San Diego Wave – Page 2 – Women's Soccer Express

NWSL News of Note: Jaedyn Shaw traded to Courage; Lauren Barnes re-signs with Reign; Chicago drops “Red”, keeps Sarah Griffith; Pride sends Sofia Manner to Toronto

Leading Tuesday’s notables is a big one: United States Women’s National Team attacker Jaedyn Shaw has been traded from the San Diego Wave to the North Carolina Courage.

In other player news…

With the re-signing of defender Lauren Barnes, the Seattle Reign have retained a second NWSL original for the 2025 season.
Forward Sarah Griffith has signed a half-season contract with the Chicago Stars.
The Orlando Pride have traded backup goalkeeper Sofia Manner to AFC Toronto of the Northern Super League.

Also, the Chicago Stars transitioned to its new name on Tuesday, with updates to its social media branding and its website, which is now at chicagostars.com.

NWSL News of Note: Orlando signs Wake Forest’s Zara Chavoshi, Spirit acquire Brazilian Tamara Bolt, Wave acquire Nigerian Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, Reign re-sign Maddie Mercado

With the Utah Royals getting their own NWSL News of Note special edition, here are the other notables from elsewhere in the league:

Wake Forest defender Zara Chavoshi, who appeared in the 2022 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup for Canada, has been signed to a one-year deal by the Orlando Pride.
The Washington Spirit have acquired relative unknown Tamara Bolt via a transfer from Brazilian club SC Internacional.
19-year-old Nigerian striker Chiamaka Okwuchukwu was signed by the San Diego Wave via a transfer.
The Seattle Reign have retained midfielder Maddie Mercado, who was a free agent after her 2024 rookie season.

CANWNT: Casey Stoney announced as new head coach of the Canada Women’s National Team

On Monday, Canada Soccer officially announced the appointment of former San Diego Wave head coach Casey Stoney as the next head coach of the Canada Women’s National Team. Details of Stoney’s contract, namely its length, were not made public.

Stoney’s first matches as head coach of Canada will be a trio of friendlies at the Pinatar Cup in Spain during the February international window. The opponents for these matches have not yet been publicly announced.

At least part of Stoney’s salary and/or benefits are being funded through non-revenue sources, including donations to Canada Soccer. From the press release:

Stoney’s appointment is supported by philanthropic contributions to Canada Soccer, and she is the first beneficiary of a new fund established specifically to support women in elite coaching.

NWSL News of Note, Teams Edition: Wave name Jonas Eidevall as head coach, Thorns hire Jeff Agoos as general manager, Racing reveals Caitlyn Milby as interim general manager, Belated Wave lawsuit update

The first full week of 2025 was chocked-full of NWSL news.

Leading the team-related notables are the hiring of former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall as the head coach of the San Diego Wave and the signing of former United States Men’s National Team defender Jeff Agoos as the new General Manager and President of Soccer Operations for the Portland Thorns.

Also, Racing Louisville officially introduced its director of operations, Caitlyn Milby, as its interim general manager.

Additionally, a belated update on the lawsuit against the San Diego Wave: A sixth plaintiff was added in late October 2024 as a second ‘Jane Doe’.

NWSL News of Note, Signings Edition: Angel City inks Mississippi State’s Macey Hodge, Gotham signs Pitt’s Sarah Schupansky, Bella Bixby re-ups with Thorns, Hillary Beall extends with Wave

During the last full week of 2024, two NWSL clubs announced the signing of collegiate players and two other clubs announced the re-signing of goalkeepers.

The two players who recently wrapped up their NCAA careers are Mississippi State midfielder Macey Hodge, who signed with Angel City, and University of Pittsburgh forward Sarah Schupansky, who is joining Gotham FC.

Meanwhile, the Portland Thorns retained their 2023 starting goalkeeper, Bella Bixby, who missed all of the 2024 season due to maternity leave, and the San Diego Wave have re-signed back-up ‘keeper Hillary Beall.

NWSL News of Note: Denver takes the lead; Becky Sauerbrunn retires; Narumi Miura moves to Spirit; Angel City signs Julie Dufour and retains M.A. Vignola; Coachella teams

Leading this edition’s notables is the news that the league “is entering exclusive negotiations” with the Denver bid for the second 2026 expansion franchise.

