San Diego FC representing the city in a time of need
(Fernando Tatis Jr. enjoying a match at Snapdragon Stadium) Credit: Cedric Jones/ EVT Sports
In their inaugural season, San Diego FC is making a great impression.
Like it or not, the MLS is here to stay.
The city of San Diego is falling in love with the “world’s game,” as the area is starved for professional sports and national relevance. Numerous disappointments mark the history of San Diego sports. There has been no major world title in the city’s sports history. The San Diego Sockers are easily the most successful franchise in the community, but indoor soccer isn’t considered a major sport.
The Clippers are gone. The Chargers followed them up the 5 freeway in search of greener pastures. Neither franchise had won anything in the city of San Diego, and since their move, they have continued the streak. The Padres have enjoyed over five decades of play in San Diego since joining Major League Baseball in 1969. What do they have to show for it? Two National League titles and a 1-8 record in the World Series.
The city is starved for relevance regarding sports.
Enter the new kid on the block: San Diego FC.
Now, soccer isn’t considered a “major” sport by some individuals. Those same baby boomers, however, have obviously not paid attention over the last three decades, as the growth of the sport has increased at a dramatic rate. I grew up in the 80s. There were barely any leagues to play youth soccer. You had to go out of your way to find a league.
Flash forward to the current era, and there are scrimmages and practices at virtually every park in the United States.
Soccer is definitely a major sport now. If you think differently, you may need to snap out of it.
The sport is gaining popularity among U.S. fans and is expected to continue growing in the future. Especially as the league is capable of bringing in talent like Lionel Messi, his emergence in Miami brings a sense of relevancy to the MLS. Messi is clearly in the latter stages of his career, but his name and recognition resonate throughout the entire world. Can that really be said about a baseball player (well, maybe Shohei Ohtani) or a football player? How about basketball or hockey? You could make a case for some NBA stars, as the world has embraced basketball; however, soccer is clearly the chosen sport of the majority of the world.
And now, San Diego has their very own team in the MLS.
The league may not be in the upper echelons of soccer leagues around the world. But it is gaining momentum toward being a respected and relevant league. Revenue is growing in the sport, and the San Diego FC enters the market at a very fruitful time.
Attendance at SDFC matches has been excellent. The team’s play is enjoyable. The style of play employed by San Diego FC is fan-friendly and entertaining, making it particularly appealing to newcomers to the sport.
So, sit back and enjoy the growth of San Diego’s newest franchise. If you haven’t yet supported the team, give it a try. Soccer may not be what you traditionally watch when it comes to sports, but I promise that the game and the style of play of San Diego FC will enthrall you. Support San Diego. Support the SDFC.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
“You obviously dislike soccer, and that’s on you.”
Didn’t say that, didn’t intimate that.
“But to pretend like it is not growing at a phenomenal rate and is easily the world’s sport is pretty naive of you.”
Didn’t say either of those things, didn’t intimate either of those things. At this point I think I’m within my rights to wonder if you’re capable of saying anything that isn’t a straw man. This is turning into kind of a train wreck for you. It’s too bad. I wasn’t trying to start a flame war here; I thought maybe we could have a rational exchange of views on a topic of mutual interest. I guess that was asking too much. Have a great day.
Exactly. That is your response and the only thing you are capable of doing.
Keep being you.
As someone who’s been writing professionally for around 34 years, can I offer you a bit of free advice?
When you’re the author of an article, you cannot act this way in the comments. You have to engage respectfully and with civility or you can’t engage at all. This is not some random thread on your social media feed. Your name is on this piece of work. Your employer’s name is on the masthead of the website.
I’ve said nothing here that remotely warranted the treatment I’ve received. That’s an embarrassment to you and it’s an embarrassment to the publication you’re writing for. In fact, if I was your editor, I would not hesitate to let you go for behaving so unprofessionally.
LMAO
I appreciate the optimism, but let’s not pretend SDFC is taking the county by storm. Lots of people don’t even know they exist. Why? Because you can’t watch the games on TV.
How many new soccer fans are going to buy Apple TV, and then buy the MLS add-on for Apple TV, in order to watch the games? Spoiler alert: not very many.
How do you build a fan base when nobody can watch the games for free? You don’t.
Um… The Padres aren’t on TV either. So there went that conspiracy theory
1) I don’t recall promulgating any conspiracy theory. If you go up to the average person in San Diego County and ask for their thoughts on San Diego FC, they will not know what you’re talking about. That’s just a fact about the world.
2) I feel like you’ve missed the point completely, since you went to the example of the Padres. They built their fan base in the 70s and 80s when all the games were on free radio and most of the road games were on free TV. Once we get into the 90s, you can watch the home games on PPV, and by the end of the decade, 100% of all the games are on Channel 4 on basic cable. The Padres were never a beand-new product that prospective fans couldn’t access except through multiple paywalls. They stopped being on free TV after they had already built a generational fan base.
Whether anybody likes it or not, or wishes to accept it, SDFC is not going to build a Padres-like fan base when the only thing you can watch for free is 7-8 minute long YouTube highlight videos. The percentage of the population that’s willing to buy a streaming platform, and an add-on for a streaming platform, just to watch MLS games, is vanishingly small.
well, you said the issue they aren’t on TV. But they are… streaming is the new platform. I am sorry its upsetting to you, but that is the future.
I see you have no inclination to engage with the substance of anything I’ve said here. That’s too bad.
What substance? Yes. The Padres were free and on TV. So was everything.
Cable is not a thing anymore. Streaming is… that’s just the way it is. Come out of the cave.
You obviously dislike soccer, and that’s on you.
But to pretend like it is not growing at a phenomenal rate and is easily the world’s sport is pretty naive of you.
I am pleased that my city has an MLS team, and they represent it well.