Latest news with #SanDiegoWave
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First Post
6 days ago
- Business
- First Post
Canada's Olivia Smith smashes all-time transfer record in women's football after joining Arsenal
The new benchmark in women's football would surpass the £900,000 ($1.1 million) Chelsea paid when signing Naomi Girma from the San Diego Wave in January. Smith's four-year deal highlights the increase in spending in women's football with transfer records regularly broken. read more Canada forward Olivia Smith became the most expensive player in women's football history at a reported £1 million ($1.34 million) when Arsenal signed her from Liverpool on Thursday. The new benchmark in women's football would surpass the £900,000 ($1.1 million) Chelsea paid when signing Naomi Girma from the San Diego Wave in January. Smith's four-year deal highlights the increase in spending in women's football with transfer records regularly broken. Zambia striker Rachael Kundananji joined Bay FC from Madrid CFF for a record $788,000 last year, and that figure was quickly exceeded by Girma's move to Chelsea. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As recently as 2020, the most expensive women's player was Denmark's Pernille Harder, who joined Chelsea from Wolfsburg for $355,000. England's Keira Walsh left Manchester City for Barcelona in 2022 for a deal worth $513,000, and Chelsea broke the record again in 2024 when signing Mayra Ramirez from Levante for $542,000. More from Football 💬 'It's a privilege and an honour. Everything that the club has accomplished is so massive, and for me to now be a part of that, I'm very excited.' Watch Olivia Smith's very first Arsenal interview 📺 — Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) July 17, 2025 The 20-year-old Smith has rapidly risen since developing in the United States college system. She joined Sporting Clube in Portugal in 2023 and scored 16 goals in 28 appearances in her debut season. She moved to Liverpool last year and scored nine times in 25 games. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Smith is also Canada's youngest international after making her debut at 15 in 2019. 'Olivia is an exciting young player and we believe she can make a big contribution here at Arsenal," head coach Renee Slegers said. 'We've been impressed by her mentality and character, excelling in two European leagues at such a young age.' Arsenal is a 15-time English champion and won the Champions League for the second time in its history last season. Despite Chelsea being the dominant force in women's football in England, Arsenal is the only English team to win the Champions League. 'It's my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe and I'm excited to get started and contribute to doing that here with Arsenal," Smith said.
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Olivia Smith signs for Arsenal to become first £1m female player
European champions Arsenal shattered the women's transfer record by signing Canadian forward Olivia Smith from Liverpool on Thursday, for a fee of £1million (€1.15m), making the 20-year-old the first female player to break the seven-figure barrier. Arsenal's blockbuster move eclipses the previous record set by American defender Naomi Girma's £900,000 transfer from San Diego Wave to Chelsea in January, although the 25-year-old had already broken the one million dollar mark. The first player in men's football to command a million-pound price tag was former England forward Trevor Francis when he moved from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest in 1979. "It's my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe and I'm excited to get started and contribute to doing that here with Arsenal," Smith said in a statement. The versatile Smith, who can operate as a striker or play on the wing, enjoyed a stellar debut season at Liverpool despite the club's struggles. Smith finished as Liverpool's leading scorer across all competitions with nine goals to claim their player of the season award, even as Liverpool slumped to seventh in the Women's Super League after a fourth-placed finish the previous campaign. Katie McCabe's Arsenal are building on their Champions League triumph with ambitious recruitment having already bolstered their squad by re-signing Chloe Kelly from Manchester City as a free agent. They also snapped up left back Taylor Hinds from Liverpool after her contract expired.
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
At the Euros, San Diego Wave's Delphine Cascarino is playing with ruthlessness for France
It began to look like France had bitten off more than they could chew in Basel, Switzerland. Entering the dressing room down 2-1 at halftime against the Netherlands in their final group game, they were facing defeat and the prospect of being drawn against Group C winners Sweden in the quarterfinals, a team that had routed 2022 finalists Germany 4-1 on Saturday. Advertisement France, who have yet to win a major international tournament, began their Euros campaign with a 2-1 victory over reigning champions England, put four past Wales with a rotated roster, and to top their group, needed only a draw against a Dutch side without the services of Vivianne Miedema. Yet, there they were, flailing from imprecise defending that invited a Victoria Pelova screamer and an own goal. But then came the second half and Delphine Cascarino. The San Diego Wave winger scored two goals in four minutes to secure a thumping 5-2 win and kept France top of their group for a Saturday encounter with Germany, leaving England to face the in-form Swedes. Cascarino, who missed the 2023 World Cup with an ACL injury, moved to Southern California last July to play for the Wave in the NWSL. The 28-year-old embodies the leagues and cultures that made her: her principled French flair is now edged with American grit, both forces swirling within the breezy confidence of a player who has spent a lot of time on the beaches of her mother's homeland of Guadeloupe. Cascarino has scored two goals and provided two assists in three Euros games. She also leads the NWSL in assists with five as the Wave sit third in the table at the midseason break. There were glimmers of her brilliance, her spontaneity on the ball, early in the second half. She roofed a ball that dropped almost too easily to her feet near the penalty box in the 52nd minute, but by the 54th minute, she was gliding over the ball, her stepovers mesmeric. Dutch defender Kerstin Casparij blocked her shot, but Cascarino's guile earned France a corner kick. Seven minutes later, Cascarino plowed down a Dutch player in the middle of the park and sent the ball on its way to striker Marie Antoinette-Katoto, who did not waste the opportunity to equalize. Advertisement Then those glimmers snapped into blinding focus. 