Kimmi Ascanio


Kimmi Ascanio is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League. She was signed by the Wave at the age of 16 in 2024. She won bronze with the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Early life

Ascanio was born in Orlando and raised in Doral, Florida. Her parents were born and raised in Venezuela, her father in Caracas and her mother in Valencia. She played youth soccer for Florida United Soccer Club of the United Premier Soccer League, with which she won two state titles.

Club career

The San Diego Wave signed Ascanio to a three-year contract on March 22, 2024, through the league's Under-18 Entry Mechanism. She made her professional debut as a second-half substitute against Racing Louisville on April 13. She made her first start and recorded her first assist in a 2–1 win against Bay FC on April 27, making her the third-youngest goal contributor in NWSL history.On April 26, 2025, Ascanio started alongside Trinity Armstrong and Melanie Barcenas against the Chicago Stars, the first time an NWSL team fielded three 17-year-old starters in a game. She scored her first professional goal in stoppage time, helping San Diego beat Chicago 3–0. Ascanio continued to produce offensively, recording a five-game window in which she registered 3 goals and 1 assist. Her third goal, the game-winning strike against Gotham FC on May 16, 2025, made Ascanio the youngest-ever NWSL player to score in consecutive matches and the second-youngest to net a game-winning goal. Ascanio ended up appearing in all 26 of San Diego's regular season matches; she also started in the Wave's first-round playoff defeat loss to the Portland Thorns.

International career

Ascanio trained with the United States national youth team beginning at the under-15 level, where she helped win the 2022 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship. She was the youngest member of the under-17 squad at the 2024 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, where she scored a hat trick in six minutes in their 7–1 semifinal win over Haiti and added another goal in the final to beat Mexico 4–0.
Ascanio started every game for the United States as they placed third at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, their best result since 2008. She scored in a 2–0 win over Nigeria in the quarterfinals. While she was age-eligible for another cycle of the tournament, her club San Diego Wave did not release her for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Career statistics

Club

Honors

United States U-17
  • CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship: 2024
  • FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Bronze Medal: 2024