San Diego Wave FC

San Diego Wave FC is a National Women's Soccer League expansion team that began play in 2022. The team is based in San Diego, California.[1] The team is owned by Ron Burkle.

San Diego Wave FC
Full nameSan Diego Wave Fútbol Club
Nickname(s)Wave FC
FoundedJune 8, 2021 (2021-06-08)
StadiumSnapdragon Stadium
San Diego, California
Capacity32,000
OwnerRon Burkle
PresidentJill Ellis
Head coachCasey Stoney
LeagueNational Women's Soccer League
WebsiteClub website

The team is the San Diego area's first women's professional soccer team since 2003, when the Women's United Soccer Association folded and forced the San Diego Spirit to disband.[2]

History

In January 2021, Lisa Baird, the commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), announced that an expansion team in Sacramento, led by Ron Burkle and in conjunction with Sacramento Republic FC's expansion bid into Major League Soccer, would join the NWSL in 2022.[3] However, Burkle never confirmed the news publicly before exiting the Sacramento Republic's ownership group. Instead, on June 8, 2021, the NWSL announced San Diego as the location for an expansion team owned by Burkle to begin play in 2022.[1]

Colors and crest
Wordmark also used as part of the San Diego Wave FC identity.

On December 15, 2021, the team revealed its crest for the 2022 season. Press released said, "The crest, encased in a shield, is a symbol of strength, for the city and team, to proudly stand behind. A powerful wave, cresting in the rich blues of the Pacific Ocean, sits front and center as the iconic mark of Wave FC. And under the proud banner of the city’s name, are the vivid colors of the horizon, celebrating the beauty, fun, and vibrant culture of the city and its people."[4]

Sponsorship
Period Kit manufacturer Front sponsor Back sponsor Sleeve sponsor
2022– Nike Kaiser Permanente Pechanga Resort Casino Gatorade

Stadium

The team began play at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego for its inaugural season. It moved to Snapdragon Stadium, located in the Mission Valley campus expansion of San Diego State University, for its last two home games of the 2022 season.[5] Wave FC's opener at the new stadium against regional rival and fellow 2022 NWSL entry Angel City FC on September 17 drew a sellout crowd of 32,000, setting a new NWSL single-game attendance record.[6]

Players and staff

Current squad
As of January 14, 2023.[7]
No. Pos. Player Nation
1 GK Kailen Sheridan  Canada
2 DF Abby Dahlkemper  United States
3 FW Rachel Hill  United States
4 DF Naomi Girma  United States
5 MF Emily van Egmond  Australia
6 FW Kelsey Turnbow  United States
7 FW Amirah Ali  United States
10 FW Sofia Jakobsson  Sweden
11 FW Jaedyn Shaw  United States
13 FW Alex Morgan  United States
14 DF Kristen McNabb  United States
15 MF Makenzy Doniak  United States
16 DF Madison Pogarch  United States
18 DF Kaleigh Riehl  United States
20 DF Christen Westphal  United States
22 MF Taylor Kornieck  United States
23 MF Belle Briede  United States
24 MF Danielle Colaprico  United States
26 DF Mia Gyau  United States
28 MF Meggie Dougherty Howard  United States

Coaching staff
As of March 15, 2022.[8]
Position Staff
Head coach Casey Stoney
Assistant coach Rich Gunney
Assistant coach Victoria Boardman
Goalkeeper coach Louis Hunt

Records

Year-by-year
Season League Regular season Playoffs Challenge Cup Avg. attendance
P W D L F A Pts Pos
2022 NWSL 22 10 6 6 32 21 36 3rd Semi-finals — 8,729

Head coaching record
As of October 23, 2022

Only competitive matches are counted. Includes NWSL regular season, playoffs, and Challenge Cup matches.

All-time San Diego Wave FC coaching stats
Name Nationality From To P W D L GF GA Win%
Casey Stoney  England July 14, 2021 present 30 12 8 10 44 35 040.00

References
  1. "San Diego To Be Home to NWSL Expansion Team, Led by Jill Ellis as President". NWSL. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  2. Zeigler, Mark (June 8, 2021). "Women's pro soccer coming to San Diego in 2022". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  3. Kassouf, Jeff (June 8, 2021). "San Diego confirmed as 2022 NWSL expansion market; Ellis to serve as team president". The Equalizer. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  4. "San Diego Wave FC Unveils Official Team Crest and Colors". www.sandiegowavefc.com. December 15, 2021.
  5. "NWSL expansion team San Diego Wave FC unveil official crest". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  6. "Match Recap: San Diego tops Angel City in front of capacity crowd for first win at Snapdragon Stadium". National Women's Soccer League. September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  7. "Roster".
  8. "Wave FC Announces Complete Roster Ahead of 2022 Challenge Cup". sandiegowavefc.com. San Diego Wave FC. March 15, 2022.
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