The San Diego Wave will start their 2025 NWSL regular season this Sunday, March 16, against Angel City FC at BMO Stadium.

The Wave are a very different team from last year now without Alex Morgan, Abby Dahlkemper, Jaedyn Shaw or Naomi Girma.

The start to this 2025 campaign will be a huge transitional period from last season with new head coach Jonas Eidevall. The Swedish manager has a formidable track record, being the head coach for Arsenal’s women’s team from 2021 to 2014. Eidevall managed to win two FA Women’s League Cup trophies with the Lady Gunners and will be looking to lead this new Wave team.

There are still several familiar faces and fan favorites from last season, like Kailen Sheridan, Maria Sanchez, and Melanie Barcenas. There will be plenty of pressure for Maria Sanchez to have a more significant role in this offense with the significant departures.

year 4 of SD wave fútbol pic.twitter.com/M8QuB0GjfU

— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) March 15, 2025

The Mexican forward scored just one goal in 26 NWSL games with San Diego but provided five assists as well. Delphine Cascarino will also be expected to play a bigger role in this offense, as she scored two goals and provided three assists in just 10 NWSL games played last season.

The big signings for SD Wave this offseason were Adriana Leon and Kenza Dali. Leon is a veteran forward with plenty of pace that has been a key fixture on Canada’s national team for several years now.

The 32-year forward has some NWSL experience but has spent the last several years in England with West Ham, Manchester United, and Aston Villa.

Kenza Dali is also a veteran player that has been a key player for France’s national team for about a decade. Like Leon, Dali has experience in England with West Ham, Everton, and, most recently, Aston Villa. The pair played together at West Ham United and Aston Villa and will look to recreate some of that magic under Jonas Eidevall.

Dali is an attacking midfielder that provides plenty of creativity and dynamism on the offensive side of the pitch. A player like Dali was actually just the type of player that the Wave was missing at times during the 2024 season.

The offense has a lot of exciting and intriguing names,  but perhaps the biggest question mark on this team is the backline without Naomi Girma. Girma was the Wave’s savior throughout the 2024 season, really preventing a lot of games from being more lopsided than they were.

A lot of pressure is now on young Kennedy Wesley to take over that role and really command this defense. Wesley had some playing time in 2024 and now is set to be a consistent starter in 2025 without Girma there.

San Diego Wave had a very forgettable 2024 season and will now be looking to be much more competitive. This is a good challenge away from home against an Angel City side that also struggled heavily last year.

The start of this 2025 season is set to be totally unpredictable and shaky for Angel City, with interim manager Sam Laity at the helm. The team from Los Angeles is not expected to hire a full-time head coach until at least June, as this may be a rough start to 2025.

Angel City’s offense is set to be reliant on Alyssa Thompson, who scored five goals and provided seven assists in 2024. Veteran Christen Press is now back for a full season, and former Paris FC forward Julie Dufour also has the potential to be productive this year.

Angel City still has one of the best defenders in the league, Sarah Gorden, who is always a tough task for opposing attackers.

This is set to be a very hard-fought match at BMO Stadium in what is a significant season-opener for both teams. Both sides are trying to bounce back from lackluster 2024 seasons, and there is also the rivalry in play.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 28, 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 FC, San Diego Wave. I have covered Liga MX, MLS, Mexico National Team, USWNT, Copa América and European clubs like Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.