# 2025 San Diego FC season

The 2025 season is the first season for San Diego FC in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of professional club soccer in the United States. San Diego FC was announced as an expansion team on May 18, 2023, under the ownership of Egyptian businessman Mohamed Mansour and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, a local indigenous tribe. The team will play their home matches at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, which it will share with San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the San Diego State Aztecs football team.
Former FC Dallas and United States men's national team assistant coach Mikey Varas was hired as the club's first head coach on September 16, 2024. The 2024 MLS expansion draft took place on December 11, 2024 and allowed San Diego FC to select players from other MLS teams based on eligibility requirements. The team also received the first pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, which took place on December 20, 2024.
The first San Diego FC players, including Designated Player and Mexican forward Hirving "Chucky" Lozano, were sent on loan until they joined the club in January 2025. The club plans to use players from the international Right to Dream academy system and other teams owned by Mansour, including FC Nordsjælland. The first regular season match for San Diego FC was played on February 23 against the LA Galaxy; the team's first home match was March 1 against St. Louis City SC.

## Summary
### Preseason

The first training sessions for San Diego FC opened on January 13, 2025, two days after the start of the preseason camp. The team practiced at their new training facility, the Sharp HealthCare Performance Center, with most of their expected 2025 roster.
The club's first preseason matches were played behind closed doors against Phoenix Rising FC and Sacramento Republic FC, both from the second-division USL Championship. San Diego FC played in the 2025 Coachella Valley Invitational in February at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and was joined by sister club San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League. The team lost 3–1 to New York City FC in their first public exhibition match with an opening goal by Paddy McNair and three unanswered from NYCFC. San Diego FC then lost 3–0 to the Portland Timbers but defeated the New York Red Bulls 6–0 in their final preseason match, which was played with their full starting roster. Members of the team's supporters groups traveled to Indio for the matches.

### Regular season

On February 21, San Diego FC played their inaugural match on the road against the LA Galaxy, the defending MLS Cup champions, at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. They won 2–0 in an upset against the Galaxy with two goals scored by Anders Dreyer; the crowd included an estimated 1,000 San Diego FC supporters who had traveled for the match. The team made their debut at Snapdragon Stadium on March 1 and hosted St. Louis City SC in front of a stadium-record crowd of 34,506. The match finished in a 0–0 draw and was marred by the use of a homophobic chant that was condemned by the club and coach Mikey Varas; midfielder Hirving Lozano left early in the first half with a hamstring injury.

## Competitions
### Major League Soccer
#### Standings

MLS Western Conference table (2025) :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 12 | Qualification for round one and the CONCACAF Champions Cup round one |
| 2 | San Diego FC | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 8 | Qualification for round one |
| 3 | St. Louis City SC | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 8 | Qualification for round one |
| 4 | Colorado Rapids | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 8 | Qualification for round one |
| 5 | Minnesota United FC | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 7 | Qualification for round one |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: March 15, 2025. Source: MLS
Results by matchday :
| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Stadium | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | D | W | D |
| Position | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 |

#### Regular season

The MLS regular season schedule was released on December 19, 2024. Every team will play 34 matches, of which 17 are at home; this includes a full home-and-away series against the fourteen other teams in the Western Conference and six matches against opponents from the Eastern Conference. Unlike previous seasons, play will not be paused for the Leagues Cup in August.

### Leagues Cup

San Diego FC was awarded a berth in the 2025 Leagues Cup that had been forfeited by Vancouver Whitecaps FC due to their paricipation in the 2025 Canadian Championship and the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

## Friendlies

On January 3, 2025, San Diego FC and Liga MX club Club América announced an agreement to play friendlies at Snapdragon Stadium in 2025 and 2027.

## Players

For the 2025 season, San Diego FC were permitted a maximum of 30 signed players on the first team, of which 10 roster positions were designated for supplemental and reserve players. Additional homegrown players are eligible to be signed to off-roster slots and are able to appear in MLS matches through short-term agreements. The senior players in the first 20 roster positions count towards a base salary cap of $5.95 million with exceptions for certain categories, including up to three Designated Players who counted for a set amount in the cap.

