San Diego FC will start a 19-year-old goalkeeper with 10 minutes of Major League Soccer experience in the season opener Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium because of what happened on Nov. 1 and Nov. 29.

Nov. 1: Starter CJ dos Santos suffered an orbital floor fracture below his left eye in a playoff game at Portland that left him with double vision and required surgery. He still isn’t ready to play.

Nov. 29: Backup Pablo Sisniega got a red card in the 79th minute of the Western Conference final against Vancouver and is suspended for his next MLS game, which is Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. opener against CF Montreal.

Which leaves 19-year-old Duran Ferree.

You might recognize the name. He grew up in the 4S Ranch area of San Diego and attended Del Norte High School, signed with the now-defunct San Diego Loyal SC at age 15, became the youngest goalkeeper to record a shutout in USL Championship history at 16 years, 6 months, was SDFC’s first signee in December 2023, went on loan spells to Orange County SC and Denmark’s FC Nordsjaelland, and then found himself scrambling to put on his gloves last November against Vancouver.

Those 10 minutes are the extent of his MLS experience, but SDFC coach Mikey Varas has seen enough from a September friendly against Club Tijuana and months of training to not rush dos Santos back or sign a veteran replacement.

“He’s a top young player,” Varas said of Ferree, who turned 19 in September. “Listen, he stepped into some tough situations in games on a big stage. That’s part of why he’s getting this opportunity and we have the flexibility of giving CJ a little bit longer runway to regain his fitness and playing rhythm.

“And that’s because Duran has shown us he’s a more than capable goalkeeper. … He’s got a great demeanor for the big moment. You can tell he’s calm under pressure. He’s really excited to show his hometown what he’s got.”

Sisniega’s suspension is for one game. He’s expected to return March 1 against St. Louis City. He played both CONCACAF Champions Cup games against Mexico’s Pumas UNAM because the suspension doesn’t apply internationally.

“CJ is still in return-to-play protocol,” Varas said. “It was a serious injury and he missed a lot of training time. He needs time to re-adapt his body to the speed of play and just the positional needs. He’s definitely going to get there. Once he does, it’s going to be a pure competition.”

Ferree won’t be the youngest goalkeeper to start an MLS game. That distinction belongs to Gabriel Slonina of the Chicago Fire. He was 17 years, 81 days old when he started in 2021.

Zamble signs

SDFC’s latest youngster is 18-year-old Ivory Coast winger Bryan Zamble, a product of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana. That makes five teenagers on SDFC’s opening day roster and four graduates of Right to Dream academies.

The 5-foot-5 Zamble joined Right to Dream at age 11 and has been with it ever since, most recently on the International Academy team that serves as a bridge between the youth program and professional soccer. He has represented Ivory Coast at the U16 and U17 level.

Season opener: San Diego FC vs. CF Montreal

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Snapdragon Stadium

TV: AppleTV

Radio: 760-AM, 1700-AM (Spanish)