The San Diego Wave can clinch a playoff spot with a win Saturday night against the Chicago Stars.
That they can do it at home makes it even more special.
“If we can do that with our own performance in front of our own fans at our home stadium, that would be the absolute best scenario,” first-year Wave coach Jonas Eidevall said. “We’re very motivated and determined to do it.”
Saturday marks the final home game of the regular season, and, as such, it’s fan appreciation night. The first 10,000 fans to arrive will receive a long-sleeve, hockey jersey-inspired T-shirt. The club will also hold a Fan Fest featuring games, face painting, food trucks and more starting at 3:30 p.m. The match begins at 7 p.m.
Tali Lerner wouldn’t miss it for the world. She is the president of the Sirens, the Wave’s supporters’ group. They pack Snapdragon for home games and occasionally travel to road matches.
Wave players have appreciated the support during an up-and-down, 9-8-7 season. The club started 7-3-3 before struggling; last week’s 3-2 win over the Utah Royals was just the club’s second victory in its last 11 matches.
“I’ve been looking forward to this,” Lerner said. “We have a chance of clinching the playoffs at home, with the fans, with the team. It’s been a turmoil season as far as on the pitch. We had a really good start, and then some slacking off, so I think everybody’s really hyped.”
Lerner has loved soccer since birth. Her fondest memory came when her hometown team, Israel’s Hapoel Be’er Sheva, hosted Barcelona and superstar Luis Figo in a 1995 UEFA Cup match. It ended in a lopsided 7-0 Barcelona victory, but Lerner still remembers being thrilled that such a legendary club had come to Be’er Sheva.
“We were all cheering when they scored, even, because they came to our small city,” Lerner recalled.
Another passionate Siren is Dai Tran. As the group’s spirit creative director, he wears elaborate costumes to every match.
On Saturday, Tran plans to switch costumes every 10 game minutes. He’s already decided to dress as a hippopotamus, Pikachu, unicorn, dragon and rabbit. The bunny look is a tribute to center back Kristen McNabb. A small group of McNabb’s supporters call themselves the “McNabbits,” which inspired the outfit.
Tran fell in love with soccer in San Diego when his older sister began playing. His parents made him attend her practices and games, so he decided to make it fun by wearing costumes — a tradition he has carried over to Wave matches.
Tran said his sister was “not surprised” by his decision to dress up for Wave games.
“She’s like, that’s exactly the kind of thing I like doing,” he said.
When Lerner moved to San Diego a decade ago, there was no professional women’s soccer team. Tran, who grew up in the city, remembers a time when locals had the Sockers and Spirit, but no major outdoor soccer club to rally around. Both felt that a city as passionate as San Diego deserved one.
The Wave debuted in 2022 and moved into Snapdragon Stadium at the end of their first season.
“I was really, really hyped, and I knew it was gonna be a thing in my life,” Lerner said.
For years, San Diego has been one of the top television markets for soccer, consistently ranking among the top 10 in English Premier League viewership, according to NBC Sports. The city’s love for the game runs deep, reflected in its vibrant soccer culture. Bluefoot Bar & Lounge in North Park has been recognized by “Men in Blazers” as one of the top 10 soccer bars in the country.
Now, the city boasts two professional soccer teams: the Wave and San Diego FC, Major League Soccer’s playoff-bound expansion club.
Lerner and Tran are both excited about the direction of the Wave, especially with the emergence of young players Kimmi Ascanio, Melanie Barcenas, Trinity Armstrong, Dudinha, and others. The roster features more players under the age of 25 (13) than over the age of 25 (12).
The Wave were not projected to be strong contenders in 2025, with several roster changes and a first-year coach in Eidevall. The season has been a rollercoaster, but the Wave sit sixth in the National Women’s Soccer League standings with two regular-season matches remaining. The top eight teams make the playoffs.
“The fact that people thought this was going to be a rebuilding year, it was going to take a lot longer to get to where we are — and we’re about to send the players off to the playoffs,” Tran said. “As much as they’re appreciating us, I think it’s also very much the fans’ appreciation of the players that will really be demonstrated this Saturday.”
San Diego Wave (9-8-7) vs. Chicago Fire (2-11-11)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
TV: ION