The 2024 San Diego Wave FC season is the team's third as a professional women's soccer team. The Wave compete in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
Background In the prior season, the Wave finished the season in 1st place, winning the NWSL Shield with an record. In the NWSL Playoffs, the Wave sat out the quarterfinals with a first-round bye before facing a 1–0 defeat at the hands of the OL Reign in their semifinal match. It was the club's second semifinal playoff defeat in two years.
Staff changes On January 23, 2024, the Wave extended head coach Casey Stoney's contract through the 2027 season, with a mutual option for 2028.
Club general manager Molly Downtain announced her resignation during the offseason, setting a departure date for April 15, 2024. Downtain was named the Wave's general manager in July 2021 and had managed the club in both previous seasons.
Offseason transactions On November 21, 2023, the Wave waived defender Mia Gyau as part of the club's end-of-season roster decisions. Over the following months, the Wave worked to re-sign players, committing forwards Amirah Ali and Kyra Carusa to one-year contracts with options. The club also signed three of their four free agents to new deals, agreeing to two-year contracts with Makenzy Doniak, Christen Westphal, and Emily van Egmond. The Wave's fourth free agent, Madison Pogarch, did not re-sign with the club and instead joined 2024 expansion club Utah Royals.
With the 2024 NWSL expansion draft drawing nearer, the Wave also traded defender Kaleigh Riehl to the Utah Royals in exchange for $60,000 in Allocation Money and draft protection from the expansion club. The Wave did not trade for draft protection from Bay FC, resulting in the loss of forward Rachel Hill and midfielder Sierra Enge during the draft at the hands of the fellow Californian club. The Wave later reacquired Enge in a trade with Bay FC and the Houston Dash, sending the Wave's 2024 third-round NWSL Draft pick, $60,000 in allocation money, and midfielder Belle Briede to Houston in exchange for Enge.
Leading up to the 2024 NWSL Draft, the Wave signed free agent midfielder Savannah McCaskill from Angel City FC on December 20, 2023. In January 2024, the club transferred goalkeeper Shae Yanez to English club Bristol City and brought in Hillary Beall from Racing Louisville FC. Later, the Wave's goalkeeper corps would meet its final change of the offseason, with 2023 draftee Lauren Brzykcy and the club agreeing to a mutual contract termination.
During the NWSL Draft, the Wave selected Stanford defender Kennedy Wesley as the 12th overall pick. The club also drafted Canadian forward Mya Jones from Memphis as the 42nd overall pick. Both players later signed 2-year contracts with the Wave. On Draft Day, the club also traded Meggie Dougherty Howard to Angel City in exchange for $40,000 in allocation money. Ten days later, the Wave sent Taylor Kornieck to Racing Louisville FC for $150,000 in allocation money.
The Wave wrapped up their offseason transactions by bringing in two international players. In February, the club signed Swedish defender Hanna Lundkvist from Atlético Madrid and Australian defender Kaitlyn Torpey from Melbourne City. The transfer fee paid for Torpey was heavily rumored to be a new outbound Australian women's soccer record.
Kit changes As part of a league-wide refresh, the Wave revealed their 2024 primary and secondary kits on February 27, 2024. The club's primary kit, titled 'Del Sol,' sports orange, pink, and turquoise patterns reminiscent of waves and the San Diego sunset. Bright pink colors are used for the team's secondary kit, named 'Poderosa'.
Stadium and facilities The Wave continued to play in Snapdragon Stadium in their second full season of residency. However, during the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, the Wave returned to former home venue Torero Stadium for their first game of the tournament against Bay FC.
In the Wave's home opener at Snapdragon Stadium, the club set an NWSL home opener attendance record with 32,066 individuals attending the game.
Poor pitch conditions at Snapdragon Stadium were a source of criticism throughout the 2024 season. Two days before the Wave's season finale, a planned home fixture against Racing Louisville FC, the club announced that the match would be relocated to Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville. Field and player safety concerns were cited as key reasons for the move.
Broadcasting On May 8, 2024, the Wave renewed their partnership with San Diego broadcasters Fox 5 San Diego and KUSI to locally air all eight of the team's non-nationally broadcast matches over the course of the season.
Team Current squad
Player
Coaching staff
PositionStaff (interim)
Competitions Friendlies Wave FC opened the 2024 preseason at the Coachella Valley Invitational.
NWSL Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup has been reformatted to open each season as a single contest with the prior campaign’s winner of the NWSL Shield, presented by CarMax, against the reigning NWSL Champion.
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.
Regular season
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.
NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup
2024–25 CONCACAF W Champions Cup
San Diego Wave FC qualified as the 2023 National Women's Soccer League Shield winners.
