# 2025 San Diego Wave FC season

The 2025 San Diego Wave FC season will be the team's fourth season as a professional women's soccer team. Based in San Diego, California, United States, San Diego Wave FC plays in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.

## Background

At the start of 2024, the Wave kicked off the season on a positive note, winning the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup 1–0 over 2023 champion NJ/NY Gotham FC. However, the Wave failed to replicate their successes from 2022 and 2023, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in club history and finishing in 10th place overall. The team was also knocked out during the group stages of both the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and the 2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup. The Wave also underwent several coaching changes, firing Casey Stoney after a poor run of form and replacing her with interim coaches Paul Buckle and later, Landon Donovan.
2024 also featured a large amount of off-the-field changes. Ron Burkle sold the team to new owners Arthur Levine and Lauren Leichtman at a record-breaking fee of $113 million. Camille Levin Ashton came in as general manager, replacing former GM Molly Downtain. In December 2024, president Jill Ellis left her role at the Wave to join FIFA as chief football officer. Ellis and the club had previously been accused by former Wave employees of fostering an abusive workplace environment, a claim which Ellis had refuted. Five former employees later filed a lawsuit against the Wave and the NWSL, alleging discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.

## Summary
### Preseason

The Wave announced multiple staff changes in early preseason. On November 18, the club revealed that interim coach Landon Donovan would not be returning to the club in 2025, leaving a vacancy in the head coach role. On November 3, the Wave announced another change, with club president Jill Ellis stepping down from her position in order to become FIFA Chief of Football.
On December 10, the Wave announced their first offseason move, trading longtime defender Christen Westphal to the Houston Dash in exchange for $14,000 of NWSL allocation money and a 2025 international roster spot. The same day, the club revealed its end-of-year roster decisions, listing Amirah Ali, Hillary Beall, Elyse Bennett, Kyra Carusa, Danielle Colaprico, and Morgan Messner as free agents. While the Wave opted to exercise its mutual option with Swedish defender Hanna Lundkvist, no comment was made in regards to forward Kyra Carusa's 2025 player option. The Wave later announced on social media that Ali, Bennett, Colaprico, and Messner would all be leaving the club and exploring other opportunities in NWSL free agency. The club continued to make offseason moves, signing UCLA defender Quincy McMahon on December 13 and re-signing Hillary Beall on December 23. Three days into 2025, the Wave announced that the club had agreed on a mutual contract termination with midfielder Emily van Egmond.
New developments in the Wave's legal battle arrived on January 6, featuring a sixth former employee joining the set of plaintiffs suing the club. The employee alleged sexual harassment perpetrated by her then-supervisor. In other non-player news, the Wave announced the hiring of Swedish manager Jonas Eidevall as the club's head coach one day later. Eidevall had last managed Arsenal W.F.C. before resigning from his post in October 2024.
On January 13, the club signed Nigerian forward Chiamaka Okwuchukwu. The next day, the Wave honored a trade request by Jaedyn Shaw, sending her to the North Carolina Courage in exchange for $300,000 in allocation money, $150,000 in intra-league transfer funds, an international roster slot for the next two years, and additional fees pending conditions met. Another piece of news rolled on on January 15, with German midfielder Gia Corley joining the club on a two-year contract. The Wave's third incoming in a matter of days was announced on January 16, featuring the signing of North Carolina Tar Heels defender Trinity Armstrong to a multi-year deal. The Wave then announced the signings of Sintia Cabezas, Favour Emmanuel, and DiDi Haračić, all on January 20. Cabezas was immediately loaned out to USL Super League team Lexington SC for the duration of the season. On January 21, the Wave's preseason roster was released. While no non-roster invitees were included, the announcement did note the activation of Kyra Carusa's contract option. The club signed French midfielder Kenza Dali to a two-year contract on January 24. On January 26, the club announced the transfer of Naomi Girma to Chelsea for a world-record fee. Girma's departure had been rumored by various outlets in the days and weeks leading up to the completion of the deal.
The Wave played their first preseason match of the year on February 10, a 3–2 victory against the Utah Royals in Chula Vista. The team then travelled to the Coachella Valley Invitational, where they played to a 0–0 draw with the Houston Dash and later earned a 1–0 win over Bay FC. During the Coachella Valley Invitational, the team also loaned out Canadian forward Mya Jones to AFC Toronto.
On February 24, the club signed Adriana Leon from Aston Villa to a two-year contract. On March 5, Kaitlyn Torpey was traded to Portland Thorns FC in exchange for $10,000 in intra-league transfer funds, although the currency could change to $15,000 in allocation money pending conditions met. The Wave released their final roster on March 12, including the addition of short-term players Jordan Fusco and Nya Harrison.

