After a thrilling comeback victory in Denver, the San Diego Wave will return to the pitch Wednesday night in Portland.
San Diego beat Portland 3-1 when the teams met on March 25. But during a stretch where they will play three matches in nine days, every game matters — especially given where San Diego sits in the National Women’s Soccer League standings.
The Wave (5-1-0) are in first place. The Thorns (4-1-1) are second.
Wave coach Jonas Eidevall said he is focused more on improvement from Saturday than on the standings, noting that every performance has a life of its own.
“The reality is, our performance in the first half against Denver was not good enough,” Eidevall said. “If you play the first half like that, you might end up losing football matches.”
Eidevall credits the book “The Score Takes Care of Itself” by three-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Walsh for helping him stay focused on the next game.
Jonas Eidevall of San Diego Wave FC gestures to fans during a Season Kick-Off Rally at Balboa Park on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Eidevall summed up lessons from the 288-page book like this: “We focus on our performances, and the score will take care of itself.”
That mindset showed Saturday. The Wave trailed 2-0 at halftime, struggling to slow Denver’s Melissa Kössler while stalling on offense.
San Diego settled in during the second half, thanks in part to Eidevall’s message about staying focused and taking it one goal at a time.
“We knew that once we got one in, the rest would come,” midfielder Kimmi Ascanio said.
The comeback began in the 49th minute, when Ascanio set up Lia Godfrey with a precise pass and the rookie finished it. In the 57th, Kennedy Wesley headed in a corner to level the match.
Then, in the 65th, Dudinha beat her defender by a couple of steps and sent a cross into the box that resulted in an own-goal off Summit defender Carson Pickett, sealing a 3-2 win.
The Wave have shown an uncommon resiliency so far this season, bouncing back from an opening loss to Houston at home and turning it into a five-game winning streak. Or in the case of Saturday, following one bad half with an excellent one.
“I think it helps create a lot of unity and a lot of belief in what the group can be capable of,” Eidevall said.
Lia Godfrey of the San Diego Wave FC and M.A. Vignola of the Portland Thorns FC battle for control of the ball during their match at Snapdragon Stadium on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego appears to be improving on both ends of the field as the season progresses.
The inconsistency that plagued them in 2025 has not surfaced this year, in part because Eidevall has learned from it. His diamond midfield formation has transformed the team both offensively and defensively.
“We see that we play better when we are connected,” Eidevall said. “For us to find ways to be connected means that we can use each other’s movements. It means we can manage space in a better way.”
The strongest version of that diamond includes Kenza Dali, Godfrey and Ascanio, with either Laurina Fazer or Gia Corley complementing the group.
It’s perhaps the biggest reason the Wave are in first place.
“I think it just gives a point of different pictures, and they have to figure out different ways to defend the overload in the midfield,” Ascanio said. “So, I think it’s always good for us to make it as hard as we can for the opponent to defend us.”
San Diego FC (5-1-0) vs. Portland Thorns (4-1-1)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Providence Park, Portland
TV: CBS Sports Network