Both San Diego Wave and San Diego Loyal hope to continue with their postseason aspirations this Sunday with the team led by head coach Casey Stoney traveling to take on the Portland Thorns at Providence Park, while the team led by head coach Landon Donovan plays host to the Oakland Roots at Torero Stadium later that evening.

The Wave enters its semifinal match after a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory in extra time over the Chicago Red Stars thanks to a 110th-minute goal by NWSL Golden Boot winner Alex Morgan.

“Seeing what the club overall has tried to build in such a short period of time, you just can’t help but be proud to play for this club,” said Morgan. “I think that everyone genuinely gets along with each other, we support each other, we just have a really great locker room culture and we have been able to build that over the course of only one season.”

As for the Loyal, after making it to the playoffs last year, it looks to get a first postseason win versus a team that has been a headache to beat since coming over to the USL Championship from NISA. San Diego Loyal managed only one victory over the six games played against Oakland, which came in their first head-to-head matchup on June 29, 2021 thanks to a late goal from forward Miguel Ibarra.

The Loyal wrapped up the second seed after a 2-2 draw with Orange County SC on Oct. 1 while the Roots had to wait until the final game of the regular season barely getting in as the seventh seed ahead of El Paso Locomotive and Las Vegas Lights.

“You realize that if you want a team to be successful, the last guy on the roster can be just as important as the star player,” said Donovan. “It is true because those guys help not only in training every day but in team morale and mentality. You do not win championships without guys who clearly understand their role even when they’re not playing.”

Photo courtesy of David Frerker