San Diego Wave have signed 15-year-old ahead Melanie Barcenas to a three-year contract, making her the youngest participant to signal knowledgeable deal within the Nationwide Ladies's Soccer League (NWSL), the membership introduced on Tuesday.
Born in San Diego, Barcenas signed her contract at 15 years and 138 days previous. Earlier than becoming a member of the Wave, the ahead performed her youth profession with San Diego Surf and hung out within the youth ranges of the Unites States girls's nationwide crew construction.
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"We are very happy that Melanie and her family have decided to entrust her hometown club as the place for her to begin her professional career," Wave head coach Casey Stoney mentioned in an announcement.
"The coaches at San Diego Surf have been instrumental in helping her develop as a person and as a player for her entire youth career. We're excited to maximize her potential through the coming years, while being patient and deliberate in advancing her development while ensuring she retains some routine and normalcy of being a teenager."
As a consequence of being a San Diego native and her earlier involvement in coaching with the senior crew, the Wave have mentioned that Barcenas can be the primary youth homegrown participant within the NWSL.
The teenager has joined the Wave by way of a new under-18 entry mechanism that enables NWSL groups to put eligible underage gamers, with the consent of the participant and a father or mother/guardian, into senior roster spots.
San Diego will host the Chicago Pink Stars at Snapdragon Stadium on March 25 as they kick off their NWSL marketing campaign. The Wave will look to construct off their 2022 inaugural season by which they completed third within the common season desk and as semifinalists within the playoffs.
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