### March
## Team
### Coaching staff

    As of March 17, 2025.
| Position | Staff |
| Head coach | Jonas Eidevall |
| Assistant Coach | Becki Tweed |
| Assistant Coach | Jack Jensen |
| Head of Goalkeeping | Kenneth Mattsson |

### Current squad

    As of March 13, 2025
| No. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Since | Previous team | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| 1 | Kailen Sheridan (captain) | (1995-07-16)July 16, 1995 (aged 29) | 2022 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | – |
| 22 | Hillary Beall | (1999-01-27)January 27, 1999 (aged 26) | 2024 | Western United | – |
| 31 | DiDi Haračić | (1992-04-12)April 12, 1992 (aged 32) | 2025 | Angel City FC | – |
| Defenders |||||||
| 3 | Trinity Armstrong | (2007-07-25)July 25, 2007 (aged 17) | 2025 | North Carolina Tar Heels | – |
| 6 | Hanna Lundkvist | (2002-07-17)July 17, 2002 (aged 22) | 2024 | Atlético Madrid | INT |
| 12 | Kennedy Wesley | (2001-03-08)March 8, 2001 (aged 24) | 2024 | Stanford Cardinal | – |
| 14 | Kristen McNabb | (1994-04-17)April 17, 1994 (aged 30) | 2022 | OL Reign | – |
| 23 | Nya Harrison | (2002-11-09)November 9, 2002 (aged 22) | 2025 | Stanford Cardinal | STC |
| 34 | Quincy McMahon | (2002-09-26)September 26, 2002 (aged 22) | 2025 | UCLA Bruins | – |
| 75 | Perle Morroni | (1997-10-15)October 15, 1997 (aged 27) | 2024 | Lyon | INT |
| Midfielders |||||||
| 10 | Kenza Dali | (1991-07-31)July 31, 1991 (aged 33) | 2025 | Aston Villa | INT |
| 11 | Gia Corley | (2002-05-20)May 20, 2002 (aged 22) | 2025 | TSG Hoffenheim | – |
| 17 | Kimmi Ascanio | (2008-01-21)January 21, 2008 (aged 17) | 2024 | Florida United | U18 |
| 21 | Savannah McCaskill | (1996-07-31)July 31, 1996 (aged 28) | 2024 | Angel City FC | – |
| 24 | Favour Emmanuel | (2002-09-07)September 7, 2002 (aged 22) | 2025 | Lokomotiv Moscow | INT |
| 28 | Jordan Fusco | (2003-09-11)September 11, 2003 (aged 21) | 2025 | Penn State Nittany Lions | STC |
| Forwards |||||||
| 5 | Trinity Byars | (2003-01-29)January 29, 2003 (aged 22) | 2024 | Texas Longhorns | |
| 7 | María Sánchez | (1996-02-20)February 20, 1996 (aged 29) | 2024 | Houston Dash | – |
| 8 | Chiamaka Okwuchukwu | (2005-08-07)August 7, 2005 (aged 19) | 2025 | Rivers Angels F.C. | INT |
| 9 | Adriana Leon | (1992-10-02)October 2, 1992 (aged 32) | 2025 | Aston Villa | INT |
| 15 | Makenzy Robbe | (1994-02-05)February 5, 1994 (aged 31) | 2022 | Chicago Red Stars | – |
| 19 | Kyra Carusa | (1995-11-14)November 14, 1995 (aged 29) | 2023 | London City Lionesses | – |
| 20 | Delphine Cascarino | (1997-02-05)February 5, 1997 (aged 28) | 2024 | Lyon | INT |
| 25 | Melanie Barcenas | (2007-10-30)October 30, 2007 (aged 17) | 2023 | San Diego Surf SC | U18 |
* ↑ denotes a season-ending injury.

