The San Diego Wave are hitting the home stretch.<\/p>\n
Before the National Women\u2019s Soccer League\u2019s most recent international break, the Wave had addressed several issues that plagued them earlier in the season \u2014 particularly their finishing. San Diego has scored 15 goals over its last seven matches while turning things around at home, winning four consecutive matches after struggling to find success at Snapdragon Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s something that is really important for us,\u201d Dali said of the team\u2019s recent performances. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously you need to have points, but performances will always bring you further at the end of the day. I think we\u2019ve been working really well. We played some incredible football, and on top of that, we had to have this run of winning if we wanted to hope for (the) playoffs \u2014 and for titles.\u201d<\/p>\n
One key has been Dali. The 35-year-old native of Sainte-Colombe, France, has a goal and three assists this season while leading a resurgent Wave team into the playoffs. San Diego is 16-8-3 heading into Saturday\u2019s match against the North Carolina Courage, good for second place in the NWSL standings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been here for two years and haven\u2019t seen any team that played like us without sounding arrogant or anything,\u201d Dali said. \u201cI think we truly play the best football in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n
The emergence of Trinity Byars and Melanie Barcenas in the wake of injuries to other players has transformed San Diego\u2019s starting lineup.<\/p>\n
Byars caught fire around May, scoring multiple goals and establishing herself as one of the Wave\u2019s most dangerous offensive weapons. She has recorded 10 goals and three assists in her first season, earning her first U.S. Women\u2019s National Team call-up for the recent matches against Spain.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a big fan of Trinity,\u201d Dali said.<\/p>\n
Barcenas has also taken the next step in her development despite having just turned 18 years old. One of her biggest strengths is her ability to deliver in crucial moments. When the Wave need a goal, she has shown a knack for making game-changing plays.<\/p>\n
\u201cMel, with the ability she has, like the technical ability, she can play with anyone,\u201d Dali said. \u201cShe\u2019s just really smart in her positioning, and then her capacity of shooting from distance, or even the pass she found, is special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the last four matches, Eidevall has relied on a midfield featuring Gia Corley, Kimmi Ascanio, Lia Godfrey and Dali, a group that has helped fuel the team\u2019s four-match winning streak.<\/p>\n
Midfield play can be the difference between winning and losing championships, and the Wave have developed one of the best units in the NWSL.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something that we develop and work on a lot,\u201d Dali explained. \u201cIt\u2019s something now (where) we know each other really well. I know exactly what kind of players are surrounding me, and that\u2019s super important. That\u2019s how you win games. So I think to play in the San Diego Wave, you need to be a smart player. If you\u2019re not really smart, you can\u2019t play with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Kenza](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SUT-L-wave-0913-010.jpg\")
Kenza Dali (10) and Brooklyn Courtnall (6) of the San Diego Wave FC and teammates celebrate after a goal against the North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
The Wave have plenty of intelligent players, but their collective commitment on defense has been just as important to their recent success.<\/p>\n
San Diego has allowed just seven goals over its last seven matches, going\u00a06-1 in the process. Former FC Barcelona goalkeeper Sandra Pa\u00f1os has provided leadership and consistency between the posts, helping elevate the Wave\u2019s defense after inconsistent goalkeeping performances earlier in the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone commits to the defensive part and that\u2019s why it\u2019s really hard for another team to break us,\u201d Dali said.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest additions to the squad has been rookie right back Mimi Van Zanten, who has quickly established herself as one of the league\u2019s most impressive young defenders.<\/p>\n
A play against Washington roughly two months ago demonstrated her impact.<\/p>\n
Van Zanten had pushed forward into the attacking half when the ball was played ahead to Trinity Rodman, who suddenly had an open path down the right side. Rodman had approximately a 15-yard head start, but Van Zanten sprinted back, caught up to her inside the Wave\u2019s penalty area and poked the ball away.<\/p>\n
It was the type of effort that has made Van Zanten such a valuable weapon on both ends of the field. Along with Pa\u00f1os, she has helped take San Diego\u2019s defense to another level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for me, Mimi is a really, really big contender for Rookie of the Year with Lia (Godfrey),\u201d Dali said. \u201cPeople will say I\u2019m biased, but I truly think that I don\u2019t see any better rookie this year. People will talk about the rookie based on stats, but when you give a rookie of the year for me, it\u2019s based off performances and how consistent you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Zanten said the praise was \u201cincredible to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so easy to come in and work with these girls because we all have the same mindset and know what we need to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Three regular-season matches remain before the playoffs.<\/p>\n
The Wave are looking to put pressure on first-place Gotham FC, which holds a four-point advantage, while also protecting their position near the top of the standings.<\/p>\n
For Dali, the motivation goes beyond securing a favorable playoff position. The veteran midfielder won numerous trophies in Europe, but has yet to capture one in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to win, and I haven\u2019t won anything yet, so I\u2019m happy and excited to start the playoffs,\u201d Dali said. \u201cIt\u2019s always an opportunity to win a trophy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The San Diego Wave are hitting the home stretch. Before the National Women\u2019s Soccer League\u2019s most recent international…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":498458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[126543,107095,74,76,75,12901],"class_list":["post-498457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-kenza-dali","tag-melanie-barcenas","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-san-diego-wave"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}