San Diego, CA

Tom Krasovic: A San Diego teenager provides hope for crashing Wave

Published

2 years ago

July 6, 2024

Press Room

Tom Krasovic: A San Diego teenager provides hope for crashing Wave

For the struggling San Diego Wave FC, a teenager represents hope.

Melanie Barcenas has magic feet, as verified by her last two matches since returning from a hip injury.

The 16-year-old’s exciting trap-and-shot late in Friday’s match wasn’t enough to end the Wave’s struggles. The goalkeeper knocked away the high-speed shot, and the Portland Thorns broke through for a goal in the 84th minute, leading to the visiting Wave’s 1-0 defeat before an announced crowd of 18,011.

But talent is talent.

It’s clear Barcenas, a Clairemont-area native and former San Diego Surf star, has it.

“Oh, she’s so exciting,” Wave interim coach Paul Buckle said. “It’s not easy coming off the bench for any professional player, but she’s made it look pretty easy.”

Wave defender Hanna Lundkvist says this of Barcenas: “She’s brave and she’s got techniques.”

The Wave are desperate for scoring punch. Look for Barcenas to get more chances beginning Aug. 24, when the National Women’s Soccer League’s regular season resumes following the Paris Olympics.

Plagued by imprecision and disconnection, the 10th-place Wave (3-7-6) have been shut out in their past three-and-half games — including both matches since team president Jill Ellis fired coach Casey Stoney, the defense-first head coach.

Chicago Red Stars’ Ally Cook (33) and San Diego Wave FC’s Melanie Barcenas (25) battle for control of the ball. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Of course, a teen can’t be expected to come to the rescue.

The burden to turn around the offense begins with several veterans, including three accomplished NWSL scorers who are without a goal this season: forwards Alex Morgan, 35, and Maria Sanchez, 28, and midfielder Savannah McCaskill, 27.

Morgan’s drought, which spans 10 matches, appeared to end late in Friday’s first half when she tapped in a loose ball.

Then came a signal from the referee: Morgan was offside.

“That’s how it’s going for us,” said Buckle, who disagreed with the call.

Deep into her second season, Barcenas has shown she might provide a spark during the upcoming 10-game stretch that ends in early November.

She entered in the second half, just as she did in a 3-0 loss a week earlier.

Nearly decking the Thorns, she unloaded perhaps the most powerful shot any opponent has faced in the Wave’s past three matches.

The sequence began when Barcenas, a 5-foot-4 midfielder working at left wing after replacing Sánchez, tamed McCaskill’s smart crossing pass into the box with a perfect first touch. Eluding a defender, Barcenas pivoted and clubbed the bounding ball with her right foot.

Goalkeeper Shelby Hogan, on the way to her seventh shutout this season, punched the laser over the bar.

“Incredible save,” said Buckle.

Two minutes after the fans exhaled, the Thorns had them roaring.

It began with Thorns midfielder Hina Sugita stealing goalkeeper’s Kailen Sheridan’s ill-advised pass by ambushing Wave defender Kristen McNabb near the center stripe.

The sequence ended with 22-year-old Izzy D’Aquila’s one-touch goal from 4 yards, off a crossing pass from Janine Beckie, who saw D’Aquila dart past defenders Abby Dahlkemper and Lundkvist.

The final whistle sent the Wave on a glum, too familiar walk off the pitch.

They’re winless in their nine road matches, a year after winning six road games to record the league’s best away record.

Scoreless in the 300-plus minutes since rookie Mya Jones’ goal at NJ/NY Gotham FC on June 19, winless in the nine matches since they beat last-place Utah on May 8 in Mission Valley, the Wave now will try to regroup.

The layoff and exhibition matches will allow them to work on the finer points of the transition from a defense-first team to one that, in Ellis’ phrase, is “built on attacking.”

Such an overhaul takes more than two weeks.

