Welcome Home, San Diego FC

Sophia Baranic and Tatianna Hedayati • March 24, 2025

San Diego FC’s Inaugural Home Match. Image via Sophia Baranic.

Since the formation of Major League Soccer in 1993, San Diego has been a candidate for a team and has expressed interest on numerous occasions. On May 18, 2023, Major League Soccer announced at Snapdragon Stadium that San Diego had finally been awarded an expansion team, becoming the 30th active MLS team.
San Diego FC made their MLS debut against the reigning MLS Cup champions, LA Galaxy, in Carson on February 23, 2025. Anders Dreyer scored the club’s first-ever goal in the 52nd minute and the club’s second goal in the 93rd minute. The match ended with SDFC winning 2-0, the club’s first win and marking the end of Galaxy’s home winning streak, which began in October 2023 and spanned to the 2024 MLS Cup Championship. Senior James Fricovsky said, “It’s crazy to see how much Galaxy has changed during the offseason, going from Cup champions to being unable to win a game.”
On March 1, 2025, a week after claiming their first win, San Diego FC arrived at Snapdragon Stadium for their inaugural home match, facing off against St. Louis City SC. 34,506 fans packed into Snapdragon Stadium, the largest number in stadium history. During the inaugural ceremony, Padres player and SDFC founding partner Manny Machado made an appearance. The match started well for SDFC, but late in the first half of the game, star player Chucky Lozano suffered a hamstring injury and exited the game, making way for Emmanuel Boateng to make his SDFC debut. Although the match ended in a scoreless tie, SDFC had possession for 71.7% of the game and showcased their incredible defense and goaltending skills. Senior Jorge Estrada said, “The team played really well, I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Through their first four games, San Diego FC has managed to be undefeated, with two wins and two draws. It has become increasingly clear throughout these past few matches that SDFC has built a great foundation of players, with people such as midfielder Anders Dreyer scoring three goals and goalkeeper Carlos Dos Santos only allowing two goals across four games. With a great roster, a supportive fanbase and an excellent start to their inaugural season, the future of San Diego FC looks very bright.

About the Contributors

Sophia Baranic, Online Editor

Sophia Baranic is a senior in her first year of Journalism as Online Editor. She has experience in web design, computer science, writing, and photography. She is looking to pursue a career in journalism, photography, or marketing in the future. Her interests include sports, literature, film, and pop culture. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, watching sports, and spending time with family and friends. She hopes to gain journalistic experience and learn more about the student body while in Journalism. She is looking forward to a great year with the Hi-Tide!

Tatianna Hedayati, Sports Editor

Tatianna Hedayati is a senior in her first year Journalism as the Sports Editor. She decided to do Journalism this year because she has an immense interest in finding, knowing and reporting the truth. Beyond Journalism, her interests include writing, pop culture, and drawing, which are useful outlets for her creativity. Her goals for her final year at La Jolla High School are to advance her writing abilities and broaden her journalistic skill set through journalism. She is looking forward to collaborating with her peers and contributing to the issues of 2024-2025 Hi-Tide year!