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Major League Soccer expansion club San Diego FC is making history within the league, and it also is reshaping its Southern California sports market already in the midst of a large-scale transition.
The club defeated Minnesota United FC, 1–0, to advance to the Western Conference final, continuing its dream campaign that also doubles as its inaugural season. San Diego FC will face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, with the winner advancing to MLS Cup.
If that happens, San Diego FC could face Inter Miami, which is similarly reaching unprecedented heights thanks in large part to the heroics of Argentine legend Lionel Messi. Regardless of the final opponents for San Diego FC, though, the club is seeking to become the first MLS expansion team to win the league title since the Chicago Fire in 1998—just the third season for the league and when it had only 12 franchises.
Danish forward Anders Dreyer, who scored the lone goal in the win over Minnesota United FC, continued his ascendance as the breakout star of MLS following his arrival in January from Belgium’s Anderlecht. Dreyer has been named to the league’s Best XI squad, won the Newcomer of the Year award, and is a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award, along with Messi and three others.
Beyond the on-field exploits, though, San Diego FC has been an unqualified success story off the pitch. The club averaged 28,064 per game in attendance at Snapdragon Stadium, ranking fourth in the league. The three teams ahead of San Diego FC—Atlanta United FC, the Seattle Sounders, and Charlotte FC—each play in NFL facilities, while Snapdragon Stadium has a seating capacity of just 32,500.
The club has almost immediately solidified itself as a core part of the San Diego pro sports scene, one that saw the departure of the NFL’s Chargers for Los Angeles in 2017, an MLB Padres team that is now for sale, and the NWSL’s San Diego Wave.
“I’ve seen expansion teams like St. Louis do really well, and other teams that came into the league that did not do well [right away],” said MLS commissioner Don Garber at the recent opening of San Diego FC’s Right to Dream Academy. “It’s easier to be new than it is to be new and improved. So I admire everything that they’ve done. … What’s really impressive is how quickly this team has become established in this city and within this region. They’ve done it right.”
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