San Diego Wave broke the NWSL season opener attendance record with an announced crowd of 30,854 fans in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Red Stars. Now, two days prior to their home match against North Carolina Courage on April 1 at 7 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium, head coach Casey Stoney and forward Amirah Ali spoke with the media about the matchup.
“It’s a big game, (North) Carolina looked comfortable in their opening game as well, so we know it’s going to be very competitive,” Stoney said. “And a game where we want to try and get maximum points, but we know it’s gonna be very difficult, they’re a very good side.”
Amirah Ali played a key role in the win last Saturday and has gotten off to a strong start to her second season in the NWSL. She scored two goals in a preseason match against Angel City and the first goal for the Wave this season in the 22nd minute against the Red Stars.
It’s always easy to start out with a win, but to keep that going is very important,” Ali said. “We’re just working on our team ball and focusing on how we have to press in this game and how we’re supposed to press in general.”
Ali went on to say that the team can make many adjustments on the fly and hopes the team can avoid going down early in a match and instead take the lead early to maintain control over the match.
“I like to think that I'm a goal scorer, so I'm just happy to be back on the field and be able to do that. Last year I had some injuries, had some issues, but I think that this year I'm just coming with a different attitude and mindset,” Ali said. “My teammates are always pushing me a hundred percent in practice just to get me ready for these games and I have such good role models to look after. Alex Morgan is one of the best goal scorers, so I think it's just nice to have them in my corner and helping me get better every day.”
In speaking about North Carolina, Stoney spoke highly of the Brazilian forward Kerolin saying, “The fact that she likes to go in behind your backline is going to cause you problems. I thought Tyler Lussi was very energetic and their relationship last week in the game was excellent, so we've got plans to deal with that.”
The two teams only faced each other twice last year, first a 1-0 win for San Diego in North Carolina and a scoreless draw in the final match of the regular season.
Upcoming FIFA matches and departing Wave players
Following the match on April 1, six key players from the team will leave San Diego for international duty in preparation matches for the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer. Taylor Kornieck, Naomi Girma, and Alex Morgan for the U.S.A.; Kailen Sheridan for Canada; Sofia Jakobsson for Sweden; Emily Van Egmond for Australia.
Most of the Wave matches played during that time will include the NWSL Challenge Cup, but depending on how far each country goes, players could miss multiple regular season fixtures.
The Wave also planned on staying loose for the week as Stoney said that there will be a “competitive friendly” to play in order to maintain the team’s momentum but was not allowed to confirm which team they would face.
Wave players show their support for Sirens
On a different topic, multiple players including Ali shared a social media post in support of a fundraiser organized by the supporters' group, the San Diego Sirens. The fundraiser is for an organization supporting awareness and the importance of organ donation after Siren Aaron Stephenson passed and donated his organs “as part of his wish to help others,” the Sirens’ statement said.
“This community is behind us, and we’re willing to help in any way that we can,” Ali said. More information on the fundraiser can be found in the above Instagram post.