A LOT OF FIRSTS, AND SHE’S ONLY 15
S.D. teen Melanie Barcenas has Nike deal, is youngest to play in NWSL
“I feel like off the field, I’m still a 15-year-old.” Melanie Barcenas • Player for San Diego Wave FC
There’s a disarming maturity to Melanie Barcenas, whose youthful face and freshly painted pink nails belie what she’s doing at 15 years old. Just when you think the aw-shucks, everything’scool thing defines her, consider the responsibilities orbiting around her.
She was the first high school athlete, at age 14, to sign a Name, Image and Likeness deal with global sports titan Nike. Fourteen months later, she became the youngest to ink a contract in the National Women’s Soccer League with San Diego Wave FC. Thirty-nine days after that, she became the youngest to step onto a NWSL field.
The next homecoming dance, prom or Friday night football game with friends will be her first. The driving permit can wait until the offseason, she said.
Meanwhile, fans flock to Barcenas, pleading with the teen to sign shoes, cellphones — even a forehead — after Wave games.
“She handles (the kids) with care, because she knows how much that means to them,” said teammate Danielle Colaprico, who at 30 is twice Barcenas’ age. “She carries those moments with grace.”
To Barcenas, it’s a worthwhile trade-off.
“I’ve missed out on a lot of things 15-year-old girls are doing, like birthday parties or sleepovers,” she said. “I haven’t gotten the most social 15-year-old life. Sometimes I wish I had that, but all these people think this is way cooler and I agree.
“If you love it, you’ll sacrifice for it. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
‘You have to perform’
Reminders of Barcenas’ rapid ascent surround her. The home-schooled kid from the Clairemont area who excelled with the San Diego Surf finds herself convincing others that she’s old enough to belong.
Start with parking lot attendants at Snapdragon Stadium, the team’s home.
“I’ve had those moments like every month,” said Barcenas, with a laugh. “They’ll ask, ‘Who are you?’ I’m a player. They’re like, ‘Oh, OK.’ ”
Questions evaporate when she plays. Barcenas is a water bug on a pond when the ball is at her feet. She effortlessly changes direction, dribbling out of trouble to feed teammates or attack the net.
In six appearances for the Wave, she owns a 100 percent passing success rate in 32 attempts. Four of her five shots on goal have been on target. She became the youngest in NWSL history to log an assist on Aug. 19. She’ll be with the Wave this afternoon, when they take on the NC Courage at 4 p.m. in Cary, N.C.
“What Mel does on the field is pretty special,” Colaprico said. “I can’t say there’s another player on our team who does exactly what she does. Breaking down players ‘1 v. 1’ is something we need on our team. She’s not easy to defend.
“She’s someone who takes a lot of time working on her craft. I hear her putting in extra training sessions to keep her technical ability up to part. Her confidence is huge. At 15, it could be pretty intimidating going against older players, but she believes in herself so much.”
Barcenas is more unnerved giving a speech or presentation, as she did when the Wave revealed its crest in December of 2021.
Soccer? That’s the easy part.
“There’s the saying that pressure is a privilege,” said Carlos Barcenas, her father. “When you love something, I don’t think you see it as pressure . ... To her, she’s super competitive and cares a lot. But she truly loves it, so it’s so natural. Pressure’s finding your next meal. Pressure is figuring out how you’re going to get to work. That’s pressure. Our family, we’re blessed.
“Nothing’s changed. There’s one ball. There’s two goals. It’s just soccer, but it’s just in front of a lot more people right now.”
Barcenas tested that thinking on April 29, when she entered a game for the first time against Orlando at Snapdragon. Superstar teammate Alex Morgan pulled her aside, telling her to have fun and avoid overcomplicating things. And so it began.
“My emotions were all over the place,” Barcenas said. “I was nervous, excited. I wouldn’t say I was scared. At the end of the day, it’s soccer. It’s something I’ve been doing my whole life. I trained for this. I
knew it was my moment. You have to perform.”
You have to perform. At 15.
When the Wave played Gotham FC, the gap between the fence and field was so wide that fans began tossing shoes, phones and other sign-able things to Barcenas with no guarantee the items could or would be returned.
Establishing work-life equilibrium presents a daily challenge.
“I feel like off the field, I’m still a 15-year-old,” Barcenas said. “Off the field, I’m probably not as mature as kids in high schools as far as relationships or parties or stuff like that. I still always want to be a kid. I don’t want to lose that.”
On the Gotham trip, Barcenas made her first real
soccer-money purchase by buying an engraved AirPods case at the big Apple store in New York. It simply says, “Mel B.” She texted her agent — yes, she has an agent — to share the news.
Cars and other highpriced things can wait.
When Barcenas was a younger girl, she accompanied the family to a store to buy her brother soccer cleats. The plan for Melanie was to get her involved in activities — maybe gymnastics, maybe music — to keep her active.
Then a starter kit with pink shinguards and cleats caught her eye.
“She decided she wanted to try soccer,” Carlos said.
Barcenas never looked back.
“As much as I’m proud, I’m happiest that she’s doing something she loves,”
Carlos said. “She gets to wake up and do something she truly loves. That’s the goal in life, right?”
Inspiring young girls
Barcenas thinks about how every move impacts the next moment, whether on the field or not. Start with the NIL deal she signed with Nike, a precedent-setting commitment to a high school-aged kid.
What were you doing at that age?
“Whatever I’m doing off the field represents them,” she said. “There are people who are trusting me with this.”
Barcenas considers other eyes, as well. As National Hispanic Heritage Month continues, she realizes young girls of all colors and backgrounds are watching her trailblazing
path.
“Being a young Latina, I’m someone other young Latina girls can look up to,” she said. “Hopefully, I can make them feel inspired.”
After just six games, Barcenas is getting her first true taste of celebrity. On a recent visit to an ice cream shop, the cashier recognized Barcenas as a Wave player and footed the bill. While at the mall with friends, a pair of girls followed her group into a store, whispering with phones at the ready.
Barcenas smiled at the memory.
“I was waiting for them to ask for a picture, but I think they were nervous,” she said.
In Barcenas’ world, there’s little time for that.