Three matches in eight days will test a team’s depth.
Fortunately, San Diego FC has reinforcements on the way.
Forward Cédric Bakambu and defender Sam Vines could both make their SDFC debuts as early as Wednesday, when the club takes on the San Jose Earthquakes at Snapdragon Stadium.
SDFC acquired both players last week, part of a flurry of activity at the end of the MLS Secondary Transfer Window.
“I’m ready to help the team for the next game, and I hope we’re going to win the two next games at home,” Bakambu said.
Bakambu, 35, comes over from Real Betis of La Liga. As part of Congo’s World Cup team, he spent time in Dallas and Miami during international competition. Bakambu has also been to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
But, Bakambu said, he hadn’t visited San Diego before signing with SDFC. He declared it “a really nice city.”
“The most important thing for me is the sun,” he said on a sweltering Tuesday at Singing Hills. “If I have the sun, I’m happy. That’s why I’m smiling all the time.
Vines is a Major League Soccer veteran whom SDFC acquired from the Houston Dynamo. The 27-year-old has also played in Belgium and for the MLS’ Colorado Rapids.
A third player, midfielder David Mimbang, will join SDFC from Denmark’s FC Nordsjælland once his P1 Visa is received.
The additions couldn’t come at a better time. SDFC had just a few days to prepare for the Earthquakes after losing to Orlando City 1-0 on Saturday in Florida.
Sunday brings a match against the Philadelphia Union at Snapdragon. SDFC (8-9-6) sits in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, one spot away from the eighth and final playoff seed. The resurgent Earthquakes (10-8-5) are in sixth.
San Diego FC (8-9-6) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (10-8-5)
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium
TV: Apple TV