The State of Soccer in San Diego: 2025
A look back on soccer across San Diego
By Robert Pearson
New Years festivities bring both optimism for what the future has in store and reflection on the events of the past 12 months. To say this year has been revolutionary for San Diego soccer would be the understatement of the decade. It featured the long awaited arrival of an MLS franchise, a return to form for an Alex Morgan-less Wave FC, a brand new arena for indoor soccer and much more!
A warm welcome to San Diego
In a word: Wow.
In a lot more words: San Diego FC has been just about everything you could ask for on the field. A real Cup contender with a big name and outstanding performances from players both young and old. While falling short of the ultimate goal has been a sting for fans, there is no denying that they went above and beyond all of our expectations. Under Mikey Varas’ leadership, this team has put together one of the best expansion seasons in MLS history, arguably the best when you factor in what the league is like today compared to 1998.
The work isn't finished though, as the wheels keep on turning. Everyone is wondering if San Diego will be able to repeat their magical run, and go further... or if it will all just be a flash in the pan. I have many critiques of the front office, including how they handled negotiations with Frontera SD in 2024, and certain personalities in ownership, however short-sightedness when it comes to the on field product is not one of them. There does seem to be a strong top-down philosophy on how to run this team, and I don't think it will be as quick to fall apart as the club's detractors might hope. Even setting aside Dreyer’s admirable MVP candidacy, there is a strong commitment to how this team will play no matter who they are facing, and that fortitude is not a flaw.
For decades we have been promised how San Diego is a premier soccer market, and as fans we have only begun to deliver on that promise. As bullish as I am on the team itself, I am even more excited for what the future holds in store for the fanbase. Frontera SD has had a rocky first season with no lack of infighting, as we all know, a San Diegan's worst enemy is a slightly different San Diegan. However, I do think they have only scratched the surface of what they are capable of. Every match where Frontera SD brings their all is a message to new prospective members of just how awesome it is to be a supporter. As time moves on they will pick up new people, people who hadn’t even considered themselves fans of the sport in prior years, and Snapdragon could become one of the greatest fortresses in MLS.
It's not all roses of course, there are some elephants in the room regarding aforementioned people in ownership, and the FO's speedy assembly of the organization. However the more and more that I think of the team’s problems, the more they seem to correlate with where the team plays. Snapdragon Stadium, despite Tom Penn’s insistence, is not a soccer specific stadium. It is a college football stadium that was redesigned to accommodate soccer when San Diego State realized just how much money they were leaving on the table. From the lack of shade, to the incomplete bowl, to the quality of the pitch being dependent on how the season lines up, a 50,000 seat soccer stadium on the Chula Vista Bayfront doesn't sound unappetizing right now.
There's a lot in store next year for San Diego FC. An exceptionally long season, more eyes on the sport than at any point prior in American history, more of the SDSU Mission Valley campus being built, and most importantly: CONCACAF Champions Cup. International play has been a spot where MLS has tended to struggle, and for however small the sample size, SDFC has struggled there as well. Pumas UNAM, who San Diego will be facing in February, is no slouch. While recent history has not been kind to the CDMX based club, they still have one of the largest followings in Mexico. Beyond Pumas is a certified juggernaut in Toluca, who are in the midst of one of their best stretches in recent memory. Beating these sides, and the rest of CONCACAF’s gauntlet, will give San Diego a chance at continental glory seldom experienced on the American side, and a ticket to both the 2026 Intercontinental Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup.
San Diego Wave wash away taste of 2024
Wave FC was left directionless following a disastrous 2024 season. Three Coaches, the first missed playoffs in club history, the loss of several stars during the season… It’s easy to forget that they won the Challenge Cup against prior champions Gotham FC. Including the pending sale and front office drama not too far off from a soap opera, it seemed like things couldn’t get worse. Those who naively believed as much in early January were blindsided by the trade of Jaedyn Shaw, a budding star, and transfer of Naomi Girma, one of the best defenders in the women’s game.
However, despite all the bad news, Wave FC would go on to put in an entirely respectable season, briefly appearing to be one of the top teams in the NWSL. Jonas Eidevall was the much needed stability that the club needed following the sudden uncertainty of late summer ‘24. The players, while not anchored by one mega-star, nonetheless put together a season of contributions across the board. If someone had been told in July of 2024 that Wave FC would lose all of Morgan, Sanchez, Dahlkemper, Shaw, and Girma, yet finish the year better… I would have said, “That’s an oddly specific hypothetical, what do you mean Wave FC would let go of even one of those players?”. Wave FC can also thank mid-season reinforcements like Dudinha for staving off what could have very well been a late season collapse.
While a loss to Portland Thorns to end a playoff run stung, I do think that this team has a chance to grow. There is work to be done though, work needed to prevent another late season fall-off like the one that nearly ended their season in 2025. One victory from August 2nd to October 5th does not scream sustainability.
If nothing else, I will take Wave FC’s domination in World Sevens as reason for optimism. Not because it showcased their elite skills, but because it showed a locker room that was locked in and ready to compete.
