Football Season Guide

San Diego set multiple records in their maiden MLS season. Became the 1st expansion team to win their Conference, had the most sold-out home matches in the entire MLS in 2025, accumulated the maximum points for an expansion team and had the most wins in 1st season too W19 D6 L9. To top it all San Diego reached the Conference Final only to lose there 1-3 to Vancouver. In the heart of it all was the Danish winger Anders Dreyer with his 19 goals and 19 assists. His ability to score and create for teammates made him the Most Valuable Player of 2025. With Dreyer hungry for more San Diego are excited to remain a factor in the West in 2026. The known 2nd year slump will be a challenge going forward, especially after the bar was set so high in 2025. CB McNair was supposed to be the cornerstone of the defence last season but injuries limited him a lot. He didn’t start at all in the playoffs. Sold as a result. Seem set on developing Pilcher and Bombino, both had amazing playoff run and both are very young. Will continue to rely heavily on a core of Danish players. Captain Tverskov is the backbone of the midfield line, Dreyer and Ingvartsen remain the main figures in attack. Controversial winger Lozano was impactful when playing but injuries and 2 disciplinary absentees for breaching Code of Conduct mean his status for 2026 is uncertain. He is the fans favourite and just for that should stay. However, he needs to show better discipline in order to get back in the good books of the manager, especially with the late autumn arrival of Pellegrino proving a big hit from September onward last year.