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. [1] 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. [2] [3] The Wave also underwent several coaching changes, firing Casey Stoney after a poor run of form [4] and replacing her with interim coaches Paul Buckle and later, Landon Donovan. [5] [6]
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. [7] Camille Levin Ashton came in as general manager, replacing former GM Molly Downtain. [8] In December 2024, president Jill Ellis left her role at the Wave to join FIFA as chief football officer. [9] Ellis and the club had previously been accused by former Wave employees of fostering an abusive workplace environment, a claim which Ellis had refuted. [10] [11] Five former employees later filed a lawsuit against the Wave and the NWSL, alleging discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation. [12] [13]
Kit changes
On February 27, 2025, the Wave announced their new secondary kit, replacing 2024's 'Poderosa'. [14] The new jersey, named 'Altamar,' is a blue and teal kit that pays homage to the ocean's depths. [14] [15] The team also debuted a new pre-match top and goalkeeper kit. [14]
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. [16] [17] 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. [18] [19] 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. [20] [21] In other non-player news, the Wave announced the hiring of Swedish manager Jonas Eidevall as the club's head coach one day later. [22] Eidevall had last managed Arsenal W.F.C. before resigning from his post in October 2024. [23]
On December 10, the Wave announced their first offseason move, trading longtime defender Christen Westphal to the Houston Dash. [24] The club would also go on to see the departures of several other veteran players, including Emily van Egmond [25] and Danielle Colaprico. [26] [27] USWNT players Naomi Girma and Jaedyn Shaw moved on as well, with the Wave selling Girma to Chelsea for a world-record transfer fee. [28] [29] The Wave replaced their outgoings throughout the preseason by bringing in heavy doses of youth. College players Trinity Byars, Trinity Armstrong and Quincy McMahon were introduced to the team, [30] [31] as well as international talents including Gia Corley, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, and Favour Emmanuel. [32] [33] [34] The club rounded out preseason by bringing in foreign veterans Kenza Dali and Adriana Leon. [35] [36]
The Wave played their first preseason match of the year on February 10, a 3–2 victory against the Utah Royals in Chula Vista. [37] [38] The team then travelled to the Coachella Valley Invitational, where they played to a 0–0 draw with the Houston Dash [39] and later earned a 1–0 win over Bay FC. [40]
March
The Wave started off their 2025 campaign with a mixed bag of results, featuring a win, draw, and loss. In the team's season opener, they drew, 1–1, with rivals Angel City FC. Newcomer Gia Corley scored San Diego's only goal of the match, [41] and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan subsequently won the NWSL Save of the Week after stopping a shot from Claire Emslie in the first half. [42] The next game, San Diego's home opener, was a 3–2 defeat over the Utah Royals that featured two assists from Delphine Cascarino and another goal from Corley (the latter of whom later won NWSL Player of the Week honors). [43] [44]
Prior to the Wave's final match of the month, the team signed Colombian international Daniela Arias to a two-year contract. [45] On March 29, they conceded a 2–1 defeat to reigning champions Orlando Pride, the final match before the international window. Nigerian forward Chiamaka Okwuchukwu scored a goal in her debut, but it was not enough to salvage a point from the game. [46] At the end of March, Gia Corley was included in the NWSL Team of the Month after her performance in the first three games of the year. [47]
April
Returning from the international break, the Wave lost their second game in a row, conceding two unanswered goals at home to the undefeated Kansas City Current. [48] They subsequently rebounded with a 4–1 victory over Racing Louisville FC on April 19. The match featured Kenza Dali's first NWSL goal and a Player of the Week-worthy performance from French forward Delphine Cascarino. [49] [50] Rounding out the month, San Diego secured another high-scoring victory, this time against the Chicago Stars. The game was the Wave's first shutout of the season and included second-year midfielder Kimmi Ascanio's first professional goal. The team also made history by becoming the first NWSL squad to ever start three 17-year-olds in a match. [51] At the end of April, two Wave players were named to the NWSL Team of the Month: French internationals Kenza Dali and Delphine Cascarino. [52]
May
On May 4, the Wave opened the month with a 2–1 victory over Bay FC. Trinity Armstrong scored her first professional goal in stoppage time, helping San Diego rescue a victory from the game. [53] The next match, a 1–1 draw with the Portland Thorns FC, featured a late-game goal that instead went against the Wave. Jayden Perry scored the tying goal following a second half in which San Diego were down a player due to Kennedy Wesley receiving a red card. [54] However, the team bounced back in the following match, beating Gotham FC on yet another Kimmi Ascanio goal. [55]
In the final game before the international break, the Wave earned a record-setting 5–2 home win over the North Carolina Courage. The result set a new club record for single-game goals scored and also served to extend the Wave's unbeaten streak to six games. [56] Awards came at the end of the month for Jonas Eidevall, who was named Coach of the Month, and Trinity Armstrong, who was recognized on the NWSL Team of the Month. [57] [58] May also featured the Wave's first player transaction since the beginning of the year, with Favour Emmanuel departing from the club on a mutual contract termination. [59]
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.