'Sometimes I don't know what to do, so I use my body and throw in a fake move,' she told The Athletic in San Diego before the Euros began. 'It's a habit, and my body just does what it wants, and sometimes it works.' That could explain the beckoning hand to a teammate as though she wanted to pass them the ball, tricking defenders into the spaces she secretly wanted them to be as she galloped with a ball collected at midfield. She followed that with a stutter step as she saw off her last defender and cleared the path for a right-footed shot that rippled the side netting, putting France back in the lead. 'You play against Americans who are strong, Brazilians with flair, Spanish players who are so smart,' Cascarino said of the NWSL, noting Spain's Esther González and Midge Purce of Gotham FC, Trinity Rodman and compatriot Ouleymata Sarr of the Washington Spirit among her favourite players in the league. Cascarino is the only player on France's Euros roster whose club is not based in Europe, which required a tailored assessment of her game and consideration of her workload from new manager Laurent Bonadei. Her colleagues' seasons conclude in May and resume around September, while the NWSL preseason begins in January with a late-November championship. 'I went to the U.S. in April,' Bonadei told reporters after the Netherlands match. 'I visited five clubs, watched three games, and I saw a good level of the championship. And it's a very good thing to have Delphine very fit.' It was he who encouraged Cascarino to stay with the Wave in February rather than join Les Bleues in Clairefontaine to train for a pair of Nations League matches against Norway and Iceland. Cascarino rejoined the national team in May, but a late yellow card in a match against Switzerland (her second in the Nations League) forced Bonadei's hand. Advertisement 'I preferred to let her go back to her club, to have a good preparation, and to play,' he said. 'It's good to perform with the club, and have a high level of performance. We saw in the second half she's fit to perform, and to make the difference.' Cascarino signed with the Wave last July from Lyon (now OL Lyonnes), dynastic league winners who've also won the Champions League eight times. The change, she says, has been a matter of frequency. 'In France, when you play for Lyon or PSG, you know you'll win the league or the Champions League. Here, every game is a fight,' she said. Ideally, the NWSL draws something new out of European players. Something louder, unapologetic, even a little arrogant. While Cascarino said her trickery is habitual, that her body just remembers, she also knows when to be direct. Against England, she pointed toward the space she wanted full-back Elisa De Almeida to place the ball to ensure she would not break stride driving to the byline. From there, as she's done many times in the NWSL, Cascarino sent a textured cross into the box that curled around English center back Leah Williamson and needed only a tap from Katoto. With 11 goals scored by nine different players and four conceded in the group stage, France have been faultless so far in this competition. Cascarino, in particular, has been immaculate. (Top photo by Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USWNT vs. Canada: Live updates, lineups, highlights, and analysis
The U.S. women's national team concludes a three-game international window with a Wednesday night clash against Canada at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The USWNT has piled up the goals thus far during this camp, posting two separate 4-0 wins over the Republic of Ireland. While Kerry Abello and Gisele Thompson have left camp early, Emma Hayes still has plenty of players to evaluate in what should be sterner opposition in a Canada side now coached by former San Diego Wave manager Casey Stoney. Hayes has discussed the idea of a long evaluation play of the broader reaches of the player pool coming to a close in the near future, making this match a valuable chance for players — whether vastly experienced or not — to be sure that they're still in the mix come future camps. Pro Soccer Wire is live at Audi Field, and will have plenty of updates, lineups, and more: USWNT vs. Canada: How to watch, TV channel, live stream Jason Anderson USWNT vs. Canada lineups Jason Anderson USA (4-3-3): Claudia Dickey; Avery Patterson, Emily Sonnett, Naomi Girma, Lilly Reale; Rose Lavelle, Sam Coffey, Claire Hutton; Michelle Cooper, Lynn Biyendolo, Alyssa Thompson CAN (): Kailen Sheridan; Gabrielle Carle, Vanessa Gilles, Jade Rose, Ashley Lawrence; Julia Grosso, Emma Regan, Jessie Fleming; Janine Sonis, Jordyn Huitema, Mimi Alidou Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA Today Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alex Morgan's Emotional Response After Former Club's Big Announcement
Alex Morgan's Emotional Response After Former Club's Big Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. U.S. soccer legend Alex Morgan called it a career on Sept. 8, 2024, stepping onto the pitch for the final time. She did it in a San Diego Wave FC kit, starting the match and then being subbed out in the 15th minute after receiving a massive standing ovation from the home crowd. Advertisement While the Wave lost that game 4-1 to the North Carolina Courage, the night will always be remembered for Morgan. The 5-foot-7 striker played all three seasons in the club's existence, joining in a trade from the Orlando Pride ahead of its inaugural season. She started 44 matches and appeared in 48 during her time with the Wave, scoring 22 goals and adding eight assists. Morgan also helped San Diego win the 2023 NWSL Shield and the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup. After all the 35-year-old has given to the club, Tuesday brought a big announcement to honor her contributions forever. On Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET, the Wave will retire Morgan's No. 13 jersey at Snapdragon Stadium. "there will never be another 13," the Wave posted on social media. Morgan reposted the Wave's post, sharing a message to the city of San Diego. Advertisement "See you there San Diego 🩷," she said. Alex Morgan's Instagram story.@alexmorgan13/Instagram Morgan isn't just held in high regard by the club—she's also considered one of the greatest women's soccer players of all time. She began her career with the Western New York Flash before moving on to the Portland Thorns, Orlando Pride and Tottenham Hotspur. At the international level, she made 224 appearances, scored 123 goals and added 53 assists. Morgan also helped the U.S. win two FIFA Women's World Cups (2015 and 2019). Related: FIFA's One-Word Response to Alex Morgan's Post Says It All This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
