Here are five key storylines to know ahead of their Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs showdown at Snapdragon Stadium.<\/p>\n
Whoever advances will meet Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a> or LAFC<\/a> in the Western Conference Final, vying for the chance to compete in MLS Cup presented by Audi on Dec. 6.<\/p>\n The numbers don’t lie. San Diego broke records for the most points (63) and wins (19) by an MLS expansion team this year, setting a new standard for first-year clubs en route to the Western Conference No. 1 seed.<\/p>\n And they’ve continued making history in the playoffs, becoming the first inaugural side to win a Best-of-3 Series after eliminating the Portland Timbers<\/a> in Round One.<\/p>\n Chicago Fire FC<\/a> are the only expansion team to win MLS Cup. That came in 1998, when the league consisted of just 12 teams.<\/p>\n Should San Diego repeat that feat in 2025 as the league’s 30th club, the Chrome-and-Azul would surely stake claim to best expansion side in MLS history.<\/p>\n What wins: an immovable object or an unstoppable force?<\/p>\n We might get the answer to this age-old question, at least within a soccer context, given the significant tactical differences between Minnesota and San Diego.<\/p>\n San Diego go full throttle under head coach Mikey Varas, playing a possession-based, high-tempo style that seeks to control the game. It’s worked wonders, with 2025 MLS Newcomer of the Year<\/a> Anders Dreyer<\/a> (19g\/19a) in particular reaping the benefits of this game model.<\/p>\n By contrast, the Loons willingly concede possession and look to counter-attack. Nowhere has this proven more effective than in throw-ins and free kicks, with Minnesota earning the title of most aggressive set-piece team in the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n Minnesota’s reliance on defense understandably puts additional pressure on goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair<\/a>. The Canadian international has been more than up to the task.<\/p>\n St. Clair claimed 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year<\/a> and Best XI<\/a> honors this year by posting a 77.93 save percentage, while recording career highs in saves (113) and shutouts (10) across 30 regular-season matches.<\/p>\n But the 28-year-old also gives the Loons an additional edge in penalty-kick shootouts.<\/p>\n One need only look at their Round One win over Seattle Sounders FC<\/a>, where they took the Best-of-3 Series behind two PK-shootout victories \u2013 including a Conference Semifinal-clinching strike from St. Clair himself.<\/p>\n San Diego’s first marquee signing and the face of the club, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano<\/a>, played a massive role in the expansion side’s memorable debut season \u2013 producing 9g\/10a while forming a lethal one-two punch with Dreyer in attack.<\/p>\n However, as the regular season gave way to the playoffs, the superstar Mexican international was sidelined due to disciplinary reasons.<\/p>\n Chucky made two appearances off the bench in Round One, contributing 1g\/1a to help San Diego eliminate Portland.<\/p>\n Has Lozano done enough to return to the starting XI for the Conference Semifinals, or will he continue in his supersub role?<\/p>\n Even as the higher No. 4 seed, Minnesota arguably entered their Round One series against No. 5 Seattle as underdogs.<\/p>\n After all, the Sounders boast one of the MLS’s deepest rosters, impressing on the global stage at the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup<\/a> before dispatching Lionel Messi<\/a> and Inter Miami CF<\/a> to win Leagues Cup<\/a> 2025.<\/p>\n