National Women’s Soccer League side San Diego Wave FC have signed Nigeria international Chiamaka Okwuchukwu from Nigerian Women’s Premier League club Rivers Angels FC on a one-year contract.

The club announced the signing on the 19-year-old on Monday, as she comes in for the 2025 season in an international roster slot, fresh off an impressive showing at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, where she scored twice and registered an assist in four matches.

“We are very pleased to welcome Chiamaka to the Wave family,” said San Diego Wave FC Sporting Director and General Manager Camille Ashton.

“Her signing is the latest example of our intention to add promising young players to the roster. With her skillset, we believe Chiamaka will complement our current attacking players very well and be a key contributor to the team.”

Okwuchukwu will join an impressive African cast in the NWSL, with the 2024 season seeing an influx of players from the continent, and they made an immediate impact.

Zambia captain Barbra Banda helped lead Orlando Pride to their first NWSL title, while Malawi and Kansas City Current’s Temwa Chawinga broke the single season scoring record and ended the season as the league’s Golden Boot and MVP.

That’s not including the marquee signings of Nigeria star Asisat Oshoala and Zambia striker Racheal Kundananji (at the time the most expensive women’s transfer in the world), both for Bay FC, and South Africa’s Linda Motlhalo at Racing Louisville FC.

The NWSL will air on ESPN’s channels in Africa this coming season.

Our one and a half year old grandson is obsessed with Elmo. So, when he came to visit over the holidays, we decided to take him to Sesame Place San Diego to meet his idol and the rest of the Sesame Street gang. It was such a fun day for all of us.

Sesame Place opened in San Diego in 2013 and flies a bit under the radar, maybe because it’s further south or maybe because locals still think it’s one of the water parks it used to be in a previous incarnation. Whatever the reason, it means it’s more manageable than many theme parks, making it perfect for toddlers – especially in the winter, which, in Southern California, is an ideal time to bring them.

We downloaded the Sesame Place app, which was really helpful for checking showtimes, and started our day at the park with lunch because no one wants to deal with a hangry child. We got burgers at Grover’s Grill, chicken tenders at Monster Snacks and pizza at Telly’s Trattoria, all of which we enjoyed at the picnic tables that surround the dining venues. (FYI, there are no indoor restaurants or high chairs at the park.)

Sesame Place San Diego Character Meet & Greet

Once the little one’s belly was full (at least for the moment), we headed off to catch Elmo’s Christmas Wish Character Show before our scheduled Meet and Greet with his idol. We had booked this private experience as a special holiday gift and prepared our grandson the whole week before by explaining that he was going to meet “big” Elmo so he wouldn’t be freaked out when his little stuffed Elmo turned out to tower over him in person. We showed him videos of kids hugging Elmo and the other characters and hoped for the best.

After the show, we waited by (okay, our grandson waited and danced on) the stage for the characters to arrive. Cookie Monster came out first but was unceremoniously dissed by our grandson, who excitedly pointed to Elmo behind him and, with a big grin, happily snuggled himself into Elmo’s open arms. I quietly went over and hugged Cookie myself.

Although our grandson only had eyes for Elmo, the characters were so friendly and animated while also being respectful of his level of comfort. We took dozens of photos ourselves and the professional photographer took loads of candid photos of him interacting with the characters and formal shots of our whole family posed with them. This experience was such a highlight of our visit to Sesame Place San Diego and our grandson loves looking at the photos and pointing out Big Elmo. Honestly, I wish I could have done this with Taylor Swift at one of the Eras Tour concerts I attended.

Later in the day, after a few rides, we took him for Christmas Cookies with Cookie Monster because the idea of milk and cookies plus Big CM himself seemed like a win win. Our grandson was very into the chocolate chip cookies as well as the coloring sheets and crayons they gave each guest. We were proud to see him actually offer one of his precious cookies to the furry blue Muppet and documented the sweet moment to remember always.

Sesame Place San Diego Rides for Toddlers

Because patience is not a toddler’s strong point, we sprung for Abby’s Unlimited Magic Queue – basically, a front of the line pass – so we wouldn’t have to wait on line. It was a good decision.

There are just enough rides for toddlers who don’t meet minimum height requirements and the best thing about the Magic Queue is that it let us take him on those rides multiple times in a row without having to get back on line.

We did Elmo’s Rockin’ Rockets, Sesame Street Soar & Spin and the Sunny Day Carousel and had a blast. Rub-A-Dub Sub was closed that day, as were all the water rides, but it didn’t matter but it didn’t matter because he loved the rides he went on and almost had a meltdown when he couldn’t do Elmo’s Rockin’ Rockets one more time since it was almost time for the big parade when all the rides take a break.

Sesame Place San Diego Upgrades

Besides the Meet and Greets and Abby’s Unlimited Magic Queue, there are a number of other ways to upgrade your Sesame Place San Diego visit. You can book seats in the reserved section for the must-see Sesame Street Party Parade at the end of the day and for the live character shows. Reserved parking is also available as are stroller rentals and an irresistible All-Day Dining Deal.

If you live in Southern California, consider a Season Pass to take advantage of exclusive benefits and monthly rewards. And, if you’re just visiting, your GPS will tell you how to get to Sesame Place San Diego. It’s as easy as ABC.

Separated by only 120 miles, the Southern California cities of Los Angeles and San Diego share a unique culture, lifestyle and heritage that breeds rivalry between the two. Known for somewhat similar but also very distinct mindsets and cuisines, the sweet-smelling air, perfumed by some of the best food in the country becomes rotten whenever the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres make the trip on the I-5.

While baseball is a lifeblood of both cities, Los Angeles and San Diego have a distinct love for sports in general, and for UCLA and San Diego State, they could expand on the rivalry between the cities that their universities represent with a long-term football agreement.

San Diego State is set to join the Pac-12 conference in 2026. UCLA and SDSU are scheduled to play twice within the next six years. UCLA will host the Aztecs in 2026 and SDSU will welcome the Bruins in 2031.

However, an extended series could keep travel costs down for both sides while allowing both DeShaun Foster and SDSU head coach Sean Lewis an opportunity to recruit each other’s home region. For players of each city, their families would be a two-hour drive away from their home games, enticing them to play for their neighbor.

San Diego State also has a history of playing in Los Angeles as the Aztecs played home games at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson during the construction of its home stadium, using the soccer venue from 2020-2021. It, of course, has made multiple trips to play USC and UCLA in Los Angeles throughout the program’s history. The Aztecs have played UCLA seven times in the 21st century, with the Bruins winning six of those matchups.

When I spoke to Sean Lewis at the 2024 Mountain West media day, he said he was only recruiting in the San Diego area during his first year. That means he’ll have a bunch of local San Diego kids who want to beat a UCLA squad filled with talent from the greater Los Angeles region.

The other reason why UCLA and San Diego State may be interested in developing a relationship now is that college football is due to go international. Due to their proximity to the Mexican border, if there were to be discussions about hosting a game in Mexico, UCLA and SDSU may have priority.

A bold partnership for a limitless world.

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