As San Diego FC gears up for its inaugural playoff appearance this Sunday, the expansion club is already making history. In their very first season in Major League Soccer (MLS), San Diego FC has secured the Western Conference's No. 1 seed, setting new benchmarks for expansion teams with 19 victories and 63 points—the most ever recorded in a single season by a newly formed MLS club. This outstanding performance means San Diego will enjoy home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, including potentially hosting the MLS Cup final, provided they face any team other than Inter Miami, Cincinnati, or the Supporters’ Shield-winning Philadelphia Union.
The club’s ambitions don’t stop at regular-season success. San Diego FC is aiming to become only the second expansion team ever to win the MLS Cup, a feat last accomplished in 1998 by the Chicago Fire, who defeated DC United in their debut season. This goal reflects the high expectations set by the club’s leadership, players, and fans alike.
One of the club’s marquee figures is Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, a 30-year-old Mexican international who arrived as San Diego’s first designated player after successful stints with PSV Eindhoven and Napoli. Lozano has been candid about his aspirations, telling The Guardian that winning the MLS Cup has always been the objective. However, his journey has not been without turbulence. On the final day of the regular season, Lozano was separated from the squad for their trip to Portland due to an internal issue, according to head coach Mikey Varas. Lozano later issued a public apology on social media, underscoring the importance of team unity—a theme Varas emphasized in an earlier interview.
Varas described the team’s collective spirit as their “superpower.” He explained that while the team shares a common goal of winning, how they achieve victories—and with whom—matters deeply to their identity. “We’re a team that’s relentless, that won’t give up and doesn’t stop playing the way that they want to play,” he said. This ethos of resilience and connection permeates the club’s culture, shaping their approach to competition and camaraderie.
San Diego FC’s success is not solely reliant on star power like Lozano’s. The team boasts a diverse roster filled with both established veterans and promising talents who contribute significantly but may not always grab headlines. Among these are Panamanian midfielder Aníbal Godoy, a steadying presence in midfield; Luca de la Torre, a San Diego native and U.S. Men’s National Team player on loan from Spain’s Celta Vigo; and Anders Dreyer, a 27-year-old Danish winger who arrived from Anderlecht and has been electrifying in his first MLS season. Dreyer’s impact has been remarkable—he has amassed 38 goal contributions (19 goals and 19 assists), setting a league record for the most goals and assists combined on the road in a single season. His performances earned him a finalist spot for the MLS Most Valuable Player award.
The club’s roster and playing style are the results of a deliberate and forward-thinking philosophy rooted in analytics and the development of homegrown talent. San Diego FC’s general manager and sporting director, Tyler Heaps, is the youngest executive in MLS in such a role, at just 34 years old. Heaps emphasizes the importance of nurturing local talent and sees the club’s academy as the “heartbeat” of the organization. He envisions a future where the club consistently produces players who can seamlessly transition into the first team, ensuring long-term sustainability and competitive success.
Heaps highlights the club’s commitment to youth development by pointing to promising young players already making an impact, such as first-round draft picks Manu Duah and Ian Pilcher, alongside 19-year-old left-back Luca Bombino, who is on loan from LAFC. The club’s style of play is designed to support young players, with a defensive structure and training environment that encourage quick, instinctive decision-making—a critical factor in accelerating player growth and readiness for top-flight competition.
A cornerstone of San Diego FC’s developmental vision is its partnership with the Right to Dream academy, a globally respected football academy founded in Ghana in 1999 by Tom Vernon. Right to Dream has a track record of producing over 100 professional players, including stars like Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus (currently with Tottenham Hotspur) and Ivorian Simon Adingra, who recently moved to Sunderland from Brighton. The academy operates worldwide, with key