Former USWNT defender Becky Sauerbrunn announced her retirement from professional soccer on Tuesday.

In other player news, Washington Spirit has landed free agent midfielder Narumi Miura, previously of the North Carolina Courage, while Angel City has signed 23-year-old French international Julie Dufour and re-signed defender M.A. Vignola.

Additionally, six NWSL teams have announced that will play preseason friendlies at the 2025 Coachella Valley Invitational.

NWSL News of Note: Wave sign UCLA’s Quincy McMahon, Thorns acquire Brazilian Daiane, Spirit re-sign Kaylie Collins, Courage CSO departs, “Gotham FC Alliance” announced

On Friday, two clubs announced additions: The San Diego Wave have signed UCLA defender Quincy McMahon, and the Portland Thorns have acquired Brazilian center-back Daiane via a transfer from CR Flamengo.

Additionally, the Washington Spirit have retained goalkeeper Kaylie Collins for the 2025 season.

In team news, the North Carolina Courage’s front office is without a Chief Soccer Officer after the departure of Curt Johnson.

Also, Gotham FC have announced a “Gotham FC Alliance” program for youth clubs which will involve player identification and development opportunities in order “to create a professional player pathway”.

NWSL Transactions Catch-Up: Lundkvist stays with Wave; Thorns extend Hirst and McKenzie; Pikkujämsä will return to Racing; Biegalski re-ups with Red Stars; Dash retain Chapman, Harris, Hinz, and West

Lost in the buzz surrounding the 14 clubs dropping their end-of-season roster updates on Tuesday were some player transactions, a few of which were not publicized separate from the roster updates.

On Tuesday, five teams retained a total of nine additional current players:

The Chicago Red Stars have signed Camryn Biegalski to a new one-year-contract.
The Houston Dash re-signed three players — Allysha Chapman, Jyllissa Harris, and Amanda West — and optioned a fourth: Goalkeeper Heather Hinz.
Racing Louisville and Elli Pikkujämsä exercised a mutual option which should keep her in the Derby City through the 2025 NWSL season.
The Portland Thorns have retained Sophie Hirst and Mallie McKenzie via new contracts.
San Diego Wave and Hanna Lundkvist also exercised a mutual option.

For coverage of additional transactions see: “NWSL News of Note: Royals sign 15-year-old KK Ream, Wave trade Christen Westphal to Dash, Kat Asman signed by Pride, Red Bull Arena is now ‘Sports Illustrated Stadium'”.

NWSL News of Note: Royals sign 15-year-old KK Ream, Wave trade Christen Westphal to Dash, Kat Asman signed by Pride, Red Bull Arena is now “Sports Illustrated Stadium”

Here are the notables from December 10th and 11th:

On Tuesday, the only last-minute trade before end-of-season roster announcements involved the San Diego Wave sending veteran defender Christen Westphal to the Houston Dash in exchange for an international spot and allocation money.
On Wednesday, the Utah Royals announced the signing of their first U18 player, forward KK Ream, who won the 2024 Concacaf Girls Under-15 Championship as a member of the United States squad.
Also on Wednesday, the Orlando Pride announced the signing of goalkeeper Kat Asman, who recently finished her rookie season with the Portland Thorns.
In non-player news, Gotham FC’s home stadium has a new name.

Note: Recent re-signings will be covered in a separate post.

NWSL: End-Of-Season Roster Updates for All 14 Clubs (10-Dec-2024)

On Tuesday, December 10th, all 14 NWSL teams published their initial offseason rosters. This post includes the announced roster for each club, in a standardized format.

The lists for each club are organized as follows:

Currently Signed: All players signed to a contract (for at least part of 2025) but not presently loaned to another club.
Out on Loan: Signed players that have current loan agreements.
Loan Expired: Players on loan from other clubs who have returned to their home club.
In Negotiations: Free agent players that the club acknowledges as still negotiating.
Free Agents: Players with expiring contracts that have not been retained and/or with options that have not been exercised.
Retired: Players that have announced their retirements from professional club soccer.