San Diego FC: The New MLS Franchise Writing Its Own Piece of History

How San Diego Are Building an Identity That Feels Real

When a new football club is born, one of the toughest challenges is figuring out how to build an identity that feels authentic. How do you create a culture that doesn’t feel forced or artificial? For Major League Soccer’s newest franchise, San Diego FC, the answer was surprisingly simple — they didn’t have to invent one.

Their identity already existed.

San Diego FC’s DNA comes directly from the Right to Dream football network — a unique global system that began as a youth academy in Ghana and has since grown to include Denmark’s FC Nordsjaelland and an academy in Egypt, all under the Mansour Group’s ownership. The expansion into MLS, through San Diego, was a natural next step in a project that has long been about more than football — it’s about opportunity, community, and doing things the right way.

Head coach Mikey Varas, who previously worked with the U.S. men’s national youth teams, understood that right away. “I told the boys at the start that we might be an expansion team in MLS, but we have a lot of rich history with Right to Dream, and it is our job to continue that legacy,” he said.

For Varas, success isn’t just about results — it’s about how they’re achieved. “Every decision you make as a first-team coach within Right to Dream is about winning, but how we win and who we win with matters,” he explained. “I think I was hired because we’re completely aligned with that vision.”

And that vision is already paying off.

From Expansion Dream to Record-Breaking Reality

Varas had a two-game interim spell in charge of the US national team before Mauricio Pochettino was appointed head coach

When San Diego FC were officially awarded an MLS franchise in 2023, few expected them to make such a rapid impact. Yet in their debut season, Varas has led the team to the top of the Western Conference, setting records for points, wins, and away victories by an expansion team.

Even more impressively, they’ve done it with a style that wouldn’t look out of place at Camp Nou during the Guardiola-Vilanova era. “We love football,” Varas said passionately. “I think the best thing in life is playing football. If you can’t play, then working in football is the next best thing. And if you can’t do that, being a passionate fan of football is just as beautiful.”

He continued: “There are many ways to win in football, and I respect them all. But deep in our hearts, we believe in a certain kind of football — exciting, brave, attacking football — and when we play this way, it feels special.”

That identity — clear, fearless, and expressive — has helped bond a dressing room full of strangers into a real team. Within months, they’ve outperformed MLS heavyweights like Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps, and both Los Angeles clubs.

Building Chemistry and Culture from Scratch

San Diego have an average home attendance of 28,000 this season

Starting from zero could have been a disadvantage. No history, no shared experience, no familiar faces. But for San Diego FC, it became an opportunity.

Midfielder Anders Dreyer, one of the team’s standout performers, put it perfectly: “It was nice to get into a dressing room where every player wanted to be at the same place,” he said. “Sometimes you come to a club with history and there’s leftover tension — players unhappy about last season or looking for a transfer. But here, everyone wanted to be part of this journey.”

Dreyer, who previously played for Anderlecht and in Denmark’s Superliga, was already familiar with the Right to Dream philosophy from facing Nordsjaelland. That connection was enough to convince him to cross the Atlantic. “I always played against Nordsjaelland and thought, ‘I’d love to play like that,’” he recalled. “Now I have that chance — and I love it.”

The Danish playmaker has flourished in this system. Only Lionel Messi has been involved in more goals this MLS season, with Dreyer contributing an incredible 39 goal involvements, including 19 goals of his own. His most recent strike made history, sealing San Diego’s first-ever playoff win and giving them the advantage in their best-of-three series against the Portland Timbers.

“It’s easier to perform when you know what the team stands for,” Dreyer said. “When there’s a clear style, everyone knows what to do — and that helps you show your best self.”

A City Embracing Its New Club

Football in San Diego has always had potential but lacked permanence. The short-lived San Diego Loyal carried the torch in the USL before folding in 2023, and the NWSL’s San Diego Wave continue to thrive in the women’s game. But San Diego FC has quickly become something different — a unifying force for a football-hungry city.

Local supporter Steve Cabrera, chairman of the fan group Frontera SD, describes the scene before home matches as something special. “We have everybody meeting in the parking lot before games, sharing food, bringing beers — it’s a big party,” he said. “You see that energy carry over into the stands, where everyone’s chanting and singing together for the club. It feels like family.”

That passion has helped transform the club’s early months into something much bigger than an expansion story. San Diego FC are not just a novelty; they’re becoming part of the city’s identity.

Looking Beyond the Bounce

Success for a new team can sometimes be fleeting — the so-called “new club bounce.” But for Varas and the Right to Dream group, sustainability is the real goal.

“It’s important that we create a sustainable project,” Varas said. “One that embodies the idea of having high-level talent, high-level characters, all united by the same purpose and mission.”

That purpose — to play beautiful football, develop character, and give young players the opportunity to dream — is what sets San Diego FC apart. They might be the newest team in Major League Soccer, but they already feel like they’ve been here for years.

As they chase history in their debut MLS playoffs, one thing is clear: San Diego FC aren’t just another expansion team trying to survive. They’re building something lasting — something that might just redefine what a new club can be.

And for the fans filling Snapdragon Stadium with chants and color every weekend, it feels like history is already being written — one match, one goal, and one dream at a time.