SAN DIEGO — At a packed sports bar in the North Park neighborhood, cheers erupted among the fans gathered for an Aug. 27 watch party as Alex Morgan‘s goal effectively sealed another win for the San Diego Wave.
There was a buzz in the air among the crowd — not just about beating the Portland Thorns on the road, but also about knowing that the Wave would soon set the attendance record for a National Women’s Soccer League game.
Just a few days before that 2-0 win over Portland, the Wave had announced that Saturday’s game against Angel City FC at the newly opened Snapdragon Stadium had sold 32,000 tickets — which will easily surpass the NWSL’s single-game attendance record of 25,218 set by the Thorns in 2019.
“I’m really stoked because I don’t know if San Diego has the best rep as a sports town,” said Googie Daniels, president of the Sirens, the Waves’ first supporters’ group. “It elevates everyone and I think it’s going to be great for the league and for women’s sports in general.”
In their first season, the bar has been set exceptionally high by the Wave. On the field, they are coached by former Manchester United manager Casey Stoney (a Coach of the Year candidate) and are genuine NWSL Shield contenders for the best regular season side. The team’s first signing was USWNT stalwart and 2019 World Cup winner Abby Dahlkemper, while center-back Naomi Girma could win Rookie of the Year honors and earn a spot with the U.S. squad at the 2023 World Cup.
Not to mention league MVP favorite Morgan. The two-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist leads the NWSL with 15 goals and is nearing Sam Kerr‘s league record of 18.
Wave supporters have responded in the stands. Much like the team itself, the Sirens went from a concept in 2021 to full-fledged project in a matter of months. And while the Wave have swiftly picked up important victories and points on the field, the Sirens have picked up new members that are won over by their costumes, songs, banners, and yes, bubble machines.
“It’s inspiring,” Daniels said. “We show up to have a good time and people feed off that.”
The Wave have so far played all their home games at 6,000-seat Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego. They now move just east to the expansive 32,000-seat stadium owned by San Diego State that opened earlier this month.
The Sirens, and of course the players themselves, have helped turn San Diego’s NWSL matches into an entertaining spectacle.
“It’s so exciting, we see families, we see people that might not even really watch soccer,” said a Sirens member, who goes by McB.
“They’ve been to one [game] and that lights that fire,” McB said. “That’s all it takes.”
‘Forget about Bad Bunny’
Jill Ellis, the former U.S. women’s national team coach and current club president for the Wave, remembers a meeting about the new stadium that set a lofty goal.
“‘Let’s sell it out,'” the two-time World Cup-winning coach recalled telling Wave staff. “You look around the room and people start nodding, start believing.”
When the club confirmed that Snapdragon Stadium would become their permanent home despite being five times bigger than the previous venue, Ellis placed the bar high.
“I think sometimes when you put things out there, people then, one, feel that there is a destination, and two, everybody gets on board to help you get there.”
