Will San Diego Wave FC reach its peak form in time?
San Diego Wave Midfielder Kimmi Ascanio celebrates a goal at Snapdragon Stadum on May 15, 2026. Photo By Nate Tubbs/EVT
The 2026 NWSL season has been full of promising performances from San Diego Wave FC. But for every bit of success the team creates, equal focus is put on how the team could be better.
SAN DIEGO — The second half of the season is well underway, and the Wave are still a top-of-the-table club. But soccer is a battle of attrition, and the club could benefit from reinforcements.
Since the June recess, San Diego is 1-1-1: beating Gotham, falling to Angel City, and drawing with the KC Current. Sitting in third place in the NWSL standings, just one point off the lead, the Wave are still poised to make a playoff run.
GET IN! Byars brings us level in the 90th 🌊 pic.twitter.com/ZLl8pqi13H
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) July 18, 2026
However, concern among the fans has started to drum up amid some season-ending injuries.
Starting with the bad
Much of the Wave’s success has come from the playmaking ability and presence of Dudinha. The Brazilian national was off to a brilliant start to the season and was among the top point contributors in the league. She unfortunately suffered a season-ending ACL tear in a friendly against the US Women’s National Team on June 9, 2026.
Dudinha’s presence will certainly be missed through the rest of the season. But the return of 18-year-old star Trinity Armstrong struck a hopeful chord. The defender, coming off a long road to recovery, was struck with disaster just two matches after her return. Suffering a fully ruptured ACL and lateral meniscus in her right leg, Armstrong is now back on the SEI list.
Three surgeries in three years is as much a mental battle as it is physical, and her contributions to the back line will be missed. The current squad of Wesley, Merroni, McNabb, and Van Zanten has been solid. They have shown a few weak moments in the past two matches, but they have managed well thus far in the season.
we're with you every step of the way, @Trinity__3 🩷
Trinity Armstrong has been placed on the SEI list → 📰 https://t.co/jfBNIPrBXp pic.twitter.com/NxLm6rgl2j
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) July 21, 2026
The next point of concern is the health status of some of the team’s biggest stars. Adriana Leon, who suffered a back injury that has prevented her from seeing the pitch this season, still has an unknown status. There is speculation of a transfer to AFC Toronto floating around. The Canadian would still be a welcome shake-up to the attacking front if she’s healthy.
Without Dudinha, Ludmila has a bit more pressure on her to execute on the wing. Between that and opposing teams showing Lia Godfrey her due respect, the offense has been stressed. Leon’s veteran presence, paired with the explosive Melanie Barcenas, could prove to be a dangerous second-half pair.
Keeping the faith
The Wave can hang its hat on the success it’s found in the face of adversity. Now, as they face more adversity, the team is faced with even more pressure to succeed. This is because the fans have grown to expect this level of play from the club, and also have the thought of their ace waiting to be played.
Catarina Macario, the largest signing in women’s soccer, is at the center of this mounting pressure. More injuries, more problems, all mean more need for Macario to be a savior. From the moment her signing was announced, the chatter was about how she could make a good team even better.
The longer she has taken to debut with the club, the more that pressure mounts. One of the major benefits is that she has been able to fully mesh with the team before getting playtime, which could boost the chemistry when she is ready. But it is still unknown when Macario’s anticipated debut will be.
San Diego has the luxury of playing a roster that knows it can beat the best teams even with its injuries. They have bolstered their goalie presence with the signing of Spanish veteran Sandra Paños.
What does peak form look like for the Wave?
In any sport, hitting your peak form as a team is only as important as when it happens. The consistency and promise shown by the Wave are consistent with a team capable of a deep playoff run.
In a perfect scenario, peak form for the club starts to materialize as the Macario and Leon riddle gets solved. With fewer questions about how things will change and who may be moving around, the team can focus on being its best self.
There are still 14 matches left to play in the regular season over the next three months. Peaking now means the top contenders of the league will be prepared when elimination games come around. Given the hand that San Diego has been dealt, they can still certainly play it to win.
They play the Seattle Reign FC next on Sunday, July 26. It’ll be the two clubs’ first meeting of the year. The game is statistically in the Wave’s favor; winning these games will only compound in importance from here on out.
Nate Tubbs is a recent graduate of Journalism at San Diego State University. In his time at SDSU, he wrote and photographed several different sports for Aztec Link, the school’s NIL collective. He also co-hosted a weekly podcast featuring Aztec athletes, sharing their stories and goals for the season. Tubbs is passionate about photography, storytelling, and most of all, San Diego sports.