Under sunny skies, with boundless optimism in the air and welcome with a tribal blessing, San Diego’s newest professional sports team took to the field for the first time Monday morning.
San Diego FC, the expansion team that will begin its inaugural Major League Soccer season in March, held its first official training session at its Sharp HealthCare Performance Center in El Cajon.
For team officials, and soccer fans in the region, it was the realization of a long-held dream to bring major soccer to San Diego.
“It’s kind of unbelievable, right?” said head coach Mikey Varas. “It’s a pinch yourself every single day moment. It’s an incredible honor…We represent every citizen of San Diego. We represent the people in Tijuana because it’s part of our MLS territory.”
Added CEO Tom Penn, “There’s nothing like smelling grass. When you’re in a conference room and you’re in the initial phases of conceptualizing this and you can get out and all the grass, the real grass, beyond it with players, that’s a shifting into a new gear. That’s where we are right now is having the players here for the first time, seeing what we got and hearing the action and witnessing this whole thing being born. It’s pretty special.”
The first day of training comes less than two months before the team’s home opener March 1 against St. Louis at Snapdragon Stadium.
The team will be led by Mexican star Hirving “Chucky” Gonzales, and Varas promises a “brave” team.
“That they’re dynamic with the ball,” he said, of the team’s playing style. “We also want to see a team that’s relentless. They’ve got a warrior mentality to press, be aggressive but also defend the goal when they need to as a whole team, not just with the backline players. We want a front line who’s willing to put in that work.”
The preparation for that work started Monday at the Performance Center, a newly constructed training facility on Sycuan tribal land. The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation is one of the team’s partners, which includes San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado.
SDFC Tribal Director Tyler Heaps said tribal officials held a sage burning blessing for the facility recently, although some minor construction is ongoing.
“Just to get to here is already special, but now is when the real work starts,” said Heaps.
The 28-acre Performance Center campus will also host the team’s Right to Dream Academy, a youth development program.
“I think we’re happy with where we’re at currently,” said Heaps. “But there’s still a ton of work. There’s not only a ton of work to do on the facility but there’s also a ton of work to do in terms of just finding those smaller pieces and making it all come together.”
Penn said having the campus on tribal land, hosting the youth academy, makes it a “special” place.
“We want this to be the epicenter of football excellence and innovation in North America,” said Penn.
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