Front Row Seat: San Diego FC is dominating MLS in inaugural season
Here's a front row seat to all of the news, stories, videos and podcasts that you need to start your day.
Section 1904 is a community-supported media company. If you like our content, considering either subscribing to support our work for as little as $5/month or dropping a tip in the jar.
Section 1904
Darren Smith
San Diego FC / Wave FC
How San Diego FC is dominating MLS — and making a case as the best expansion team in history - Backheeled
Never before have we seen an expansion team find so much success, so quickly. Only once before has an expansion team sustained that success through to an MLS Cup victory — that was the Fire in 1998, back in an era of MLS when every team was in its infancy.
San Diego FC are making a case to be the best first-year team MLS has ever seen. And up against teams with a 30-year head start, they’re pushing for trophies.
San Diego FC salvages finale in Leagues Cup play; MLS season resumes Saturday - San Diego Union-Tribune
Shortly after subbing in for Luca de la Torre at the 62nd minute, Valakari broke a scoreless stalemate when he booted a left-footed screamer that Mazatlan goalkeeper Victor Alcaraz had no hope of stopping.
The 66th-minute goal, set up by a perfectly placed cross from Anders Dreyer, gave SDFC (1-0-2) its first lead in Phase One of Leagues Cup play. Valakari added to that advantage eight minutes later, when David Vazquez dumped a pass off to the streaking midfielder.
Valakari’s shot from right-to-left found the net, out of the reach of a diving Alcaraz, guaranteed SDFC would not go winless in a disappointing Leagues Cup debut. It also sealed the visiting club’s fate both for the night and in the Leagues Cup.
The cross-border passion fueling San Diego’s soccer scene - The Athletic
Snapdragon is home of San Diego FC, MLS’s newest franchise, launched earlier this year. The emphasis on the roots of its foundation is clear in their motto messaging: “Community comes first in our Club. When we say San Diego this includes the entire region, including all 18 cities in San Diego County plus the cross border communities in Mexico.”
For Cassiani, the club helps fill the need for more football in his life and he has become one of the leaders of the Barra 18 supporters’ group.
“Everyone brings a little of their own flavor, in our group we have people from Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and many other places. We’re building something really special.
How the San Diego Wave Went From Uncertain Rebuild to NWSL Rainmaker - Just Women's Sports
San Diego entered the second half of the year in third place in the NWSL standings, having lost only one of their last nine games before play suspended in late June. Along the way, the club produced a legitimate 2025 MVP candidate in forward Delphine Cascarino while also leaning hard into the league's youth movement, becoming the first NWSL club to start three 17-year-olds in the same match.
But as the second season starts to rev up, there are still lingering questions about the team's ability to create consistency on the pitch — not to mention the club's big picture plans.
The Wave know they don't have everything figured out just yet. But it's safe to say the light at the end of the tunnel showed up far sooner on the field than expected for a young team riding out a game-changing season.
This is where the preview for today's Front Row Seat ends. To get the full newsletter delivered to you every weekday, make sure you're signed up as a paid subscriber to Section 1904.