Squad statistics
Appearances
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"|Players who appeared for the club but left during the season:
Goals Name Total 177FWMaría Sánchez10146 211FW Jaedyn Shaw 4 0004315FW Makenzy Doniak 3 000347FW Amirah Ali 1011356DF Hanna Lundkvist 2 000218FW Mya Jones2000219FW Kyra Carusa 2 000269FWDelphine Cascarino20002612DFKennedy Wesley1010214DFKristen McNabb1001272DF Abby Dahlkemper100015MF Emily van Egmond 1 000110FW Sofia Jakobsson 1 000121MFSavannah McCaskill1000125FWMelanie Barcenas10001813FWAlex Morgan0100116DFKaitlyn Torpey00011 Own goals 0 0000 Total 24 1 3 735
Assists Name Total177FWMaría Sánchez40105269FWDelphine Cascarino30014 317MF Kimmi Ascanio 1 001221MF Savannah McCaskill 1 100246DF Hanna Lundkvist 0 0022511FW Jaedyn Shaw 1 000113FW Alex Morgan 1 000114FWMakenzy Doniak1000123FW Elyse Bennett 1 0001624MF Danielle Colaprico00101 Total 13 1 2 420
Shutouts Name Total 11GK Kailen Sheridan 6 1018222GKHillary Beall0001135GK Morgan Messner00101 Total 6 1 1 210
Disciplinary record NameTotal 1GKKailen Sheridan0010000000010022DFAbby Dahlkemper1000000000001004DFNaomi Girma3000000000003005MFEmily van Egmond3000000001004006DFHanna Lundkvist60000000010070010FWSofia Jakobsson00000000010010011FWJaedyn Shaw10000000000010012DFKennedy Wesley10000000000010013FWAlex Morgan10000000000010014DFKristen McNabb20100010000030116DFKaitlyn Torpey20000000000020019FWKyra Carusa10000000000010020DFChristen Westphal10000000000010021MFSavannah McCaskill30000000000030023FWElyse Bennett20000000000020024MFDanielle Colaprico30000000000030075DFPerle Morroni20000000000020077FWMaría Sánchez100000000000100Total 33 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 003703
Transactions
2024 NWSL Draft Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster.
Round Pick Player College Status 112 Stanford Cardinal Signed to a two-year contract on January 8, 2024.342 Memphis TigersSigned to a two-year contract on January 6, 2024.
Contract operations + Contract options Date Player Notes November 20, 2023 Sierra Enge Option exercised.
+ Re-signings Date Player Notes December 7, 2023 Amirah Ali Re-signed to a one-year contract with an option. December 21, 2023 Makenzy Doniak Free agent re-signed to a two-year contract. December 28, 2023 Christen Westphal Free agent re-signed to a two-year contract. January 9, 2024 Kyra Carusa Re-signed to a one-year contract with an option. January 10, 2024 Emily van Egmond Free agent re-signed to a two-year contract. October 24, 2024 Kristen McNabbRe-signed to a two-year contract through 2026.
Transfers in DatePlayerPrevious clubFee/notes December 17, 2023 Sierra Enge Houston Dash In exchange for midfielder Belle Briede, the Wave's 2024 natural third-round NWSL Draft pick, and $60,000 in allocation money. Elyse Bennett Utah Royals In exchange for $40,000 in allocation money. December 20, 2023 Savannah McCaskill Angel City Free agent signing. January 8, 2024 Hillary Beall Racing Louisville FC In exchange for natural second-round pick in the 2025 NWSL Draft. February 1, 2024 Hanna Lundkvist Atlético Madrid In exchange for an undisclosed fee. February 5, 2024 Kaitlyn Torpey Melbourne City In exchange for an undisclosed fee.March 13, 2024 Morgan Messner Chicago Red StarsFree agent signing.March 22, 2024 Kimmi Ascanio Florida United SCSigned with NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism.April 20, 2024 María Sánchez Houston DashIn exchange for $300,000 in intra-league transfer funds, $200,000 in allocation money, and a 2024/2025 international roster spot. July 18, 2024 Chai Cortez San Diego Wave FC Short-term national team replacement player signings. Caroline DeLisle UCF Knights July 24, 2024 Delphine Cascarino Lyon Free transfer July 26, 2024 Emma Vanderhyden UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Short-term national team replacement player signing.August 22, 2024 Perle Morroni LyonFree transferSeptember 14, 2024 Mackenzie Rath Minnesota State MavericksShort-term injury replacement player signing.
Transfers out DatePlayerDestination clubFee/notes November 20, 2023 Mia Gyau Stade de Reims Waived. Giovanna DeMarco Carolina Ascent FC Out of contract. Madison Pogarch Utah Royals Free agent. Kaleigh Riehl In exchange for $60,000 in Allocation Money and 2024 Expansion Protection from Utah Royals. December 15, 2023 Rachel Hill Bay FC 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft Sierra Enge December 17, 2023 Belle Briede Houston Dash In exchange for midfielder Sierra Enge. January 5, 2024 Shae Yanez Bristol City Transferred out for an undisclosed transfer fee. January 12, 2024 Meggie Dougherty Howard Angel City FC In exchange for $40,000 in Allocation Money. January 22, 2024 Taylor Kornieck Racing Louisville FC In exchange for $150,000 in Allocation Money.January 29, 2024 Lauren Brzykcy Vittsjö GIKMutual contract termination.August 3, 2024 Chai CortezUnattachedNational team replacement signing released. Emma VanderhydenUnattachedAugust 9, 2024 Caroline DeLisle IFK NorrköpingAugust 13, 2024 Sierra Enge RC Strasbourg AlsaceMutual contract termination.August 26, 2024 Abby Dahlkemper Bay FCIn exchange for $50,000 in Allocation Money.September 11, 2024 Sofia Jakobsson London City LionessesMutual contract termination.
Retirements DatePlayerJanuary 26, 2024 Kelsey TurnbowSeptember 8, 2024 Alex Morgan
Preseason trialists Trialists are non-rostered invitees during preseason and are not automatically signed. The Wave released their preseason roster on January 29, 2024.