The San Diego Wave return to action after a month-long hiatus Saturday, when they host NJ\/NY Gotham FC at Snapdragon Stadium.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re in a good place. And maybe they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n
The Wave are 8-4-1, good for first place in the National Women\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the time off came at a really good place for us, and now it\u2019s been exciting to work with the team here for three weeks, where we have been able to train more together,\u201d Wave coach Jonas Eidevall said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all, I\u2019m 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,\u201d Wave midfielder Kenza Dali said. \u201cShe is a really important player for us, and I\u2019m quite still angry at the way that this happened, but you need to accept it and move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for who will replace her, that remains to be seen. Trinity Byars, Ludmila and Lia Godrey all scored \u2014 with Ludmila finding the back of the net twice \u2014 in Sunday\u2019s 4-3 exhibition win over the Thorns in Portland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to build something new, and not only try to replace the puzzle piece that Dudihna was with something that doesn\u2019t fit the same way,\u201d Eidevall said. \u201cSo, we just need to construct the puzzle a little bit differently, and that\u2019s work in motion. That\u2019s what we\u2019re doing here now.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Gotham FC enters Saturday\u2019s match four points behind the Wave in the NWSL standings. Before the international break, Gotham won three consecutive NWSL matches to climb the table.<\/p>\n
The club features two San Diego fan favorites.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The matchup also features one of the league\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a solid team, a very experienced team, a mature team that won\u2019t give away a lot for free to you when you play against them,\u201d Eidevall said. \u201cSo, you need to create your opportunities yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dali has encouraged her Wave teammates to put the first half of the season behind them and treat Saturday\u2019s match against Gotham FC as the start of a new campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to move forward, and I just learned last season that it doesn\u2019t matter what you did the first part of the season,\u201d Dali said.<\/p>\n
San Diego Wave (8-4-1) vs. NJ\/NY Gotham FC (6-2-3)<\/p>\n
When: 5:45 p.m. Saturday<\/p>\n
Where: Snapdragon Stadium<\/p>\n
TV: ION<\/p>\n
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