USYNT midfielder Kimmi Ascanio signs with NWSL’s San Diego Wave at age 16

SAN DIEGO – San Diego Wave FC has signed midfielder Kimmi Ascanio to a three-year contract through the 2026 season. Ascanio, who turned 16 in January, signs with the Wave through the NWSL’s Under-18 Entry Mechanism.

“Kimmi is a tremendous young talent that will continue to evolve and develop her skills here in San Diego,” said San Diego Wave FC General Manager Molly Downtain. “As someone that joined us in preseason, we saw Kimmi’s ability to transition to the professional game and we were thoroughly impressed. We’re excited Kimmi decided to take her next step in her career with San Diego and thrilled to welcome her and her family to the Wave FC community.”

On the international stage, Ascanio has been a mainstay since 2022 with the U.S. Youth National Teams. Most recently, she was the youngest player on the 2024 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship roster, where she scored three goals in eight minutes in the United State’s semifinal match against Haiti. Ascanio followed that performance with a goal in the finals to earn the victory over Mexico and win the Championship.

“It’s an honor to sign my first professional contract with the Wave. This is a remarkable opportunity that required a lot of conversations between my family and I and I can’t thank them enough for being an incredible support system. I also want to thank Jill, Molly, Casey and the rest of the staff for allowing me to represent this club and city. I’m looking forward to continuing to develop my skills and train in the best environment every single day with some of the best players in the world.”

The Florida native played her youth club soccer with Florida United SC, earning back-to-back championships in the UPSL Florida Women’s League and the Girls Academy Champions Cup.

Name: Kimmi Ascanio
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-5
Date of Birth: Jan. 21, 2008
Hometown: Doral, FL
Birthplace: Orlando, FL