History was made on Saturday, October 4, when San Diego FC became the first expansion club in MLS history to attain 60 points in the regular season. The record was previously held by LAFC, who had 57 points in 2018.

Head coach Mikey Varas knows what it means for this city, this club.

“You have to celebrate that man. You have to celebrate that – 60 points,” said Varas. “Nobody can take that away from us. That’s written down right now until somebody else breaks it.

“That’s a huge testament to these guys and how they work, how they believe in us, how they commit to being great teammates, to being top professionals, to showcasing their talent, to having that fighting spirit. And on top of that, we did it our way.”

Sticking to the team’s principles, their identity – even when things aren’t going right – is what Varas meant when he said, “We did it our way.” Perhaps one of the most challenging and rewarding accomplishments this season will be knowing that the team never wavered from who they are. When times were tough, SDFC rallied and got better at what they weren’t doing well in a system that isn’t all that complex. The tough part was getting buy-in from everyone to play the Right-to-Dream style as a collective unit. SDFC did that. It’s why they’ve had the success they did so far this season.

Playoff Scenarios and Standings Update

San Diego FC currently control their own destiny. With a win over the Houston Dynamo, they go into the last week of the regular season (decision day, as some pundits dubbed it) with a chance to claim the number one spot in the Western Conference. In order for that to happen, they must win their next match against the Portland Timbers in Portland.

Vancouver and LAFC currently hold some games in hand and must play into SDFC’s favor. In a scenario where SDFC win their last match, Vancouver, currently tied on points with San Diego, has to lose or tie one of their previous two matches. LAFC has three games remaining and 56 points. That means, in order for SDFC to keep the number one spot, LAFC has to lose or tie one of the three games remaining. If LAFC wins out, they will outright win the Western Conference.

Houston Takeaways

There are many positives to take away from the Houston match if you’re an SDFC fan. For starters, getting a win after a rough spell in form, where San Diego earned one of a possible nine points in their last three matches.

A win is what this team needed. It will surely grow confidence in a team of players who have a lot of miles on their legs this season. It will place some assurance back into the minds of a team who may have started questioning their ability to continue scoring goals and finishing out a long season before getting ready for playoffs.

The Bench Shines

In a match where four out of the six total goals were scored in the last 15 minutes, SDFC got some help from the bench. Luca de la Torre, who’s been the subject of a decline in performance, notched himself an important goal in the 85th minute to put San Diego ahead. That shift in momentum sparked a recently dormant offense to score an additional two goals before the final whistle.

Amahl Pellegrino, who started the last three matches but failed to produce any real contributions on offense, came off the bench and played like he had something to prove. Perhaps losing the starting role fueled the fire of the recently acquired striker. Pellegrino was fouled inside the box in the 53rd minute to earn San Diego a penalty kick, which Anders Dreyer scored. He assisted Dreyer again when he unselfishly passed the ball in the 89th minute. The cherry on top was a 103rd-minute goal that Pellegrino, full of confidence, dribbled into the box and calmly slotted past the Houston goalkeeper.

SDFC once again outpossessed their opponent, this time to the tune of 66-34. While Houston attempted to deploy the same tactic that had proven successful for other teams against San Diego, their situation became somewhat different once SDFC leveled the score. Facing elimination from the playoffs with anything but a win, Houston became desperate and pushed numbers forward, exposing itself to counterattacks.

Five SDFC Players Called Up for International Duty

SDFC will be one of the teams that will not play this weekend, as the international break looms. During this time, five players will represent their countries in international friendlies or World Cup qualifying matches. The five players selected are:

• Hirving “Chucky” Lozano – Mexico
• Anders Dreyer – Denmark
• Anibal Godoy – Panama
• Paddy McNair – Northern Ireland
• David Vazquez – USA U-20 Training Camp

All players are expected to be back and available for the crucial final match of the regular season against Portland on October 18.

U-20 World Cup Update

Defender Luca Bombino, goalkeeper Duran Ferree, and midfielder Pedro Soma remain active with the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

Team USA currently tops Group E with six points after a strong start to the competition, opening with a commanding 9-1 victory over New Caledonia U-20 on September 29 and following it up with a 3-0 win against France U-20 on October 2. The USA fell to South Africa on October 5 by a score of 1-2. They advanced to the round of 16 and will play Italy on October 9.

The three youngsters have a chance of being back with the team for the Portland game if they do not advance to the later stages of the tournament. If Team USA advances to the final match, SDFC can expect the players to return for the first game of the playoffs.

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Dmitry Anisimov

Dmitry Anisimov is a San Diego native who played soccer up to the college level when he represented the SDSU Men’s Club Soccer team. Growing up in San Diego, Dmitry is a fan of all the home teams but he specifically couldn’t wait until San Diego got an MLS team. Once that dream became reality, Dmitry married his love for writing and the game of soccer to portray a voice of the San Diego soccer community. There is a deep-rooted love of soccer culture in San Diego and Dmitry hopes to bring it to light through his pre and post-game coverage of all things San Diego FC.