#### Out on loan

| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
| 18 | FW | Mya Jones (loaned to AFC Toronto) | Canada |
| — | DF | Sintia Cabezas (loaned to Lexington SC) | Colombia |

### International slots

The Wave currently possess nine international roster slots.
| No. | Status | Player | Notes |
| 7 baseline slots ||||||
| 1 | Occupied | Delphine Cascarino | |
| 2 | Occupied | Kenza Dali | |
| 3 | Occupied | Favour Emmanuel | |
| 4 | Occupied | Adriana Leon | |
| 5 | Occupied | Hanna Lundkvist | |
| 6 | Occupied | Chiamaka Okwuchukwu | |
| 7 | Occupied | Perle Morroni | |
| Acquired slots ||||||
| 8 | Unoccupied | | 2025 slot from the Houston Dash |
| 9 | Unoccupied | | 2025 + 2026 slot from the North Carolina Courage |
| Rostered international players not using a slot ||||||
| | Loaned out | Sintia Cabezas | On loan to Lexington SC through 2025 |
| | Loaned out | Mya Jones | On loan to AFC Toronto through 2025 |
| | US Resident | Kyra Carusa | United States citizen |
| | US Resident | Gia Corley | United States citizen |
| | US Resident | DiDi Haračić | Established residency (Green Card) |
| | US Resident | María Sánchez | United States citizen |
| | US Resident | Kailen Sheridan | Established residency (Green Card) |

## Competitions

Win  Draw  Loss

### Regular season
#### Regular-season standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 7 | Angel City FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Playoffs |
| 8 | Bay FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Playoffs |
| 9 | San Diego Wave FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 | Utah Royals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 11 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: NWSLsoccer.com

##### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Ground | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A |
| Result | D | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Position | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* ↑ SAN's position at the end of the day on which their match was played.

## Statistics

    As of match played March 16, 2025

### Appearances

Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | NWSL | NWSL | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | GK | CAN | Kailen Sheridan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | GK | USA | Hillary Beall | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | BIH | DiDi Haračić | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 3 | DF | USA | Trinity Armstrong | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | SWE | Hanna Lundkvist | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | USA | Kennedy Wesley | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | USA | Kristen McNabb | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | USA | Nya Harrison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | DF | USA | Quincy McMahon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 75 | DF | FRA | Perle Morroni | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 10 | MF | FRA | Kenza Dali | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | GER | Gia Corley | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | USA | Kimmi Ascanio | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | USA | Savannah McCaskill | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | NGA | Favour Emmanuel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | USA | Jordan Fusco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 5 | FW | USA | Trinity Byars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | MEX | María Sánchez | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | NGA | Chiamaka Okwuchukwu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | CAN | Adriana Leon | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | USA | Makenzy Robbe | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | IRL | Kyra Carusa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | FRA | Delphine Cascarino | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | USA | Melanie Barcenas | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players away from the club on loan: ||||||||||
| 18 | FW | CAN | Mya Jones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| — | DF | COL | Sintia Cabezas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goalscorers

| Rank | No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Playoffs | Total |
| 1 | 11 | MF | | Gia Corley | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 1 | 0 | 1 |

### Assists

| Rank | No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Playoffs | Total |
| 1 | 20 | FW | | Delphine Cascarino | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 1 | 0 | 1 |

### Disciplinary record

| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | NWSL | NWSL | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Total | Total | Total |
| 7 | FW | | María Sánchez | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | | Gia Corley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | | Kennedy Wesley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |

## Transactions

For incoming transfers, dates listed are when San Diego Wave FC officially signed the players to the roster. Transactions where only the rights to the players are acquired are not listed. For outgoing transfers, dates listed are when San Diego Wave FC officially removed the players from its roster, not when they signed with another team. If a player later signed with another team, their new team will be noted, but the date listed here remains the one when she was officially removed from the San Diego Wave FC roster.

