Latest news with #SanDiegoWave
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
San Diego Wave sign 21-year-old French midfielder Laurina Fazer through 2027
The San Diego Wave continue to make summer transfer moves with the signing of French international midfielder Laurina Fazer. Upon receipt of her P-1 visa, the 21-year-old will join the Wave from Paris Saint-Germain, where she began her professional career at age 16. Fazer will occupy one of the Wave's international roster slots. 'Laurina is a highly intelligent and composed midfielder who brings a high level of technical excellence,' Wave sporting director and general manager Camille Ashton said in a statement. Les Bleus starlet in SD 🌊 Bienvenue à Wave FC, @LaurinaFazer! — San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) July 29, 2025 With PSG, Fazer marked her November 2020 debut with two assists in the team's 14-0 victory over Issy. The following year, she helped PSG claim its first-ever Division 1 Féminine title, as well as Coupe de France trophies in 2022 and 2024. At the international level, Fazer has been a fixture at Clairefontaine (the academy of the French Football Federation), having played at the U-16, U-17, U-19, U-20 and U-23 levels. In 2022, she captained the U-20s at the 2022 U-20 World Cup, where France lost to Japan on penalties in the quarterfinals. Advertisement That same year, Fazer earned a call-up to the senior French women's national team at 18, playing her first match in April 2023 in a friendly against Colombia, which France won 5-2. She made enough of an impression at the senior level to make the roster for the 2023 World Cup in Australia, where France again lost in the quarterfinals. Since then, Fazer has been spending time with the U-23 national team, most recently at the 2025 Sud Ladies Cup held in the South of France. Fazer was the skipper, contributing a brace and an assist in the French team's victory over Japan's U-19 side and earning Best Player honors. 'She's played at the highest level in Europe with PSG, won major trophies, and shown real leadership as a captain for France's youth national teams,' Ashton added. 'Her ability to read the game and progress play forward makes her an exciting addition to our group.' Fazer is the second young international signing in the past week for the Wave, who sit third in the National Women's Soccer League (NSWL) table as teams prepare for the second half of the season following a mid-year break for continental tournaments. On July 24, the San Diego club signed 20-year-old Brazilian forward Dudinha, who's currently competing in the Copa América Feminina in Ecuador. Fazer is also the fourth French player to sign with the Wave, following midfielder Kenza Dali, defender Perle Morroni and winger Delphine Cascarino, who recently competed with France at the 2025 European championship in Switzerland, where Germany knocked out Les Bleues in the quarterfinal. All four French players have had significant minutes on the national team (Fazer and Dali were on the 2023 World Cup roster); that familiarity could also smooth the 21-year-old's transition to the league. As the Wave aim to secure their spot in the playoffs during the season's second half, they will likely be looking to acclimate their newer, young player signings like Fazer and Dudinha to the fast-paced, direct and aggressive play of the league. The recent departure of preeminent forward María Sánchez in June to Tigres in Liga MX Feminil, however, could result in a shuffling of the bench and create opportunities for Dudinha to slot in earlier. (Photo courtesy of PSG)
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
San Diego Wave sign 20-year-old Brazilian Dudinha through 2027
The San Diego Wave signed Brazilian forward Maria Eduarda Rodrigues Silva, commonly known as Dudinha, to a contract that will run through the 2027 season, the club announced Thursday. Dudinha is currently competing in the Copa América Feminina in Ecuador with Brazil, who have won the tournament a record eight times. At 20 years old, she will be the first Brazilian to play for the Wave. Advertisement Pending receipt of her P-1 visa, Dudinha will join the Wave from São Paulo FC in Brazil, where she scored 14 goals in more than 67 appearances across all competitions. São Paulo FC claimed the Supercopa Feminina title this year. 'At just 20 years old, Dudinha already brings meaningful experience at both the professional and international levels,' San Diego Wave sporting director and general manager Camille Ashton said in a statement. 'She's a dynamic and technical forward who's made an impact in Brazil's top league and with the national team. We're proud to welcome her as the first Brazilian signing in Wave FC history and believe she has the talent to be a key contributor for our club.' The São Paulo native began her career with the Seleção in 2022 with the under-17 squad, netting five goals in 10 appearances and contributing to their South American U-17 Championship title. Dudinha was elevated to the under-20 side that same year, helping that team win the same continental title, as well as a third-place finish at the 2022 U-20 Women's World Cup, the country's most successful campaign since 2006. Dudinha joins a significant contingent of Brazilian players in the NWSL, which has grown exponentially in recent years. The legendary 39-year-old Marta, who has played with the Orlando Pride since 2017, is now joined by fellow Brazilian nationals Angelina and Rafaelle. Gabi Portilho, Geyse and Bruninha play for Gotham FC; Debinha and Bia Zaneratto represent the Kansas City Current and Ludmila plays for the Chicago Stars. Other Brazilian players include Ary Borges for Racing Louisville, Aline Gomes for the North Carolina Courage and Rebeca Costa da Silva for the Houston Dash — to say nothing of the Brazilian players who've played in the league and since moved on, like 2024 NWSL MVP Kerolin, who now plays for Manchester City. Advertisement Brazil currently sits at the top of its group in the Copa América Feminina group stage, and will face arguably its toughest opponent, Colombia, on Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Quito, Ecuador. Brazil will also host the first women's World Cup in South America in 2027.
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First Post
17-07-2025
- 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
17-07-2025
- 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)
