San Diego Wave announced an they have signed 23-year-old midfielder, Gia Corley, to a new contract through the 2027 NWSL season.
“In her first season with the club, (Corley’s) impact on the ball, her work rate away from it, and her presence within the group quickly made her an important part of this team,” said Sporting Director and General Manager Camille Ashton. “She is part of a core group of young players that have demonstrated time and again what it means to represent the club and we’re very
pleased to extend her future with the Wave for several more years.”
The young players like Corley and Kimmi Ascanio played important roles to start the NWSL season, but seemingly showed their youth during the second half of the season when the team faced a tough 10-match stretch when the team only won one match. Corley made started 21 matches and made 24 appearances for the Wave scoring two goals and two assists.
Corley previously signed a two-year contract in 2025 that was set to expire at the end of the 2026 season. The midfielder impressed many in her debut when she earned a start in the Wave’s first match of the season scoring quickly within the first five minutes against their Southern California rivals, Angel City FC, in a a 1-1 draw.
The extension makes sense securing Corley’s future for at least one more year, and provides more stability to the Wave’s roster considering the multiple departures during the offseason. That included players on all phases of the field: Kailen Sheridan, Hanna Lundkvist, Savannah McCaskill and Delphine Cascarino.
On the international stage Corley has represented both Germany and the U.S. at the youth levels. Corley played for Germany from U-16 up to U-23, and most recently attended training camps for the U-23 youth national team. Corley has a German mother and grew up most of her life in Germany, but was born in the U.S.
The Wave have began their preseason, and play multiple matches in the Coachella Valley Invitational. Their NWSL regular season opener will take place at home against the Houston Dash on March 14, 2026.
