Notebook: Wave hope ‘massive’ win serves as a turning point; SDFC set to return

After nearly two months without a win, the San Diego Wave broke through.

Because of it, their once-fading playoff chances suddenly look like a sure thing.

Kenza Dali scored a 72nd-minute goal and the Wave rallied to beat the Royals 3-2 late Saturday in Sandy, Utah. The game was marred by a lightning delay and rain.

Winning on the road was “massive,” Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan said. “The weather was wild, the delays, a bunch of negativity that you can’t control. I’m really proud of how the team responded. We were all really intentional with our communication and how we stayed dialed in together. That was massive in the last 10, 15 minutes. That was a real difference-maker for us.”

San Diego’s first victory since Aug. 16 moved the Wave (9-8-7) from eighth place to sixth in the National Women’s Soccer League standings. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

But Saturday’s win was about more than earning three points and climbing the standings. It may mark a turning point for a team that’s struggled to score (and win) during the second half of the 2025 season. Before Saturday, the Wave were 1-5-4 over their previous 10 matches, scoring just 10 total goals during that time.

Saturday, they scored three — albeit with a little help. Kate Del Fava of the Royals scored an own goal during first-half stoppage time, giving San Diego a 2-1 lead. Mina Tanaka tied it in the 54th minute before Dali won it with a lofted shot over Utah goalie Mandy McGlynn.

Defender Hanna Lundkvist called it “a super-strong performance,” noting that winning on the road and in inclement weather is “not an easy thing to do.”

Sheridan used nearly the same words.

“Honestly, it’s not easy,” she said.  “There’s been a lot of ugly moments for us and a lot of hard work that’s gone on, especially in training, in the team room (and) in the locker room to fight back from what we’ve dug ourselves into.

“I can sit here and say that we deserved it, that we worked our asses off and we were the better team and all that, but all the work we’ve done off the field and back at home on training pitch, just trying to grind together and connect. … Our ability to have relationships on the field and demand more of each other is what got us through the 90-plus minutes today.”

Playoff picture

The Kansas City Current long ago wrapped up the top seed in the NWSL playoffs. At 20-2-2, the powerhouse club has amassed 62 points this season – 18 more than the second-place Washington Spirit (12-4-8).

After that, however, things get murky. Six teams – Orlando, New Jersey/New York, Seattle, San Diego, Portland and Louisville – are within three points of each other with a pair of regular-season matches remaining.

The Wave could help their own cause this weekend, when they take on the last-place Chicago Stars (2-11-11, 17 points) at Snapdragon Stadium in the final home match of the regular season. Saturday’s match kicks off at 7 p.m.

San Diego wraps its regular season Nov. 2 at Kansas City.

SDFC returns this week

San Diego FC returns from its international break this weekend for the club’s regular-season finale against the Portland Timbers in Oregon. The match starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at Providence Park.

SDFC (18-9-6, 60 points) sits in second place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference, trailing the Vancouver Whitecaps (18-6-9, 63 points). LAFC (59 points) and Minnesota United (58 points) sit right behind SDFC in the standings.

Seventh-place Portland (11-11-11, 44 points) has secured a playoff berth, but, like SDFC, is still jockeying for playoff positioning. The club can finish the regular season as high as sixth in the Western Conference.

Dreyer scores twice

SDFC winger Anders Dreyer scored twice off the bench as Denmark beat Belarus 6-0 on Thursday in a World Cup qualifying match. He was held scoreless Sunday, but Denmark still managed to beat Greece 3-1.

One of the favorites to win the MLS Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player Award, Dreyer leads SDFC with 17 goals and 17 assists. He was selected to the league’s All-Star Game this summer.