Expansion Club San Diego FC will look like to build on a historical opening win when playing their first home game against St. Louis City on Saturday night.
San Diego (1-0-0, 3 points) drew from one of the biggest renovations in the league’s expansion history and defeated the defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 in Carson, California, on Sunday thanks to a couple of goals by Anders Dreyer.
Coach Mikey Varas admits that he is as surprising as the opening win, sees it as a pure appetizer compared to the feelings of more than 30,000 fans who are expected to look at the first home game for the league’s 30th club.
“We are all honored by the opportunity,” said Vara, “and at the end of the day we also protect the responsibility that comes with it. And it is a great responsibility, because we know that the club will be here 100 years from now on, but we will not. But the steps we take now will run this club on a track.”
Expansion clubs usually fight to fight for the playoffs during their first season. However, illumination of this statement is Saturday’s opponent. St. Louis ended on top of the Western conference in his first campaign just two seasons ago.
But St. Louis (0-0-1, 1 point) in 2024, partly because of a bleak 1-8-8 away record that led to the mid-season agreement by manager Bradley Carnell. His successor, Olof Mellberg, has made it away with one of his first goals in the club’s third season.
“I don’t think we should compare too much with last season,” Mellberg said. “We have worked really hard this week with a really good game plan for Saturday’s game, and we feel confident in it. And I think that’s what the players need, to feel that they have a good plan.”
Mellberg’s squad was content with a speechless move against the visiting Colorado Rapids in his opener, despite dominating the game’s flow.
Joao Klauss and Simon Becher forced each goalkeeper Zack Steffen in several rescues, and St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Burki was not forced to make a single rescue.
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