San Diego Clinch MLS Playoff Spot | OneFootball

It may have been an underwhelming 0 – 0 draw against the Portland Timbers last Saturday, but that point pushed San Diego FC into the playoff picture. At 53 points with only six games left to play, San Diego became the first MLS side in either conference to clinch a playoff berth. What that means is even if they lose all their remaining games, mathematically they cannot finish below 9th place in the Western Conference, which is good enough to qualify for the October play-in match.

“Damn, that’s impressive for an expansion team”

You may be thinking that, but cool those jets. MLS has fairly generous playoff qualifications; 60% of teams make it. Prior to 2011, that percentage was 75%. In the league’s history, there have been twenty true expansion teams admitted (we’re excluding relocation edge cases like Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes). Of these, nine have made the playoffs, a fairly high 45%.

Grain of salt caveat aside, it’s been quite a season for the debutante club. They won their first two games, then experienced a slump which saw them dip down into 7th place by Matchweek 11. But since Matchweek 12 they’ve won 10 times, drawn 3 and lost 3, with two weeks off with a bye. Since Matchweek 22 they’ve occupied the top spot in the West.

How They’re Doing It

No surprise here, but SDFC are #1 because they score lots of goals, and keep the opposition from doing the same. On the attacking front, Danish forward Anders Dreyer leads the team with 13g/15a. Designated Player Hirving “Chucky” Lozano backs him up with 8g/6a and Finland’s Onni Valakari (a midfielder) on 4g/6a. Eleven other players share the remaining 27 team goals between them, making their offensive success a true team effort (plus three subs!).

Defensively, they’re quite solid and have only conceded 33 goals, well below the league average 1.5 per game. They’ve only drawn a single red card so far in the season, tied with seven other teams. Commercially they’re a hit as well. The average attendance at Snapdragon Stadium is just over 28,000, putting them fourth in the league.

Watch this Space…

One thing you should look out for is whether San Diego FC can become the first expansion team to finish first in their conference since Chicago Fire did it back in 1998. THAT would be a rare accomplishment.

Chicago also won the MLS Championship their inaugural year, and the U.S. Open Cup the next season, an even greater target for this upstart club to hit.

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