Melanie Barcenas

Club career San Diego Wave FC announced on March 21, 2023, that the club had signed Barcenas to a three-year contract under the recently created NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism.

On April 29, 2023, Barcenas made her NWSL regular-season debut as a 72nd-minute substitute for Belle Briede in a 3–1 loss to the Orlando Pride, becoming the youngest NWSL player to appear in a regular-season match (15 years and 177 days). On August 19, she became the youngest player to record an NWSL assist after setting up Amirah Ali in a 2–1 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC. She made 16 appearances in all competitions in her second season,

Under new head coach Jonas Eidevall, Barcenas scored her first goal of the season in a 4–1 win over Racing Louisville on April 19, 2025. She appeared in 17 matches over her third season as San Diego finished in sixth,

With her rookie contract expiring, Barcenas signed a new one-year deal with the Wave on December 31, 2025. She scored her first goal of the season on March 25, 2026, in a 3–1 win over the Portland Thorns. On July 4, she scored another Goal of the Week from distance into the top bins in a 2–0 win over Gotham FC. Later that month, she became the second-youngest NWSL player to make 50 regular-season appearances after Olivia Moultrie.

International career Barcenas has Mexican American heritage. On January 17, 2022, Barcenas attended training camp for the Mexico national under-17 team.

On April 11, 2022, Barcenas was the youngest player named to the initial roster of the United States national under-17 team for the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, but was forced to withdraw before the start of the tournament due to an ankle injury. She was called into United States under-17 friendlies in August 2022 and under-16 training camp in October 2022.

In February 2023, Barcenas played in two exhibition games with the United States under-17 team.

Barcenas 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 three times in the group stage, with one goal in a 3–1 loss to Spain and two goals in a 5–0 win over South Korea.

Career statistics

Club

Honors San Diego Wave

NWSL Shield: 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup: 2024 United States U-17

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