SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 17: The San Diego FC starting XI pose for a photograph before the game against the Sporting Kansas City at Snapdragon Stadium on May 17, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
The first match in San Diego FC franchise history was back in February up in Los Angeles against the Galaxy, the defending MLS Cup champions. You may recall SDFC won 2-0, which at the time seemed like a shocking upset.
An expansion team beating the reigning champs in their own building, a place where they hadn't lost in more than a year? The concept is preposterous!
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WATCH HEREAs it turns out, that was not a fluke. In the movie business it's what they call "foreshadowing."
San Diego has proven to be one of the better teams in Major League Soccer while the Galaxy are the only team in the league that hasn't won a game yet, making their 2025 season one of the worst title defenses in American sports history. On Saturday the budding rivals meet again, this time at Snapdragon Stadium, and they're playing dramatically different roles.
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SIGN UP This time SDFC is the heavy favorite, and rightfully so. However, the new kids on the block say they aren't feeling any extra pressure to avoid being the first team to lose to the team with the worst record in the league.
"I don't see it that way. They're still a really good team," says SDFC goalie CJ dos Santos. "They won the league last year and every single year they're always a top contender. We're going to go after them like anyone that we would face on any given matchday. They're the champions until 2026."
"CJ said it perfectly: they're champs until somebody else wins a final," says SDFC head coach Mikey Varas. "They'll have eight to nine guys starting the match that won MLS Cup and they probably have marked this game on their calendar for a while, especially after the first game of the season. So, they're going to come with everything and they're a very good team."
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The problem for the Galaxy is, SDFC is also a very good team, a fact that has become all to obvious to people around Major League Soccer.
"(They've performed) beyond expectations," says veteran MLS play-by-play announcer Keith Costigan, who will be on the TV call for Saturday's match. "The style of play, they're fun to watch, they're getting the best out of their stars, and you talk to other coaches, they respect them already. They've earned that respect. What I've seen recently tells me this San Diego team is the real deal, and I think everybody else in the league sees them that way as well."
Kickoff for this match is set for 1:45 p.m. in Mission Valley.