### Roster

    As of February 25, 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Squad includes all players who had first team contracts or appearances during the 2024 season across all competitions. Ages listed for each player is calculated from February 22, 2025, the first matchday of the MLS regular season.
San Diego FC first team roster :
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Age | Previous club | Notes |
| 1 | CJ dos Santos | United States | GK | 24 | Inter Miami CF (USA) | |
| 2 | Willy Kumado | Ghana | DF | 22 | Lyngby BK (DEN) | International |
| 4 | Andrés Reyes | Colombia | DF | 25 | New York Red Bulls (USA) | |
| 5 | Hamady Diop | Senegal | DF | 23 | Charlotte FC (USA) | International |
| 6 | Jeppe Tverskov | Denmark | MF | 31 | FC Nordsjælland (DEN) | International |
| 7 | Marcus Ingvartsen | Denmark | FW | 29 | FC Nordsjælland (DEN) | |
| 8 | Onni Valakari | Finland | MF | 25 | Pafos (CYP) | International |
| 9 | Tomás Ángel | Colombia | FW | 22 | Los Angeles FC (USA) | U-22, International |
| 10 | Anders Dreyer | Denmark | FW | 26 | R.S.C. Anderlecht (BEL) | DP, International |
| 11 | Hirving Lozano | Mexico | FW | 29 | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | DP |
| 13 | Pablo Sisniega | Mexico | GK | 29 | San Antonio FC (USA) | |
| 14 | Luca de la Torre | United States | MF | 26 | Celta Vigo (ESP) | |
| 16 | Heine Gikling Bruseth | Norway | MF | 20 | Orlando City SC (USA) | U-22, International |
| 17 | Paddy McNair | Northern Ireland | DF | 28 | West Bromwich Albion F.C. (ENG) | International |
| 19 | Jasper Löffelsend | Germany | MF | 27 | Colorado Rapids (USA) | |
| 20 | Aníbal Godoy | Panama | MF | 35 | Nashville SC (USA) | |
| 22 | Franco Negri | Argentina | DF | 30 | Inter Miami CF (USA) | |
| 24 | Emmanuel Boateng | Ghana | MF | 31 | New England Revolution (USA) | |
| 25 | Ian Pilcher | United States | DF | 21 | UNC Charlotte (USA) | |
| 26 | Manu Duah | Ghana | MF | 19 | UC Santa Barbara (USA) | International |
| 27 | Luca Bombino | United States | DF | 24 | Los Angeles FC (USA) | |
| 29 | Anisse Saidi | Tunisia | FW | 16 | Philadelphia Union (USA) | |
| 70 | Alejandro Alvarado Jr. | United States | MF | 21 | F.C. Vizela (POR) | |
| 77 | Alex Mighten | England | MF | 22 | FC Nordsjælland (DEN) | |
| 97 | Christopher McVey | Sweden | DF | 27 | D.C. United (USA) | |
| 98 | Jacob Jackson | United States | GK | 24 | San Jose Earthquakes (USA) | |

## Coaching staff

    As of December 2024
Technical staff :
| Position | Name | Nationality |
| Head coach | Mikey Varas | United States |
| Assistant coach | Frank Hjortebjerg | Denmark |
| Assistant coach | Kelvin Jones | United States |
| Assistant coach | Luciano Fusco | United States |
| Goalkeeper coach | Jason Grubb | United States |

## Transfers

For transfers in, dates listed are when San Diego FC officially signed the player to the roster. Transactions where only the rights to the players are acquired are not listed. For transfers out, dates listed are when San Diego FC officially removed the players from its roster, not when they signed with another club. If a player later signed with another club, his new club will be noted, but the date listed here remains the one when he was officially removed from the San Diego FC roster.

