Wave acquire Nigerian striker amid roster churn, sign her to 1-year deal for 2025 – elcajon newson Elcajon News only

Version 2.0 of the San Diego Wave is going to look quite a bit different from the roster that took the National Women’s Soccer League by storm in recent years.The 2025 club will be young, promising — and international.

The Wave on Monday announced that they have acquired 19-year-old Nigerian striker Chiamaka Okwuchukwu from Rivers Angels FC of the Nigerian Women’s Premier League. Okwuchukwu has signed a one-year contract for the 2025 season.

“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.”

The reigning Confederation of African Football Young Women’s Player of the Year, Okwuchukwu scored two goals and logged an assist in last year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. She made her national team debut in 2022 at age 16, helping Nigeria go undefeated in the group stage.

Okwuchukwu is the latest international player to sign with the Wave, who have overhauled their roster and hired a new coach and general manager after missing the playoffs in 2024.

The club signed striker Delphine Cascarino and defender Perle Morroni out of France during last summer’s Olympic break. Striker Maria Sanchez, an Idaho native who plays internationally for Mexico, is entering her first full season with the club after being acquired from the Houston Dash last spring. The club also includes Kailen Sheridan and Mya Jones (Canada), Hanna Lundkvist (Sweden) and Kaitlin Torpey (Australia).

As of Monday, star midfielder Jaedyn Shaw remained on the Wave’s roster amid reports that she is being traded to the North Carolina Courage. The Wave and Courage could announce the trade as soon as Tuesday.