Newcomers to All-Stars: San Diego FC savor “incredible” debut season | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

AUSTIN, Texas – Though all of them are new to Major League Soccer, San Diego FC’s three All-Stars know that inaugural seasons generally don’t unfold as swimmingly as theirs has.

“I think we did also better than we hoped ourselves,” admitted holding midfielder Jeppe Tverskov to MLSsoccer.com after he and the rest of the MLS All-Star squad held their first training session at Austin FC’s St. David's Performance Center ahead of Wednesday’s showcase at Q2 Stadium vs. their LIGA MX counterparts (9 pm ET | Apple TV - Free).

Surpassing expectations

The expansion newcomers occupy first place in the Western Conference standings as the league pauses briefly for All-Star, having taken 43 points from their first 24 matches (13W-7L-4D), a strong start not too many MLS observers predicted.

The presence of three representatives at the midsummer classic, Tverskov and star wingers Chucky Lozano and Anders Dreyer, further underlines the Chrome & Azul’s excellent launch, even if the hardest yards likely remain in the months ahead. Only Vancouver Whitecaps FC, with four players involved, are more heavily represented in the Texas capital city this week.

“It's been a good start,” said Tverskov, “and I feel like everyone has been very aligned from the beginning.

"So you also felt a little bit in preseason that, yeah, we had some moments that was like, ‘OK, if we can string this together on the regular, it's going to look good.' And yeah, it's been fun.”

Ambitious style

That last part matters more than it might seem on first glance. San Diego’s soccer has been both effective and stylish, with head coach Mikey Varas installing a proactive game model built on methodical possession play and an aggressive attacking mindset.

It seems to have made it easier for his squad to buy in.

“It's been incredible so far. I think, as a team, we're playing a way that suits the whole team,” said Dreyer at All-Star media day in downtown Austin on Monday afternoon. “The way we play in San Diego is the way that, when I look at football, that's how I want to play football. I love to have the ball, I love to be creative and take risks in the last third. And I think we get the opportunity in San Diego to do that.”

With an MLS-best 15 assists to go with his team-leading 11 goals, Dreyer has been a revelation since joining from Belgian powerhouse Anderlecht in January. His rapid chemistry with Lozano, Los Niños’ tentpole attraction, has sparked the attack to 47 goals, second only to Inter Miami’s 49.

“Everyone can see their quality,” said Tverskov of the dynamic wing duo. “Luckily for us as a team, they’re also good team players, and that's the big part of how we want to play. If we had two guys who just stood up there and waited for us to defend, and then got the balls and scored goals, I didn't think we would work as good as we have been. So yeah, they are exceptional football players, but also they do a lot of defensive work, so all credit to them.”

Deep squad

It bodes well for their stretch run that all of the good work to date transpired in spite of Chucky having missed several games due to injury.

“The one who surprised me was Andy [Dreyer]. When he arrived, you could tell he had a lot of quality. But once the season started, I’m happy to see him helping us so much on the team,” the Mexican icon said in Spanish during an appearance on Monday’s live edition of ‘Esto Es MLS.’

"The club planned things around having two wingers who communicated well, and I think they did a good job of finding them. They found the qualities that both he and I have to combine the two. We’re going step-by-step and we’re doing very well. Unfortunately, I’ve had two injuries, which isn’t very nice. But I think we’re on the right track and going down the right path.”

Dreyer pointed to San Diego’s lowest ebb of the year to date, a three-game losing skid in April, as a key inflection point. What many outsiders expected was the first of the reality checks that historically pour cold water on expansion euphoria, turned out to be a useful lesson for the group.

“We started very, very well in the season with a lot of points, and then we had a little period where we lost three games in a row,” noted the Danish international. “When you look at that now, I think that period was very, very important for us, because we learned that we’re not just going to get points every game. So after the three losses in a row, I think we kept on doing like the things we did in the beginning of the season.”

SoCal success

Dreyer highlighted the fluidity with which SDFC’s reserves have stepped in for injured and absent regulars as a sign of the sturdiness of Varas’ system, as well as the influence of the vibrant atmospheres the fledgling club’s supporters have produced at Snapdragon Stadium.

Add in the world-famous quality of life that has helped their overseas signings settle into the Southern California community, and the recipe for this expansion overachievement grows clearer.

“We have a very good average of fans in the stadium every weekend, and that's been amazing,” said Dreyer. “Especially the support and atmosphere that they create at Snapdragon, it's not something that you just get in football. But they’ve just been there from day one, and they are supporting us no matter what. And that's really something that I love, and I think also the hunger from San Diego [as a] city to get a football team, a soccer team, has been there for a lot of years. So now it's there, and you felt it from our first away game at [LA] Galaxy with, I think, over 1,000 away fans.

“Since day one, it's been very, very nice.”

Playoff push

Running five points back of league leaders FC Cincinnati, Los Niños can be considered part of the crowded Supporters’ Shield race. Dreyer, though, sounds most concerned with preparing for the second season awaiting in the autumn: The Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.

“Now we have to finish strong here in the last, I think, 11 games, and then in the playoffs it's a whole new, different way of games,” said the Dane.

“It's the different way of thinking as well, because playoff games are tougher, no matter what, no matter who you play. So now I think we have to stay in good shape and finish the last main competition now strong and then be ready for that.”