The 2025 San Diego Wave FC season is 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.
At the end of the regular season, the Wave finished in sixth place and made the playoffs for the third time in team history.
Background
The 2024 postseason featured a large number of off-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.
Kit changes On February 27, 2025, the Wave announced their new secondary kit, replacing 2024's 'Poderosa'. The New Jersey, named 'Altamar,' is a blue and teal kit that pays homage to the ocean's depths. The team also debuted a new pre-match top and goalkeeper kit.
Summary
Preseason The Wave announced multiple staff changes in early preseason. On November 18, 2024, 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. 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 December 10, the Wave announced their first offseason move, trading longtime defender Christen Westphal to the Houston Dash. The club would also go on to see the departures of several other veteran players, including Emily van Egmond and Danielle Colaprico. USWNT players Naomi Girma and Jaedyn Shaw moved on as well, with the Wave selling Girma to Chelsea for a world-record transfer fee. 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, as well as international talents including Gia Corley, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, and Favour Emmanuel. The club rounded out preseason by bringing in foreign veterans Kenza Dali and Adriana Leon.
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.
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, and goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan subsequently won the NWSL Save of the Week after stopping a shot from Claire Emslie in the first half. 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).
Prior to the Wave's final match of the month, the team signed Colombian international Daniela Arias to a two-year contract. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. At the end of April, two Wave players were named to the NWSL Team of the Month: French internationals Kenza Dali and Delphine Cascarino.
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. 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. However, the team bounced back in the following match, beating Gotham FC on yet another Kimmi Ascanio goal.
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. 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. 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.
June The Wave played in three June matches before pausing for an international break. The team first had their six-match unbeaten streak shattered by the Seattle Reign, who earned a 2–1 victory at Snapdragon Stadium. San Diego bounced back the following match, scoring 3 first-half goals to get a win against the Houston Dash. In the third game of the month, the Wave drew with the Washington Spirit, 0–0, despite controlling much of the match. The very next day, the club announced the transfer of Mexican forward María Sánchez to Tigres UANL. San Diego had also previously announced the re-signings of Nya Harrison and Jordan Fusco to full contracts, balancing the scales. At the end of the month, Kenza Dali received her second NWSL Team of the Month honor.
July The NWSL did not schedule any matches in July, allowing players to participate in various international fixtures. Delphine Cascarino and Hanna Lundkvist both played with their respective national teams in the UEFA Women's Euro 2025, while Daniela Arias represented Colombia in the 2025 Copa América Femenina. Several other players also starred in friendlies for their nations. Meanwhile, the remainder of the Wave squad faced off in two friendly matches against the Utah Royals, both of which ended in draws. Near the end of July, the club announced the signings of young international players Dudinha and Laurina Fazer.
November The Wave ended the season with a 2–1 loss to FC Kansas City, giving them 37 points for the year and placing them sixth in the standings; they were tied on points with Racing Louisville FC but beat them on goal difference. Their first-round playoff opponent is the Portland Thorns.
Stadium and facilities The Wave continued to play at Snapdragon Stadium, sharing the venue with MLS expansion team San Diego FC for the first season of overlap. The stadium's field, which drew criticism in the previous year, was reinstalled ahead of 2025.
Broadcasting The NWSL's 2023 streaming rights deal continued to take effect, spreading Wave games across CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports for the second year of the four-year contract. On March 20, 2025, the Wave renewed their partnership with San Diego broadcasters Fox 5 San Diego and KUSI to locally air seven of the team's matches over the course of the season.
Team Coaching staff
CoachingTechnical
Current squad
NameDate of birth (age)Previous teamNotesGoalkeepers1Kailen Sheridan (captain)2022 NJ/NY Gotham FC–22Hillary Beall2024 Western United–31DiDi Haračić2025 Angel City FC–Defenders3Trinity Armstrong2025 North Carolina Tar HeelsU186Hanna Lundkvist2024 Atlético MadridINT12Kennedy Wesley2024 Stanford Cardinal–14Kristen McNabb2022 OL Reign–23Nya Harrison2025 Stanford Cardinal–30Daniela Arias2025 CorinthiansINT34Quincy McMahon2025 UCLA Bruins–75Perle Morroni2024 LyonINTMidfielders10Kenza Dali2025 Aston VillaINT11Gia Corley2025 TSG Hoffenheim–17Kimmi Ascanio2024 Florida UnitedU1818Laurina Fazer2025 Paris Saint-GermainINT21Savannah McCaskill2024 Angel City FC–28Jordan Fusco2025 Penn State Nittany Lions–Forwards5Trinity Byars2025 Texas Longhorns–8Chiamaka Okwuchukwu2025 Rivers Angels F.C.INT, 9Adriana Leon2025 Aston VillaINT15Makenzy Robbe2022 Chicago Red Stars–19Kyra Carusa2023 London City Lionesses–20Delphine Cascarino2024 LyonINT25Melanie Barcenas2023 San Diego Surf SCU1888Dudinha2025 São PauloINT
Out on loan Nation Player
Competitions
Preseason
Regular season
Regular-season standings
Results summary
Results by matchday
Playoffs
Friendlies
Statistics Appearances and goals Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.
! colspan=14 style="background:#032E62; color:white; border:2px solid #FC1896; text-align:center;" |Goalkeepers
! colspan=14 style="background:#032E62; color:white; border:2px solid #FC1896; text-align:center;" |Defenders
! colspan=14 style="background:#032E62; color:white; border:2px solid #FC1896; text-align:center;" |Midfielders
! colspan=14 style="background:#032E62; color:white; border:2px solid #FC1896; text-align:center;" |Forwards
|colspan=14 style="background:#032E62; color:white; border:2px solid #FC1896;|Players away from the club on loan:
|colspan=14 style="background:#032E62; color:white; border:2px solid #FC1896;|Players who left the club during the season:
|colspan=14 style="background:#032E62; color:white; border:2px solid #FC1896;|Own goals for:
Assists Name Total120FWDelphine Cascarino606275DFPerle Morroni40436DFHanna Lundkvist3039FWAdriana Leon30310MFKenza Dali30311MFGia Corley30343DFTrinity Armstrong2027FWMaría Sánchez202517MFKimmi Ascanio10119FWKyra Carusa10125FWMelanie Barcenas101 Total 29 0 29
Clean sheets Name Total 11GK Kailen Sheridan5 05Total 5 0 5
Disciplinary record NameTotal 3DFTrinity Armstrong2000002006DFHanna Lundkvist2000002007FWMaría Sánchez1000001009FWAdriana Leon20010030010MFKenza Dali20000020011MFGia Corley50000050012DFKennedy Wesley10100010114DFKristen McNabb30000030015FWMakenzy Robbe10000010017MFKimmi Ascanio10000010018MFLaurina Fazer10000010020FWDelphine Cascarino20000020021MFSavannah McCaskill40000040024MFFavour Emmanuel10000010025FWMelanie Barcenas10000010075DFPerle Morroni300100400Total 32 0 1 2 0 03401
Transactions