### Contract operations

Contract options :
| Date | Player | Pos. | Notes | Ref. |
| December 10, 2024 | Hanna Lundkvist | DF | Mutual option exercised. | |
| January 21, 2025 | Kyra Carusa | FW | Player option exercised. | |
Re-signings :
| Date | Player | Pos. | Notes | Ref. |
| October 24, 2024 | Kristen McNabb | DF | Re-signed to a two-year contract through 2026. | |
| December 23, 2024 | Hillary Beall | GK | Re-signed to a one-year contract through 2025. | |

### Loans out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| January 20, 2025 | Sintia Cabezas | DF | Lexington SC | Loaned through the 2025 NWSL season. | |
| February 17, 2025 | Mya Jones | FW | AFC Toronto | Loaned through the 2025 NWSL season. | |

### Transfers in

| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| December 13, 2024 | Quincy McMahon | DF | UCLA Bruins | Free agent rookie signed to a three-year contract through 2027. |
| January 13, 2025 | Chiamaka Okwuchukwu | FW | Rivers Angels F.C. | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a one-year contract through 2025. |
| January 15, 2025 | Gia Corley | MF | TSG Hoffenheim | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a two-year contract through 2026. |
| January 16, 2025 | Trinity Armstrong | DF | North Carolina Tar Heels | Free agent rookie signed to a three-year contract through 2027. |
| January 20, 2025 | Sintia Cabezas | DF | América de Cali | Signed to a two-year contract through 2026. |
| January 20, 2025 | Favour Emmanuel | MF | Lokomotiv Moscow | Signed to a two-year contract through 2026 with a mutual option. |
| January 20, 2025 | DiDi Haračić | GK | Angel City FC | Free agent signed to a one-year contract through 2025. |
| January 24, 2025 | Kenza Dali | MF | Aston Villa | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a two-year contract through 2026. |
| February 24, 2025 | Adriana Leon | FW | Aston Villa | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a two-year contract through 2026 with a mutual option. |
| March 12, 2025 | Jordan Fusco | MF | Penn State Nittany Lions | Preseason trialists signed to short-term contracts through June 2025. |
| March 12, 2025 | Nya Harrison | DF | Stanford Cardinal | Preseason trialists signed to short-term contracts through June 2025. |

### Transfers out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| December 10, 2024 | Christen Westphal | DF | Houston Dash | Traded in exchange for a 2025 international roster slot and $14,000 in allocation money, plus performance-based incentives. |
| December 10, 2024 | Amirah Ali | FW | Valencia CF | Out of contract. |
| December 10, 2024 | Elyse Bennett | FW | Deportivo de La Coruña | Out of contract. |
| December 10, 2024 | Danielle Colaprico | MF | Houston Dash | Out of contract. |
| December 10, 2024 | Morgan Messner | GK | Portland Thorns FC | Out of contract. |
| January 3, 2025 | Emily van Egmond | MF | Birmingham City | Mutual contract termination. |
| January 14, 2025 | Jaedyn Shaw | FW | North Carolina Courage | Traded in exchange for $300,000 in allocation money, $150,000 in intra-league transfer funds, an international roster slot for 2025 and 2026, and additional funds pending conditions met. |
| January 26, 2025 | Naomi Girma | DF | Chelsea | Transferred in exchange for a world record fee of $1.1 million. |
| March 5, 2025 | Kaitlyn Torpey | DF | Portland Thorns FC | Traded in exchange for either $10,000 in intra-league transfer funds or $15,000 in allocation money, pending conditions met. |

### Injury listings

| Date | Player | Pos. | List | Injury | Ref. |
| March 12, 2025 | Trinity Byars | FW | Season-ending injury | Knee injury suffered with the Texas Longhorns on September 1, 2024. | |

### Preseason trialists

Trialists are non-rostered invitees during preseason and are not automatically signed. The Wave's preseason roster, which was released on January 21, 2025, initially did not list any non-rostered invitees. However, on January 30, former college players Jordan Fusco and Caroline Kelly were announced as trialists. Additionally, during the Coachella Valley Invitational, preseason trialists Pearl Cecil, Nya Harrison, Simone Jackson, and Jaiden Rodriguez competed for the Wave.
| Player | Pos. | Previous club | Status |
| Pearl Cecil | DF | San Diego Surf SC | U18 trialist not signed. |
| Jordan Fusco | MF | Penn State Nittany Lions | Signed. |
| Nya Harrison | DF | Stanford Cardinal | Signed. |
| Simone Jackson | FW | USC Trojans | Not signed. |
| Caroline Kelly | FW | TCU Horned Frogs | Not signed. |
| Jaiden Rodriguez | MF | San Diego Surf SC | U18 trialist not signed. |