San Diego Wave Sign Delphine Cascarino

Taylor Vincent
Taylor Vincent, Resident NWSL ExpertJuly 24, 2024
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Photo courtesy of San Diego Wave FC

It’s official, the San Diego Wave has announced that they have acquired forward Delphine Cascarino and signed her through the 2026 NWSL season with a mutual option for 2027. Cascarino will join the Wave following the 2024 Paris Olympics where she will be representing host-country France in her first ever Olympics. 

Cascarino will occupy the Wave’s sixth and final international spot for 2024 – as they sent the seventh international slot for 2024 and 2025 to the Houston Dash as a part of the record-breaking María Sánchez trade. Her addition will also put the Wave at the league limit of 26 active players once everyone returns from the Paris Olympics. 

“I decided to join San Diego Wave FC because for me it's one of the best teams in the league and I am very excited to join the club,” stated Cascarino in a team provided interview. “I am a player who’s very technical and fast and I would like to bring to the team my experience and my leadership.”

In a nod to her hometown, Lyon and where she signed as a professional for the first time in 2015, Cascarino will be repping the number 69 for the Wave. France is divided into 96 departments and Lyon is the capital of  Rhône, or department 69. “It’s really important to me to represent Lyon in the USA,” said Cascarino. 

“Delphine is a world-class player in the prime of her career. Her experiences at both the club and national team level will be invaluable to this team,” said San Diego Wave FC Sporting Director and General Manager Camille Ashton said in a team release. “We are thrilled to welcome Delphine to San Diego. She joins us at a pivotal time and will make an immediate impact for us on the pitch.”

The French striker will bring a long career of winning at the top level to a currently struggling Wave—who are currently sitting in tenth in the NWSL table. She has six UEFA Champions League titles, nine French Division Championships, and five Coupe de France titles under her belt as well as 45 goals from her nine years with Olympique Lyonnais. 

The Wave attack currently sits 11th out of the 14 teams with only 12 goals scored in their 16 games. Cascarino’s versatility to play as a striker and in the midfield along the edges will ideally bring a new dynamic to Wave who are looking to course correct in the back half of the season and not only get back into playoff contention this year but build toward a future where they once again are fighting for the top of the table. 

Cascarino has made 64 appearances, scoring 14 goals across her senior international career with France. She was a part of the 2019 World Cup roster that fell to the USWNT in the quarterfinals, and aided France in getting to the European Championship semifinals in 2022. 

France kicks off their Olympic play on Thursday, July 25th against Colombia in Cascarino’s hometown of Lyon. On the NWSL side, the first opportunity Cascarino will have for her Wave regular season debut is when the club takes on rival Angel City FC on August 24th at Snapdragon Stadium. 

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