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Covering 75: August 2023

The National Women's Soccer League and Wave FC's youngest player recreates San Diego Mag's June 1959's cover
Photo by Stacy Keck
June 1959 San Diego Magazine Cover

June 1959 San Diego Magazine Cover

Have you heard? We’ve got oceans. In June 1959, SDM heralded the arrival of waterfront developments in Point Loma and Mission Bay, citing “San Diegans’ growing consciousness of the sea” as a driving force behind the builds.On the cover, a woman floats blissfully in a stretch of clear water—perhaps discovering for the first time the pleasure of perching weightless in an inlet and imagining what it’s like to be an otter.

Covering 75 August 2023 Melanie Barcenas Wave FC

Covering 75 August 2023 Melanie Barcenas Wave FC

Photo by Stacy Keck

San Diego’s been a beach town for a while now. But, this year, it’s settling into its status as a focal point of women’s soccer since the 2022 arrival of the National Women’s Soccer League team, Wave FC. So, in celebration of our 75th anniversary, we recreated this retro cover with one of the newest icons making a splash in SD: 15-year-old Melanie Barcenas, a Wave FC forward and the youngest player ever signed to the league. The San Diego native started training at age five with her dad and brother. She grew up scoring goals on local club teams and watching her idols play, including Wave FC captain Alex Morgan. She snagged Morgan’s jersey while spectating a Qualcomm Stadium game five years ago—and now they wear matching ones.Melanie’s got no regrets about going pro while most of her peers are studying for their permit tests. “I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she says. “When it’s something you love, it’s like, ‘What’s next?’”The future is bright, Melanie. Good thing you’ve got shades.

By Amelia Rodriguez

Amelia Rodriguez is San Diego Magazine’s Associate Editor. The winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award, she’s also covered music, food, arts and culture, fashion, and design for Rolling Stone, Palm Springs Life, and other national and regional publications. After work, you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her three-year Duolingo streak.

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