San Diego takes care of business in Chicago, enters break atop the standings

Dudinha and Trinity Byars help San Diego Wave FC take care of business in Chicago, defeating Stars FC 2-0 at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. San Diego enters the June break as the top team in the NWSL.

San Diego jumped out to an early lead following Lia Godfrey’s assist to Dudinha in the third minute. The Brazilian winger continues to deliver for her team and has solidified herself as one of the best attackers. Chicago thought they equalized in stoppage time, but Jordyn Huitema was slightly offside. Byars sealed the victory in the moment.

San Diego lost a home match to the Orlando Pride this past Sunday. Nicole Payne’s strike from outside the box during first-half stoppage time proved to be the game-winner for Orlando. This was Payne’s first NWSL goal. The Wave were active offensively, taking 17 shot attempts, but were unable to equalize.

Despite the surprising result, San Diego remains well-positioned in the NWSL standings. This was their first loss since May 5, when they lost to Bay FC. Jonas Eidevall’s squad had one more chance before the extended break to earn points.

This was the second meeting between San Diego and Chicago. Back in late March, the Wave secured a 2-0 win at Snapdragon Stadium after scoring two second-half goals. Rookie midfielder Godfrey scored in the 56th minute, then Melanie Barcenas scored a golazo off the bench to secure the victory.

Perle Morroni returned to the starting backline after serving her yellow card suspension, and Barcenas earned another start in the attack alongside Ludmila and Dudinha.

Chicago snapped its four-game losing streak following their 2-0 win over Bay FC. San Jose picked up two red cards during the match, and that’s when the Stars capitalized. Mallory Swanson scored in the 70th minute to secure the team’s first road win of the season.

Entering Sunday morning, Chicago had the worst goal differential in the league with -17. They have scored just five goals in 12 matches—four of those have come from home games. Jordyn Huitema leads the team with two goals. The Stars have conceded 22 goals.

Earlier this week, Chicago fired general manager Richard Feuz due to the team’s early-season struggles.

"What we hope for in a league like this is to be competitive," Stars president Karen Leetzow said following the club's decision. "You want to be in playoff contention all the time. But at the very least, you need to have a compelling product on the pitch. I don't think we have either this year. And that is not for lack of trying. That's why we are disappointed with the outcome and why we decided to make the change that we made today."

Three minutes into the match, Dudinha continues to stamp her case for MVP. With the defense ultra-focused on Godfrey, she found an open Dudinha running into the left side of the box. Giving one of the best finishers in the league space to shoot is a recipe for disaster.

Dudinha’s shot rolled past the goalkeeper, entering the bottom right of the net to give San Diego an early lead on the road. This was her fifth goal of the season, bringing her goal contribution total to nine. Godfrey leads all rookies with three assists.

Kenza Dali was given a yellow card after exaggerating a foul call inside the box in the 17th minute. Moments later, DiDi Haracic had an outstanding diving save to prevent the equalizer. Haracic has been solid in goal this year, logging 10 saves. 

It was clear that the visiting squad was in control for the opening 45 minutes. The broadcast noted that it felt like San Diego was playing with an extra player because of the amount of opportunities they were generating. However, Chicago's defense managed to keep the score at just one goal down as they headed into halftime.

San Diego continued to control the pace of play and the attacking momentum in the second half, but the Stars backline didn’t falter.

Goalkeeper Katie Atkinson registered five saves, defending against 17 shot attempts with seven on target. Chicago’s right back Jenna Bike had a strong performance, winning 10 ground duels and making 16 defensive contributions. Captain Kathrin Hendrich anchored the middle of the defense.

The moment Chicago has been searching for finally came in the eighth minute of added time. Huitema, their leading goal scorer, put the ball inside the net, but VAR overturned the game-tying goal—a gutting call for the home squad, who were in desperate search for a positive outcome.

Byars, who replaced Ludmila in the 73rd minute, put the nail in the coffin with her goal in the final minute of added time (90’ +13). In her first professional season, Byars has scored three goals in 197 minutes played.

Her knack for the back of the net is an encouraging development for the 23-year-old and is making the case for more playing time now that she’s fully healthy.

This match marked the halfway point of the 2026 NWSL season. San Diego has accumulated 25 points from eight wins and one draw, but they have also suffered losses to Orlando, Bay FC, Portland, and Houston. Utah and Portland are close behind in the standings with 24 points.

The Wave have established themselves as legitimate contenders, showing no signs of slowing down. Dudinha has been performing at an elite level, and the team has received contributions from several young players, such as Godfrey, Mimi Van Zanten, and Kimmi Ascanio. Their depth has been evident. Catarina Macario, the club’s marquee addition, has yet to make her debut for the club due to a heel injury.

We’ll see if the club can continue its momentum following the four-week break. San Diego will return to action on the 4th of July, as they host Gotham FC.