San Diego Wave Fútbol Club plays its much anticipated 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup home opener this Saturday against the defending tournament champion Portland Thorns at Torero Stadium. Both teams face each other after earning 1-1 draws in their respective matches last weekend.

San Diego got theirs thanks to a dramatic 81st-minute goal by defender Kaleigh Riehl while Portland also had to come back on the road after falling behind early to OL Reign and getting their point from a 28th-minute goal by forward Christine Sinclair.

“We showed some resilience to rescue a point and secure a tie,” said San Diego Wave assistant coach Richard Gunney. Gunney signed with the team on Nov. 23 of last year but spent his previous five years as an assistant coach at Portland. Gunney developed quite the resume helping lead the Thorns to four playoff appearances including the 2017 NWSL Championship, the 2020 NWSL Community Shield, the 2021 NWSL Shield, the 2021 Women’s International Champions Cup, and the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup.

“Five great years in Portland, a lot of fond memories. I know a lot of people and players and staff, so looking forward to seeing them,” he said. “Looking forward to competing against them. They’ve been a strong force in the league for a number of years so it’s a good test for us.”

There were five San Diego Wave FC players who made their professional debuts against Angel City FC including forward Marleen Schimmer who got her first assist thanks to a perfectly executed corner kick that found Riehl in the box.

“They have so much raw talent and we have such an amazing coach that’s going to be able to guide and show them exactly how to optimize all that talent,” said San Diego Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. San Diego, Los Angeles, Portland, and OL Reign are currently tied with one point each in the West Division standings where the top-seeded team automatically qualifies for the semifinal round along with the top-seeded second-place team in the tournament.