San Diego FC 2025 MLS Fantasy Preview

San Diego FC General Details

• Team Name: San Diego Football Club
• Club Home Venue: Snapdragon Stadium, 35,000 Seat Capacity
• Club Owner: Sir Mohammed Mansour
• Sporting Director: Tyler Heaps, youngest sporting director in MLS. Husband of USWNT star Midfielder Lindsey Horan. 
• Manager: Mikey Varas, former U-20 USMNT assistant and head coach. He has full support and backing from our ownership group that he has the ideals and playstyles to maximize the squad to its fullest potential in our inaugural season. This will be his first senior appointment. 

Team Synopsis

As expected an expansion team roster will never look perfect right from the jump, but this ownership group seems to know what it’s after and wants to create on the pitch. Expect to see a hyperactive team in defense with a very measured approach of possession in build-up/attack. With our latest addition of Luca De La Torre, that want for possession couldn’t be any more clear. San Diego FC will also boast the only “Right to Dream” academy within the US. Known for discovering and producing football talent for those less fortunate all across the world, it’s an exciting pipeline known to already have shown success in Egypt, Denmark and Ghana. 

• Team Strengths:  
  • Team identity 
  • High level talent in attack, midfield and defense 
  • State-of-the-art training facilities 
  • Academy and scouting network
• Team Weaknesses: 
  • Coaching experience at the senior level 
  • Depth chart 
  • Goalkeeper 

Key Players

• Hirving “Chucky” Lozano: The name speaks for itself, our global Mexican superstar will look to be a danger all season on the wings of our attack.
• Anders Dreyer: The Danish International comes into MLS off the best season of his career in Belgium with 28 g/a. He will wear the #10 shirt for San Diego FC and will partner Lozano on the opposite flank of our attack.
• Marcus Ingvartsen: Our Danish #9 comes into MLS with a plethora of European experience in the German and Danish top divisions. Known to be quite technical in build-up play, we’ll look to him to start and finish attacking moves in this style of play.
• Onni Valakari: Hailing from Finland, the versatile left footed #8 will find himself in plenty positions to affect our game. Look for him to be that trailing run into the box and a real workhorse in the midfield. 
• Andres Reyes: The veteran Columbian center back will be vital to the defensive success of San Diego FC in their inaugural season. Known to be a force in the air, look for Reyes to be top of the clearance and aerial duels charts this season. 
• Paddy McNair: From beginning his Journey at Manchester United as a teenager, to becoming a household name in the EFL with Middlesbrough, McNair comes to San Diego FC with a wealth of top flight experience. The partner to Reyes this season, look for Paddy to have his foot on the ball in plenty possession build ups as well as a commanding presence in the backline. 
• Franco Negri: The experienced Argentine left back will no longer have to sit in Jordi Alba’s shadow to showcase his quality on the pitch. A solid asset for dead balls and possession play, it is unknown how San Diego FC will utilize his skillset. If we see him in high and wide attacking areas, expect some magic with that wand of a left foot.

Predicted San Diego FC Lineup (as of January 2025)

4-3-3 formation:

Lozano, Ingvartson, Dreyer

Tverskov, Valakari, De La Torre

Negri, Reyes, McNair, McVey

Sisniega

Contributor: Kier Hatch, @SDSF on Discord