Kaleigh Riehl has found her home

When Kaleigh Riehl was acquired by San Diego Wave FC in the 2022 expansion draft, it was her third team in three seasons. Drafted by Sky Blue FC 11th overall in the 2020 draft, Riehl had yet to find a home in the NWSL.

When Wave FC head coach Casey Stoney called Riehl to tell her that she would be joining the SoCal squad, she told her it was going to be tough to find playing time. As a center back, she was behind USWNT star Abby Dahlkemper and 2022 number-one draft pick Naomi Girma in the depth chart.

On Nov. 17, Riehl inked a two-year contract extension with Wave FC, rewarded for being one of the top defensive performers in the club’s historic inaugural season. 

“I don't think anyone expected for me to play the role that I ended up playing this year,” Riehl said. “But I think that like I always did believe in myself … and that I was up for the task.”

Seen more as a piece Wave FC could use off the bench, Riehl was thrown into the club’s starting lineup in its first-ever game when Dahlkemper was injured. She finished with seven recoveries, six clearances and two tackles as Wave FC defeated the Houston Dash 1-0 in its opening game. From that moment, she continued to fight for the starting center back position next to Girma, starting 19 games for the club including its two playoff matches.

Riehl finished the season with 79 clearances, 33 interceptions and 15 blocks. She also scored a goal in Wave FC’s 2-1 victory over the Chicago Red Stars early in the year. With the unfortunate injuries to Dahlkemper continuing throughout the season, Riehl proved she could fill in when necessary for the club and be a dominant center back in a dominant defense. 

“Regardless of whether I'm starting or not, my preparation is the exact same,” she said. “I think that that's really what allowed me to jump in when I was needed and called upon was just because of my preparation for [the game].”

When the Nov. 15 free agency deadline came, there was no question Wave FC would be calling Riehl’s representatives to extend the workhorse center back. And for Riehl, there was no place else she wanted to extend her career.

“I think that the environment is so challenging,” she said. “Like we have some of the best players in the country that you're going up against every single day, and that's pushing you to be a better player.”

For Riehl, it is also nice having your head coach be a former player in your position. Stoney is a former English national team and Olympian center back. 

“[Stoney’s] so detailed and I think really just gets the best out of all of our players and pushes us to be better,” she said. “Her knowledge of the game and attention to small details I think is what really helped us really excel.”

This mix of coaching expertise and playing with some of the best players in the world are some of the reasons for Riehl’s success. But so were Wave FC fans, who proved they were some of the best in the league after just one season.

“We literally felt the energy on the pitch which you don't always get,” she said about Wave FC home games. “I don't even know if [the fans] know what kind of role they can really play for us. They just give us so much energy.”

In the next two seasons, Riehl is with Wave FC, there is only one goal–bring the NWSL trophy back to San Diego. The club was a game away from playing for the title this past season. Next year, it may just be a favorite for one of soccer's most prestigious trophies. 

One of the reasons it will be considered a top team in the league is because of its depth around the field, seen in players like Riehl. Someone who was not expected to make a massive impact. Someone who might have thought she would still be searching for her NWSL home this off-season. Instead, she was made a priority by a club whose only goal is to win it all.