A momentous occasion awaits San Diego FC.
The MLS expansion club will host St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday evening and expects Snapdragon Stadium's largest-ever crowd for their inaugural home match (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).
To put it mildly, excitement surrounds the newcomers as Matchday 2 approaches.
“Hopefully, it’s going to be a magical night,” said winger Anders Dreyer after training this week. “We want to make it a magical Saturday for the fans, and for the city and us players.”
Dream start
SDFC checked a major box last weekend, announcing themselves with a 2-0 debut win at defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy. Dreyer’s two-goal night earned him Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra honors, the Danish international clinically dispatching two second-half chances.
That season-opening result diffused jitters about San Diego trying to score their first goal or earn their first points against St. Louis. Instead, they can fully enjoy well north of 30,000 SoCal soccer fans formally welcoming their new team.
“You can really feel the energy from the fans and the passion for now having a football team in San Diego,” said Dreyer. “… We need that 12th man at home. The fans are our 12th man and we're just looking forward so much to start our MLS season at home.”
Expansion first
San Diego’s opponent is just two years removed from their own expansion voyage, opening with a record-setting five wins to shock the MLS world. Ultimately, St. Louis topped the Western Conference in their debut season.
While SDFC would love to emulate St. Louis’ league entrance, head coach Mikey Varas recognizes the roller-coaster nature of an expansion club’s journey.
“Expectations are there's going to be ups, there's going to be downs,” Varas said. “There's going to be really high highs, like we had against Galaxy. And listen, we're going to trip and we're going to have stumbling blocks. But what I know is that the guys are going to stay committed to our style of play, to our values and to who we are.”
Varas added: "We can't take away what the boys did: First game in history, you go away to LA and you beat a team that's reigning champions and hasn't lost a home game since 2023, you did something important. But the most important thing is to turn the page and know that this is a marathon of a season and we've got to focus on being champions every day in training before we can do anything special from a results standpoint."
Laying the foundation
Another certainty: San Diego fans will turn out in droves to support Chucky Lozano. The Mexican superstar is the face of the club, arriving from Eredivisie powerhouse PSV Eindhoven for a reported $12 million transfer fee.
Lozano was introduced to SDFC fans last summer at The Rady Shell, an outdoor concert venue in downtown San Diego. As memorable as the night was, he anticipates the club’s home opener will reach an entirely different level.
“It will be even more special than that event because of what we showed on the pitch and it being our first home game with our people, with our fans,” Lozano said.
“It will definitely be more exciting. I think the game itself will be very thrilling for us mentally and also physically.”
All that’s left? Check off another milestone and keep the good vibes going.
“It’s just the beginning and we started very well,” said forward Tomás Ángel. “We have to keep the tempo and keep that standard high.”
