San Diego Wave
San Diego Wave FC signed 15-year-old midfielder Melanie Barcenas to a three-year contract by way of 2025, the membership introduced on Monday. Barcenas, a Clairemont, California native, is the primary youth homegrown participant within the NWSL and is at present the youngest participant signing in NWSL historical past at 15 years and 138 days previous. The earlier file was held by 15-year-old Chloe Ricketts with the Washington Spirit who signed a three-year cope with the D.C. membership earlier this month. The file was orginally established by Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie, who signed with the Thorns again in 2021.
“I’m very excited to signal my first skilled contract with my hometown crew, San Diego Wave,” stated Barcenas. “It’s been a dream of mine to not simply play within the NWSL however to have the chance to signify this metropolis because the announcement of the Wave final 12 months. I do know I’m younger, however the crew and training workers have been superb, and I sit up for studying from them each day as I proceed to develop.”
Barcenas’ new contract is made potential by way of the leagues’ new Under-18 Entry Mechanism. Rules below the brand new mechanism imply that gamers below the age of 18 should reside with a dad or mum or authorized guardian till they flip 18 and can’t be traded or waived with out dad or mum or guardian consent. That contains growth drafts and with the NWSL just lately asserting Utah Royals as the newest growth aspect together with one other but to be named aspect slated for arrival in 2024, neither membership will have the ability to choose Barcenas in subsequent 12 months’s growth draft.
“We are very blissful that Melanie and her household have determined to entrust her hometown membership because the place for her to start her skilled profession,” stated San Diego Wave FC Head Coach Casey Stoney. “The coaches at San Diego Surf have been instrumental in serving to her develop as an individual and as a participant for her whole youth profession. We’re excited to maximise her potential by way of the approaching years, whereas being affected person and deliberate in advancing her growth whereas making certain she retains some routine and normalcy of being an adolescent.”
The younger midfielder has expertise on the youth membership degree and worldwide stage. She performed her youth membership days with San Diego Surf, and have become the primary highschool participant to signal a reputation, picture and likeness (NIL) cope with Nike when she signed on Jan. 1, 2022. She has been known as up for U-14, U-15 and U-16 U.S. Women’s National Teams coaching camps and her most up-to-date camp was with the U-17 crew for matches in opposition to England.
The NWSL will start it is eleventh 12 months on March 25 and San Diego Wave FC will start it is common season on Saturday in opposition to the Chicago Red Stars at Snapdragon Stadium. Barcena’s is offically a part of the Wave’s 2023 roster along with her new contract, however no indiciation on whether or not she’s going to characteristic throughout opening weekend.
