Arsenal and Birmingham City, and serving as an assistant with the US women’s national team, in addition to her two stints as head coach for Seattle Reign FC (2013-2017 and since 2021). Her willingness to embrace AI as a strategic consultant marks a fascinating intersection of human expertise and artificial intelligence in modern sports management.