On a final note, I would like to give the utmost credit to Wave FC’s fans and their supporters, the Sirens. Wave FC had a predictable dip in attendance following the loss of their star power, but the fans that stuck around were far more engaged than in previous years. The Sirens for their part were louder and iconic as ever. I’m sure there are those who would nit-pick the chants and the bubbles and the inflatable costumes as unserious or boring. Don’t listen to those people. What matters is that you have passion, and that’s all that matters.
A New Arena for the Lords of Indoor
With a new home up in Oceanside, the Sockers' future is bright. The Sockers dominated through most of their 2024-2025 season, being undefeated at home, attendance was up after many years of struggles, and it finally seems that the Sockers have cracked the code to creating a sustainable business model in a sport that is long past its glory days. The Sockers are not without problems though. While Chihuahua’s sudden departure from the league seems to be handing the Ron Newman Cup to the lords of indoor on a silver platter, a looming question of whether or not the attendance at Frontwave Arena is sustainable remains. The Sockers have their work cut out for them.
The Sockers front office seems to have gotten off to a good start, exiting its annual hibernation nearly four months earlier than usual, considering the arena's ability to attract concerts, and the Four Nations Tournament this past September.
Having started the season with one win and two loses they might need some help on the turf as well. The old guard of Chiles and Pardo are soon to ride off into the sunset, and the rest of the Socker’s core isn’t that much younger. For their part, Los Brewjos de 78s have made their triumphant return to the greatest show on turf, bringing much needed supporter energy to the north county club.
Back to the Lower Divisions
This year saw many chaotic seasons among San Diego's lower division clubs. SoCal South has so far been City SC's to lose, while East Lake Soccer FC managed to stand atop the division in the Spring 2025 season, City SC went home champs. City SC came close to sweeping the fall table with a lone loss to Inter San Diego. That demon would go on to haunt them longer as San Diego Inter would end up winning the SoCal South Division Finals 2-1 earlier this month. In the national playoffs Inter would not be so fortunate, falling to Arizona’s Next Level Soccer Premier (Yes, that is the name of the club).
USL soccer returned to La Frontera in the form of City SC's semi-pro side and the brand new SoCal Dutch Lions (stellar choice of name). The SoCal Dutch Lions, not to be confused with their numerous sister clubs, found themselves in a distant third during this year's short season. City SC's USL side doesn't have quite the same dominance as its UPSL counterpart. However this is not to say that the club has not been competitive, as they were not far out from a playoff spot and only 5 points away from the top of the division.
With regards to the highest competition these lower division clubs can strive for, San Diego lacked a team in the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. In qualification, Inter San Diego managed an upset against their UPSL counterpart City SC, however Laguna United once again quashed our city’s hopes of having representation in America’s oldest soccer competition.
Off to College
With five schools representing San Diego in NCAA soccer, it’s hard to focus on all of them. To keep things short and sweet, I’ll give more focus to the sides that made it to the NCAA tournament. However, I will start with those schools who didn’t make the dance. Both San Diego State's Men’s and Women’s sides had respectable seasons, but nothing that really screamed worthy of a tournament run and the results don't dispute that. In my mind the less said about UCSD's college soccer seasons the better. Neither side made it to their respective conference playoffs, and while neither deserved to be there, the men's team showed that there is a substantial amount of work to be done. Cal State San Marcos was by far the best of this bunch, with its men's side making it to the CCAA title match, and the women's side having a respectable year in its own right.
The University of San Diego Toreros had a more interesting story to tell. Their women's side, while still falling well short of post-season soccer, managed a slight improvement over last year's abysmal 3-11-5 season. 4-7-7 is by no means desirable, and the Women’s ‘Ros still have a mountain to climb for a return to the conference tournament. The men's side on the other hand took a half step back. Not quite as dominant of a year in the regular season, and overall a disappointing first round exit against Grand Canyon.
Point Loma Nazarene University has continued to impress, with both sides making it to their respective NCAA Division 2 Soccer Tournaments. While the women's side would be eliminated in the first round against No. 21 Azusa Pacific. The men's side would go on to make it to the NCAA Quarterfinals falling to Midwestern State.
Some interesting things are afoot in college soccer. Next year will see SDSU out of the Mountain West and WAC, and will see Oregon State and Gonzaga leave the WCC to join the newly reformed Pac-12. UCSD isn't staying put either, as they will be moving out of the Big West and into the WCC. However, all may mean very little in the coming years, should the NCAA give serious weight to the plans laid out in USSF's white paper. The proposal could mean that conferences are replaced by geographic divisions, and would include a longer fall-to-spring schedule.
2025 and beyond
Simply put, the future is bright for soccer in San Diego, regardless of which flavor of the sport that you prefer. However, that optimism alone is not reason enough to pop champagne just yet. San Diego FC has a sophomore slump to avoid, and has a shot for continental glory should they have the conviction. Wave FC needs to prove that their spring 2025 successes were the real Wave, and not the summer slump that followed. The Sockers for their part have a reputation to maintain, and very little in the way of excuses in a savage-less league. The lower division world is absent a US Open Cup berth, but there is always next year. San Diego’s new USL teams will too have a sophomore slump to avoid, and the UPSL stalwarts will have another shot at a national championship come this spring. The college front still remains chaotic, with realignment being the dominant storyline, but the USSF’s white paper looming in the distance should the NCAA pick up on its ideas. USD and PLNU seem to have the most to prove, and I look forward to seeing them give it their best shots.
