The San Diego Wave return to action after a month-long hiatus Saturday, when they host NJ/NY Gotham FC at Snapdragon Stadium.
They’re in a good place. And maybe they’re not.
The Wave are 8-4-1, good for first place in the National Women’s Soccer League standings. But leading scorer Dudihna is done for the season after injuring her knee, and superstar acquisition Catarina Macario is still without a timeline to make her Wave debut.
San Diego last played May 31, beating the Chicago Stars 2-0 on the road. Saturday marks their first home match since Memorial Day weekend.
“I thought the time off came at a really good place for us, and now it’s been exciting to work with the team here for three weeks, where we have been able to train more together,” Wave coach Jonas Eidevall said.
Dudinha was playing for her native Brazil when she tore her right ACL during a June 9 international friendly against the United States. She had become a fixture on the Wave’s left wing, showing her speed, technical ability and willingness to shoot from anywhere on the field. Her five goals and four assists lead the team.
“First of all, I’m really, really sad for her, because a big injury often happens when you are at your best, and she was a really important player for us,” Wave midfielder Kenza Dali said. “She is a really important player for us, and I’m quite still angry at the way that this happened, but you need to accept it and move forward.”
As for who will replace her, that remains to be seen. Trinity Byars, Ludmila and Lia Godrey all scored — with Ludmila finding the back of the net twice — in Sunday’s 4-3 exhibition win over the Thorns in Portland.
“We need to build something new, and not only try to replace the puzzle piece that Dudihna was with something that doesn’t fit the same way,” Eidevall said. “So, we just need to construct the puzzle a little bit differently, and that’s work in motion. That’s what we’re doing here now.”
Eidevall said there was no update on Macario, who signed the most lucrative contract in NWSL history more than three months ago but has yet to make her debut. The forward continues to recover from an injury, and there is still no timetable for when she will return to the practice field.
Gotham FC enters Saturday’s match four points behind the Wave in the NWSL standings. Before the international break, Gotham won three consecutive NWSL matches to climb the table.
The club features two San Diego fan favorites.
Midfielder Jaedyn Shaw has scored four goals this season. She made her debut with the Wave at age 17, playing for the club from 2022 to 2024 before being traded to the North Carolina Courage. The Wave dealt midfielder Savannah McCaskill to Gotham FC during the offseason and she has recorded two assists in 11 appearances.
The matchup also features one of the league’s best offenses against one of its stingiest defenses. San Diego ranks second in the NWSL with 19 goals, while Gotham has allowed just five goals in 11 matches. Only Denver, Kansas City and Boston have scored against Gotham this season, with Denver and Kansas City each finding the net twice.
“They’re a solid team, a very experienced team, a mature team that won’t give away a lot for free to you when you play against them,” Eidevall said. “So, you need to create your opportunities yourself.”
Dali has encouraged her Wave teammates to put the first half of the season behind them and treat Saturday’s match against Gotham FC as the start of a new campaign.
“We need to move forward, and I just learned last season that it doesn’t matter what you did the first part of the season,” Dali said.
San Diego Wave (8-4-1) vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC (6-2-3)
When: 5:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium
TV: ION