The San Diego Wave players knew from the start that they weren’t going to let their status as an expansion team define them.
The goal was to “set a precedent so we can get into the league in year one and compete,” Wave defender Kristen McNabb said.
“I think everyone sort of embodied it from day one,” she added. “We know our identity and we play every game the way we want to play, at the end of the day.”
The wave exceeds expectations. Now sitting on nine wins, they sit atop the National Women’s Soccer League standings and have already done better than any true expansion team in league history.
Alex Morgan, the Wave’s star player, is the league’s top scorer with 13 goals. And San Diego’s defense has allowed just 15 total goals this season, the fewest in the league.
So no, this is no ordinary expansion team.
“We work really hard to make sure everyone is important, and they are whether they play a minute or not,” coach Casey Stoney said. “They are fighting, and what they have done is remarkable. It’s a huge credit to the club for bringing the players in, and a huge credit to the players where this team currently sits.
The wave was spurred by a 2-0 victory over the Portland Thorns last weekend at Providence Park. Morgan and McNabb each scored, and goaltender Kailen Sheridan had her 20th career NWSL shutout.
The wave started August with losses to Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride, but rebounded with a 3-1 victory over the Houston Dash before the win at Portland.
Sheridan is tied for the league lead with six clean sheets this season. She allowed just 11 goals, the fewest in the league for goaltenders in that many games.
Morgan’s 13 goals put her ahead of the Golden Boot race. It’s arguably the best season she’s ever had – the most goals she’s scored in a previous season was nine in 2016 with Pride. She now has 51 for her NWSL career.
“She just keeps getting better – she’s a bit of a good wine right now, isn’t she?” Stoney said.
The Wave and Angel City in Los Angeles joined the NWSL this season, expanding the league to 12 teams.
From the start, both teams caused a stir. The wave is led by team president Jill Ellis, who coached the USA women’s team to two Women’s World Cup titles. She signed Stoney, the former England national team defender who coached at Manchester United from 2018-21.
Among the first players signed were Morgan and defender Abby Dahlkemper from Team USA. Others who have been drafted include Stanford’s No. 1 draft pick Naomi Girma, who is also an emerging national team star, and Swedish national team veteran Sofia Jakobsson.
Angel City, with its star ownership group including actress Natalie Portman and tennis star Serena Williams, sits just outside the playoff line with six games to go.
The NWSL is currently on hiatus for international play. The Wave still has four games to go as it battles to hold on to that No. 1 spot in the standings and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
One of those games will be against Angel City on September 17 at the new Snapdragon Stadium on the San Diego State campus, which will break the league attendance record. The team has already sold over 27,000 tickets for the match.
“Obviously you’re not going to go all league and get three points every week and we know that, but that’s how we turn around every week and fight back,” Sheridan said. the highest standards we can, not just “You’re an expansion team, that’s OK.” We want those three points every week.”
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