Meet Kimmi Ascanio, the teenage phenom making waves in the NWSL

The San Diego Wave are in red hot form right now as they sit near the top of league standings and teenager Kimmi Ascanio has played a part in four of their 15 goals in the NWSL this year. The 18-year-old Florida native signed her first professional contract with the Wave in 2024 at the age of 16, and since then has made her mark on the team with five goals and five assists in just over two seasons.

In her still-young career, Ascanio has established herself as a dynamic attacker who can play anywhere along the forward line. 

Although Ascanio grew up watching football, her childhood was actually spent playing tennis. She didn’t start playing the sport until around the age of 10, when she participated in her brother’s training session. Her career rapidly accelerated from there, as she got her first national call-up only 4 years later.

Experience at the international level

Kimmi Ascanio has been playing for the United States Women’s National Team at youth levels since she helped her team win the 2022 CONCACAF Girls’ U-15 Championship. Two years later, she won the same competition at the U-17 level, scoring a hat trick in the semi-final and a goal in the final. 

That same year, she started every game for her country in the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, scoring a goal in the quarterfinals as her team went on to win the bronze medal. In November 2025, after a standout season, Ascanio was called up to the highest youth national team level as the US U-23s took on Slovakia and the England U-23 team. 

Although she has only played for the U.S. thus far, Ascanio is also eligible to represent Venezuela and Spain at the international level through her parents’ nationalities.

The next Tobin Heath?

Ascanio’s movements and tendencies have earned her many comparisons to the USWNT legend Tobin Heath. The youngster has a bit of a head start, however, as she started her professional career six years younger than Heath started hers. 

In her very first professional start, Ascanio became the third-youngest goal contributor in NWSL history with her first career assist. She got her first goal a year later, and soon became the youngest player to score in back-to-back matches in league history. Ascanio has appeared in every single one of the San Diego Wave’s games since the start of the 2025 season and has quickly established herself as an essential part of the team.

With a goal and three assists to her name only 10 games into the season, Kimmi Ascanio is looking like she has a big season ahead of her at only 18 years old. Her silky movements on the ball, her unique playmaking, and the way she sees the field will certainly take her far.