### In

Incoming transfers for San Diego FC :
| Player | No. | Pos. | Previous team | Notes | Date |
| Duran Ferree (USA) | 18 | GK | San Diego Loyal SC (USA) | Loaned to FC Nordsjælland until end of 2024–25 Danish Superliga | December 13, 2023 |
| Jeppe Tverskov (DEN) | 6 | MF | FC Nordsjælland (DEN) | Loaned to FC Nordsjælland until January 2025 | March 19, 2024 |
| Marcus Ingvartsen (DEN) | 7 | FW | FC Nordsjælland (DEN) | Loaned to FC Nordsjælland until January 2025 | March 19, 2024 |
| Paddy McNair (NIR) | 17 | DF | Middlesbrough F.C. (ENG) | Loaned to West Bromwich Albion F.C. until January 2025 | July 25, 2024 |
| Hirving Lozano (MEX) | 11 | FW | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | Designated Player; loaned to PSV Eindhoven until January 1, 2025 | June 6, 2024 |
| Alex Mighten (ENG) | 77 | MF | Nottingham Forest F.C. (ENG) | Loaned to FC Nordsjælland until January 2025; discovery rights acquired from Nashville SC for $50,000 in general allocation money | August 30, 2024 |
| Tomás Ángel (COL) | 9 | FW | Los Angeles FC (USA) | Traded for $200,000 in general allocation money and a second-round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft | December 9, 2024 |
| CJ dos Santos (USA) | 1 | GK | Inter Miami CF (USA) | Traded for $100,000 in general allocation money | December 11, 2024 |
| Christopher McVey (SWE) | 97 | DF | D.C. United (USA) | Traded for $50,000 in general allocation money with an additional $50,000 based on performance | December 11, 2024 |
| Heine Gikling Bruseth (NOR) | 16 | DF | Orlando City SC (USA) | Acquired in MLS Expansion Draft | December 11, 2024 |
| Hamady Diop (SEN) | 5 | DF | Charlotte FC (USA) | Acquired in MLS Expansion Draft | December 11, 2024 |
| Jasper Löffelsend (GER) | 19 | MF | Colorado Rapids (USA) | Acquired in MLS Expansion Draft | December 11, 2024 |
| Andrés Reyes (COL) | 4 | DF | New York Red Bulls (USA) | Traded for $800,000 in general allocation money | December 12, 2024 |
| Jacob Jackson (USA) | 98 | GK | San Jose Earthquakes (USA) | Selected in 2024 MLS Re-Entry Draft Stage 1 | December 13, 2024 |
| Aníbal Godoy (PAN) | 20 | MF | Nashville SC (USA) | Free agent | December 19, 2024 |
| Manu Duah (GHA) | 26 | MF | UC Santa Barbara (USA) | MLS SuperDraft | December 20, 2024 |
| Pablo Sisniega (MEX) | 13 | GK | San Antonio FC (USA) | Free | December 27, 2024 |
| Anisse Saidi (TUN) | 29 | FW | Philadelphia Union Academy (USA) | Homegrown player | January 3, 2025 |
| Emmanuel Boateng (GHA) | 24 | MF | New England Revolution (USA) | Trade | January 6, 2025 |
| Franco Negri (ARG) | 22 | DF | Inter Miami CF (USA) | Re-Entry Draft Stage 2 | January 7, 2025 |
| Onni Valakari (FIN) | 8 | MF | Pafos FC (CYP) | Loan | January 13, 2025 |
| Alejandro Alvarado Jr. (USA) | 70 | MF | F.C. Vizela (POR) | Transfer | January 14, 2025 |
| Luca de la Torre (USA) | 14 | MF | Celta Vigo (ESP) | Loan | January 21, 2025 |
| Anders Dreyer (DEN) | 10 | FW | R.S.C. Anderlecht (BEL) | Designated Player; Transfer | January 22, 2025 |
| Yaw Yeboah (GHA) | — | MF | Columbus Crew (USA) | Re-Entry Draft Stage 2 | January 24, 2025 |
| Ian Pilcher (USA) | 25 | DF | UNC Charlotte (USA) | 2025 MLS SuperDraft | January 27, 2025 |
| Willy Kumado (GHA) | 2 | DF | Lyngby BK (DEN) | Transfer | February 10, 2025 |
| Luca Bombino (USA) | 27 | DF | Los Angeles FC (USA) | Loan | February 25, 2025 |

### Expansion draft picks

In the 2024 MLS expansion draft, San Diego FC made five selections from a list of eligible players signed with other MLS teams. The club traded away two of their players on the same day as the draft.
2024 MLS Expansion Draft picks :
| Player | Nationality | Pos. | Previous team | Notes |
| Heine Gikling Bruseth | Norway | MF | Orlando City SC (USA) | |
| Jasper Löffelsend | Germany | MF | Colorado Rapids (USA) | |
| Hamady Diop | Senegal | DF | Charlotte FC (USA) | |
| Thiago Andrade | Brazil | MF | New York City FC (USA) | Traded to Toronto FC for first-round 2025 MLS SuperDraft pick and $250,000 in conditional general allocation money |
| Hosei Kijima | Japan | MF | St. Louis City SC (USA) | Traded to D.C. United for $400,000 in general allocation money |

### Out

Outgoing transfers for San Diego FC :
| Player | No. | Pos. | New team | Notes | Date |
| Duran Ferree (USA) | — | GK | FC Nordsjælland (DEN) | Loaned until June 30, 2025 | September 28, 2024 |
| Yaw Yeboah (GHA) | — | MF | Los Angeles FC (USA) | Trade | January 24, 2025 |

### Other transactions

* On December 12, 2024, San Diego FC acquired two international roster slots from Seattle Sounders FC for $250,000 in general allocation money

## Player awards
### MLS Player of the Matchday

| Week | Player | Position | Opponent |
| 1 | Anders Dreyer | FW | LA Galaxy |

### MLS Team of the Matchday

| Week | Player(s) | Opponent(s) |
| 1 | XI: Anders Dreyer Coach: Mikey Varas | LA Galaxy |
| 2 | Bench: Jeppe Tverskov | St. Louis City SC |
| 3 | XI: Anders Dreyer (2) | Real Salt Lake |