San Diego FC Mikey Varas may have given the word azul a whole new meaning following the club’s 1-0 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference semifinal win over Minnesota United FC on Monday.
“This narrative that the other team is the more blue-collar team, the harder-working team, this is garbage,” Varas said.
SDFC quickly built a reputation for playing a free-flowing offensive style. Its 64 regular-season goals ranked fifth in the league, and the squad’s 86.4% passing completion rate ranked second. SDFC features the two most active distributors in MLS — Jeppe Tverskov and Chris McVey — as well as assists co-leader Anders Dreyer.
Dreyer shared that distinction with international sensation Lionel Messi, the embodiment of aesthetically pleasing, Instagram-ready soccer.
But tough? Blue-collar?
Just look at Ian Pilcher’s game-changing play against Minnesota.f
Pilcher barrelled along the pitch, head down in a full sprint, as Minnesota United’s Robin Lod maneuvered past Manu Duah in the 47th minute of Monday’s game. After dribbling from his right foot to left, Lod fired a shot just out of the reach of San Diego goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega.
But there, sliding in from his sprint was Pilcher. He met the ball inches in front of the goal line, saving a certain goal. SDFC would go on to win 1-0, advancing to Saturday’s Western Conference final against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Heroic clearance off the line from Ian Pilcher! 🤯@MNUFC // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/AEpFossPvc
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 25, 2025
“A lot of it is instinct,” Pilcher said of the goal-saving — and potentially season-saving — play. “You’re not thinking about it too much, but you just have so much training and you see where the ball is.”
Facing one of MLS’s premier defensive squads, Pilcher and SDFC flipped the script. The expansion club from sunny SoCal won with its own defensive presence and by matching Minnesota United’s physicality.
The clean sheet marked SDFC’s second in as many MLS Cup playoff performances, following the 4-0 drubbing of Portland Timbers on Nov. 9 to close the 1st Round.
Circumstances in Monday’s single-elimination semifinal were markedly different, though, with SDFC exchanging bumps and jostling to find openings in Minnesota United’s imposing defense.
If the rout of Portland demonstrated SDFC’s chrome color — shiny and brilliant — the semifinal demonstrated the azul on the club’s collars.
“This club is founded on hard work, intensity, relentless ambition,” Varas said. “Just like the community, because there are so many people in San Diego who have to make massive sacrifices and work so hard to live here. And we said we wanted (the style of play) to be a reflection (of San Diego).”
Ian Pilcher #25 of San Diego FC and Anthony Markanich #13 of Minnesota United battle for control of the ball during the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs: Conference Semifinals at Snapdragon Stadium on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The blue-collar label conjures thoughts of places like Chicago, Pittsburgh, or even Columbus, Ohio, which adopted the blue-collar branding in its MLS team’s name, the Crew.
But San Diego? From the outside, the only blue in America’s Finest City is the Pacific Ocean.
But Varas and his club defy perception.
And players like Pilcher exemplify the same attitudes of drive and sacrifice.
Pilcher joined SDFC only a year removed from UNC Charlotte, where he earned all-conference honors playing left back and center back. As the MLS season progressed, Pilcher was called upon to play right back, throwing in a positional change along with his ongoing adjustment to the professional game.
“It’s a big challenge in terms of intensity and quality,” Pilcher said of transitioning from college to MLS. “Everyone’s been so good in the trainings. That’s where I’ve made my jump, and it’s been because of my teammates pushing me, getting me better.”
Pilcher hasn’t just improved, but grown into a key cog in SDFC’s championship aspirations. His blue-collar play personifies the flashy new club’s gritty side.
“That ball should go in (the goal) in the end,” Varas said of Lod’s attempt. “Ninety-nine percent of teams, that exact play happens (and results in a goal). And (Pilcher) didn’t give up on it.”