San Diego FC’s remarkable debut season has set the stage for the club’s Year 2, which kicks off on Tuesday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
SDFC begins competition for the year with the opening round of the Concacaf Champions Cup, a tournament bringing together the top club teams from upper-tier North American, Central American and Caribbean leagues.
SDFC’s surprise run atop Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in the regular season landed the organization in the field; they’ve drawn Mexico City’s Pumas UNAM for the two-leg first round.
Tuesday marks SDFC’s first time on the pitch since coach Mkey Varas signed a contract extension in January. The 43-year-old led the club to MLS expansion-team records for points (63) and wins (19) in 2025. Varas’ club advanced to the MLS Cup’s Western Conference final, where it fell 3-1 to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Nov. 29.
“We had a short break, a short preseason, so it’s a massive challenge to be ready for this moment,” Varas said on Monday. “But the boys have done just a great job committing to the cause and to the adventure.”
SDFC’s turnaround from its first campaign to its second one lasted just 65 days from matchday to matchday.
And the club’s first match is certainly a challenge. Liga MX’s Pumas are unbeaten thus far in 2026, with two wins and two draws. The club pounded Santos Lagunas 4-0 in Mexico City on Saturday, tallying all four of its goals in a first-half onslaught.
“They have rhythm. They’ve been together for two-and-a-half months, they played all their preseason games,” Varas said. “But for us, it’s not a problem; it’s a challenge. … We’re going to lean into our style of play, our teamwork, and our fighting spirit while we continue to gain our rhythm.
“I can imagine we’ll continue to get better as the game goes on,” Varas added.
Varas praised Pumas’ ability in transition, specifically highlighting their strength at midfield. The club added Jordan Carrillo at midfielder on loan from Santos, and he netted a pair of goals and assisted on a third in Saturday’s win over his former club.
Tuesday’s visitors are no strangers to Champions Cup play, having advanced to this tournament’s championship in 2022. They lost to SDFC’s Major League Soccer counterpart Seattle Sounders in what was the first iteration of the event won by an American club since LA Galaxy in 2000 — and the last time a squad from the United States emerged as champion.
Mexico reestablished its longstanding dominance of the Champions Cup over the last three years, with Leon, Pachuca and Cruz Azul winning in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Tuesday marks the first of a two-leg opening-round competition. SDFC will travel to Mexico City’s Estadio Olímpico Universitario next week. Should the teams split the matches, the winner will be determined by aggregate goals. If the goals are tied, the team with more away goals moves on.
“Playing in this competition where there’s away goals, it plays a huge factor,” SDFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega said. “At home, it’s important not to concede (goals) — or concede as few goals as possible.”
For this reason, “the way you approach these games is different to a (MLS) game,” he said.
Fortunately for SDFC, the club has played well at home. The club’s goalkeeper and defense produced 10 clean sheets at Snapdragon Stadium last year, including shutouts in MLS Cup playoff wins over Portland and Minnesota.
Pablo Sisniega #13 of San Diego FC tends net during the 2025 MLS Cup Playoff match between San Diego FC and Portland Timbers at Providence Park on November 01, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
SDFC’s 2026 lineup will look a lot like it did in December. Sisniega will start in net, with playmaker Ian Pilcher on defense and, importantly, breakout star Anders Dreyer at forward. SDFC recently signed Dreyer to a contract extension that should keep him in San Diego through the 2028-29 campaign.
With his 23 goals scored across 41 matches a season ago, Dreyer established himself as the face of the franchise.
As Dreyer ascended, however, marquee acquisition Hirving “Chucky” Lozano faded. The All-Star from Mexico was benched in October after a locker-room altercation; he was used as a substitute in the postseason.
SDFC announced it plans to part ways with Lozano, who remains under contract as the club’s highest-paid player.
Concacaf Champions Cup, Round 1: SDFC vs. Pumas UNAM
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium
TV: OneSoccer, FS2 and TUDN (Spanish)