This Friday, April 19, Pro Soccer Wire reported that Houston Dash forward Maria Sanchez has been traded to the San Diego Wave in exchange for an undisclosed transfer fee.

ESPN’s Cesar Hernandez also confirmed the news, as this is a huge signing for a San Diego Wave team that has been struggling offensively to begin the season.

San Diego has only scored two goals in four games this season and was shut down this Friday against Orlando Pride in a 1-0 loss on the road. The Wave have not scored in two consecutive games now, and finishing goalscoring opportunities has particularly been a big challenge for Alex Morgan and company.

A source has confirmed to me that Mexico international Maria Sanchez has been traded to the San Diego Wave from the Houston Dash.@prosoccerwire first on the news https://t.co/4QNLUPwAOe

— Cesar Hernandez (@cesarhfutbol) April 19, 2024

Chance creation had previously not been a huge problem for San Diego, but it was against Orlando with only one shot on target in the 90 minutes. The offensive production for the Wave has been highly disappointing, considering that Savannah McCaskill was added and has seemingly added a lot to the team with her set-piece work.

Maria Sanchez had requested a trade away from Houston and this is a good fit for a team that can potentially use her speed and explosiveness down the wings. The Mexican international has an assist in four games this season and previously generated four goals and four assists in the 2023 NWSL season. Sanchez is a consistent starter for the Mexico women’s national team, as she featured heavily in the 2024 W Gold Cup, including the historic 2-0 win for Mexico against the USWNT.

As mentioned before, Sanchez has a lot of speed, and that pace, alongside someone like Jaedyn Shaw, can add a lot of explosiveness to this offense. Sanchez can play on either wing or even as a striker if necessary, but her best position is out wide, where she can utilize that pace to the best of her capabilities.

The Wave have a very intriguing offense, but something has clearly been off to begin the season, with the very low scoring production the team has given. At the time of writing, San Diego Wave is yet to officially announce the signing and their next game will be back at Snapdragon Stadium on April 27 against Bay FC.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.