San Diego Wave On Tuesday, the club announced the signing of 15-year-old striker Melanie Parkinas on a three-year contract, making her the youngest player to sign a professional contract in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Born in San Diego, Barcenas signed her contract at the age of 15 years and 138 days. Prior to joining the Wave, the forward played her youth career with the San Diego Surf and spent time at the youth levels of the US Women’s National Team structure.

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“We are very pleased that Melanie and her family have decided to commission her hometown club as a venue to launch her professional career,” Wave coach Casey Stoney said in a statement.

“The coaches at San Diego Surf have been instrumental in helping her develop as a person and as a player throughout her youth career. We are excited to maximize her potential over the coming years, being patient and thoughtful with her development while making sure she maintains some routine and a normalcy to being Adolescence “.

Being a San Diego native and previous involvement in training with the first team, the Wave said Barcenas is also a first-time homegrown youth player in the NWSL.

Teen joined the wave with a New entry mechanism under 18 years old that allows NWSL teams to place eligible underage players, with the consent of the player and a parent/guardian, to senior roster spots.

San Diego will host the Chicago Red Stars at Snapdragon Stadium on March 25 as they begin their NWSL campaign. The Wave will look to build off their inaugural season of 2022 finishing third in the regular season table and as a semi-finalist in the playoffs.