Transfers in
| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|
| December 13, 2024 |  Quincy McMahon | DF | UCLA Bruins | Free agent rookie signed to a three-year contract through 2027. | [83] |
| 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. | [33] |
| January 15, 2025 |  Gia Corley | MF | TSG Hoffenheim | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a two-year contract through 2026. | [32] |
| January 16, 2025 | Trinity Armstrong | DF | North Carolina Tar Heels | Free agent U18 rookie signed to a three-year contract through 2027. | [30] |
| January 20, 2025 |  Sintia Cabezas | DF | América de Cali | Signed to a two-year contract through 2026. | [80] |
| Favour Emmanuel | MF |  Lokomotiv Moscow | Signed to a two-year contract through 2026 with a mutual option. | [34] |
 DiDi Haračić | GK | Angel City FC | Free agent signed to a one-year contract through 2025. | [84] |
| January 24, 2025 |  Kenza Dali | MF |  Aston Villa | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a two-year contract through 2026. | [35] |
| 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. | [36] |
| March 12, 2025 | Jordan Fusco | MF | Penn State Nittany Lions | Preseason trialists signed to short-term contracts through June 2025. | [85] |
| Nya Harrison | DF | Stanford Cardinal |
| March 26, 2025 | Daniela Arias | DF |  Corinthians | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a two-year contract through 2026 with a mutual option. | [45] |
| July 8, 2025 | Ashlyn Miller | MF | Texas Longhorns | Signed to national team replacement player contracts. | [86] |
| Ellie Ospeck | FW | Houston Dash |
| Emily Pringle | DF |  Brisbane Roar |
| July 24, 2025 | Dudinha | FW | São Paulo | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed fee and signed to a three-year contract through 2027. | [68] |
| July 29, 2025 | Laurina Fazer | MF | Paris Saint-Germain | Signed to a three-year contract through 2027. | [69] |
Transfers out
| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
|---|
| 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. | [24] |
| Amirah Ali | FW |  Valencia CF | Out of contract. | [27] [87] |
| Elyse Bennett | FW | Deportivo de La Coruña | [27] [88] |
| Danielle Colaprico | MF | Houston Dash | [27] [89] |
| Morgan Messner | GK | Portland Thorns FC | [27] |
| January 3, 2025 | Emily van Egmond | MF | Birmingham City | Mutual contract termination. | [25] [90] |
| 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. | [91] |
| January 26, 2025 | Naomi Girma | DF | Chelsea | Transferred in exchange for a world record fee of $1.1 million. | [29] [92] |
| 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. | [93] [94] |
| May 29, 2025 | Favour Emmanuel | MF | Lokomotiv Moscow | Mutual contract termination. | [59] |
| June 23, 2025 |  María Sánchez | FW | Tigres UANL | Transferred in exchange for an undisclosed fee. | [95] |
| July 20, 2025 | Ashlyn Miller | MF | | National team replacement contracts expired. | [86] |
| Ellie Ospeck | FW | |
| Emily Pringle | DF | |
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. [78] However, on January 30, former college players Jordan Fusco and Caroline Kelly were announced as trialists. [99] [100] Additionally, during the Coachella Valley Invitational, preseason trialists Pearl Cecil, Nya Harrison, Simone Jackson, and Jaiden Rodriguez competed for the Wave. [101] [102] [103] [104]
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