“We have to keep believing because we did so many things right,” Buckle said. ‘We were brave again. But, we’re just not getting anything for our troubles right now. We were brave with the ball. I’d be nitpicking if I said anything different.

“I’m just desperately disappointed for the players. I said that to them, ‘Football can be cruel sometimes’. But, if we keep playing like we’re playing, it will turn. It will turn for us.”

In pursuit of a playoff bid, NWSL teams are permitted more lives than a cat. Eight of the 14 clubs get in.

Every soccer expert agrees the Wave have more talent – especially on defense led by Naomi Girma – than a handful of fellow stragglers.

All it may take is a two or three wins and a few ties. Six of the 10 matches will come in Mission Valley. Rest will be abundant, and several upcoming opponents lack game-changing firepower.

But it will take more scoring from a Wave team that shows 12 goals in 16 matches.

The Wave know the stakes. They stand as the NWSL’s most disappointing team, given they won the league title last year and were picked first or second by the soccer media and oddsmakers entering this year.

“There’s nothing to say,” said Lundkvist, who was in Sweden last season. “We have to keep going and just keep pushing.”

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San Diego, CA

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

Published

2 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

When we think of May, we think of Mother’s Day, blooming flowers, sunny skies, and lots of fun, seasonal events in the city. This month, locals can dine on the creations of James Beard Award-Winning Chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn, or take advantage of berry season at the annual Vista Strawberry Festival. Theatre lovers can enjoy a showing of Kim’s Convenience at The Old Globe, while the San Diego Natural History Museum invites art enthusiasts to view its latest marine-themed exhibit. Grab your tickets and crack open that planner. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this month:

Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month

29

Louisiana legend Juvenile, enhances by the live instrumentation of The 400 Degreez Band, will perform career hits and his newest album, Boiling Point, at House of Blues San Diego.

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month

5/5–6/1

Turning the spotlight on contemporary LGBTQ artists, the inaugural ArtSpectrum 2026 will showcase both the grand and intimate scale of contemporary painters, photographers, and mixed media artists at Village Arts Outreach in Balboa Park.

12–24

The only ordinary element of the San Diego International Fringe Festival is the constant thrill of the extraordinary. Discover a plethora of innovative performances at venues from Pacific Beach to Baja.

5/15–6/14

A Korean-Canadian family balances tradition and assimilation from their Toronto storefront in Ins Choi’s comforting satire Kim’s Convenience, making its local premier at The Old Globe.

5/22–2/2027

Ocean debris will receive a new beginning at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Using repurposed pollution, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea depicts creatively sculpted marine life.

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month

4/30–5/3

Enjoy fine dining at its finest from a lineup of gastronomic titans during 54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Savor elegant meals, masterclasses, tastings, and more at Rancho Bernardo Inn.

2

Unlimited bites, regional craft beers, and animal observations are on the menu for San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew (with live music), a culinary evening in support of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance.

7

Spend An Evening with David Sedaris, humorist, essayist, and best-selling author. Never afraid to point the pen at himself, Sedaris will share old favorites and works in progress in the classic satirical style he’s known for at Jacobs Music Center.

15–17

Say cheese! And toast to the Cheese & Libation Expo. Explore three days of all-you-can eat and drink fare at BRICK, along with boutique shopping and bountiful pairings.

PARTNER CONTENT

10 Years In, Puffer and Malarkey Are Just Getting Started

Elevating an Icon: Inside the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clu…

16

Stroll the private grounds of several luxurious homes, accompanied by live music, tabletop designs, and outdoor artistry, during the Secret Garden Tour, La Jolla Historical Society‘s flora and fauna fundraiser.

24

Vista recalls its days as a strawberry-producing superpower through its free Strawberry Festival. Wear your berry best fit, watch film screenings, and enter contests for shortcake, pie, and sundae indulging.

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San Diego, CA

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Published

14 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.

Located on 17^th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.

“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.

Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.

“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.

Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.

But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.

“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.

In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”

Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.

However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.

“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.

Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.

He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.

“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.

The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.

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