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Melanie Barcenas
American soccer player (born 2007) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Melanie Magali Barcenas (born October 30, 2007) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She was the youngest player in the NWSL when she was signed at the age of 15 in 2023. She won bronze with the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
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Early life
Barcenas was born and raised in San Diego, California.[4][5] At age 10, she accompanied United States players out onto the pitch before a match against Brazil at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego; after the match, she asked for and received a jersey from her favorite player and future Wave teammate Alex Morgan.[3]
Barcenas played during her youth career with San Diego Surf.[3][4] She was part of the Surf under-8 team that won the 2014 Albion Cup National Soccer Showcase in San Diego[6] and the leading goalscorer for the Surf's under-12 team at the 2019 Far West President's Cup in Norco, California, which the Surf won on two goals by Barcenas in the championship match.[7]
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Club career
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San Diego Wave
On March 21, 2023, Barcenas signed a three-year contract with San Diego Wave FC through the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism at the age of 15 years and 138 days. This contract made her the youngest NWSL signee at the time, breaking the record set by Chloe Ricketts earlier in the month (15 years and 283 days). She made her first appearance with the team during a pre-season match against Angel City FC on March 18, 2023.[3][5]
Barcenas made her NWSL regular-season debut on April 29, 2023, in a 3–1 loss to the Orlando Pride, entering as a substitute in the 72nd minute. Her appearance, somewhat delayed by an illness, nonetheless made her the youngest NWSL player to appear in a regular-season match (15 years and 177 days).[8][9] On August 19, 2023, Barcenas became the youngest player to record an NWSL assist after serving up a pass to Amirah Ali in a win over NJ/NY Gotham FC.[10][11]
On September 28, 2024, Barcenas scored her first NWSL goal, contributing to a 2–0 victory over Portland Thorns FC.[12][13] She went on to make 16 total appearances across all competitions in her second professional season.[14] The Wave finished in 10th place in the league table, failing to qualify for the NWSL playoffs for the first time in club history.[15]
Barcenas, along with Trinity Armstrong and Kimmi Ascanio, made history in April 2025 by becoming the first trio of 17-year-olds to start an NWSL game.[16] The following month, she assisted María Sánchez in a 5–2 victory over the North Carolina Courage. The victory extended the Wave's unbeaten streak to six matches and also set a club record for goals scored in a single match.[17]
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International career
Barcenas has Mexican American heritage.[11] On January 17, 2022, Barcenas attended training camp for the Mexico national under-17 team.[18][19]
On April 11, 2022, Barcenas was the youngest player named to the initial roster of the United States national under-17 team for the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship,[20] but was forced to withdraw before the start of the tournament due to an ankle injury.[21] She was called into United States under-17 friendlies in August 2022[22] and under-16 training camp in October 2022.[23]
In February 2023, Barcenas played in two exhibition games with the United States under-17 team.[5] Barcenas was named to the roster for the 2024 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship in Mexico where she scored 1 goal en route to the US team winning the championship for the sixth time as well as qualifying the team for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[24]
Barcenas started every game for the United States as they placed third at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, their best result since 2008.[25] She scored three times in the group stage, with one goal in a 3–1 loss to Spain and two goals in a 5–0 win over South Korea.[26]
Career statistics
Club
- As of March 29, 2025[14]
- Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
- Includes NWSL playoffs
- Includes CONCACAF W Champions Cup
- Includes NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup
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Honors
San Diego Wave
United States U-17
References
External links
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