I’ve been living in San Diego for almost ten years now. This isn’t even the first time I’ve called this city home.
Throughout its history, San Diego hasn’t been much of a sports town if we’re being honest. You might think having outdoor weather year-round would be in its favor. Instead it means there are too many other ways to have fun. For most of my life, San Diego sports fans have had a reputation for mildness. Generally an afterthought in the sports world.
The city has yet to win a championship, but has lost two professional teams to relocation. That’s not so good.
When I moved here about ten years ago, the Padres were the only show in town. They had strung together about a dozen consecutive losing seasons. They weren’t generating much excitement.
Beyond that, my baseball loyalty was already booked. While I wish the Padres well, I’ve been a Phillies fan since I was a toddler in Philadelphia. So many plush Phanatics appeared in stores during the Phillies’ 1993 World Series run. It left an impression on me.
I usually make it to a couple games at Petco Park each year, and those are usually the Phillies’ games. I come decked in my Phillies gear, ready for whatever trash talk the local fans are bringing that day. To their credit, it tends to be mild and good-natured relative to most cities. When the two teams met in 2022 for an NLCS I would’ve never expected, I had more fun than ever attending a baseball game.
I wish the Padres well. They can go 156-6, as long as those 6 losses are to the Phillies.
That said, I actually would like to root for the home team for once. I’d love to be on the same side as my friends and neighbors. It’s not gonna happen at a baseball game, though, and there aren't many other options.
Had the Chargers not left town, I don’t know if that would’ve done the trick. American football doesn’t hold the same appeal to me.
Then there's basketball...
If San Diego had an NBA team, I would be right in the crosshairs for that fan-base. I love watching basketball, and my attachment to a single team is a lot less solid than it is for baseball. I would have no problem going all-in on an NBA franchise here. That said, the Clippers left a long time ago. San Diego basketball rarely gets talked about as a possibility.
Then there’s soccer…
I’ve appreciated Major League Soccer. The league’s come a long way in the past ten years. And while I was a bit of a supporter of the Portland Timbers when living in Oregon, I wanted some closer action.
Soccer’s reception in the United States has come a long way, sort of like my appreciation for San Diego.
In 2020, I adored the San Diego Loyal–a new soccer club playing in the USL. This was a tier below the MLS. Not quite the same as having a full professional franchise. That said, the USL has some of the most interesting teams and emerging fan cultures these days. More often than not, they play in mid-size cities that embrace their local squads with vigor. And if you’re a fan of eclectic soccer jerseys… well that’s where some of the most eclectic releases get made. I’ve picked up jerseys repping Portland, Maine and Madison, Wisconsin over the past year.
Anyways, back to the Loyal…
I took a liking to that team right away. Their debut season came during the chaos of 2020, with no fans in the stands. That year, they forfeited two matches on principle. Members of opposing teams dropped homophobic slurs mid-match, and they took a stand. The Loyal got American soccer legend Landon Donovan to serve as head coach. He turned out to be excellent in the role.
It made so much sense for San Diego and soccer to click. We have such a diverse international population, and a position as a border town.
In a parallel world, I'd humor the idea of joining a supporter's group. It takes more time and money than I can spare at the moment. The community that forms in the long run, though, can be a beautiful thing.
A couple seasons into the Loyal’s run, two big things happened.
First, San Diego Wave FC formed in the NWSL. Women’s soccer! The Padres would no longer be the city’s lone representation at the top tier of professional sports. They also signed Alex Morgan for the final chapter of her playing career and that got things going.
Then Major League Soccer announced plans for a San Diego expansion. In my heart, I wished this meant the San Diego Loyal get promoted, like you’d see in a European League. MLS doesn’t quite work like that, though.
When San Diego FC came together a year ago, I admit I was skeptical. First, living in Oregon made me adopt the Portland Timbers. Their slogan of RCTID–Rose City ‘Til I Die– didn’t exactly come with an asterisk.
*’Til I Die or Move to a City that Gets an Expansion Team a Decade Later.
SDFC's birth aligned with an announcement that the San Diego Loyal would dissolve. This was a big disappointment to me. When they unveiled their branding, it looked like SDPD roleplay. They'd need to win me over.
It took about four games. They won two of them and only gave up two goals. Fifteen games into the season, they had only registered three losses. This team was good. Way better than you'd expect an expansion team to be in year one.
The squad had never played together until now. And they were rough around the edges in some way. They managed to flip that to their advantage in many games by being unpredictable. The Danish transfer Anders Dreyer turned out to be an absolute superstar. The rest of our team was so solid that our star player at the beginning of the year ended up being a super-sub.
SDFC finished this past season in first place. They put the best expansion season in history.
Some friends couldn't use their tickets to a playoff game, so I found myself in attendance. A pleasant surprise! And the team was solid the whole way through. They scored four goals, eliminating the Portland Timbers.
They continued the playoff run a little bit longer. Vancouver would be the team to knock them outa win away from the MLS Cup. While it was sad to see a true Cinderella season come to an end, by all means they exceeded expectations.
In many ways, San Diego is an underachiever of a sports town. More relocations than championships. And you’d think I already endured plenty of disappointment as a Phillies fan. But there’s still something special about rooting for the home team. I’m happy to finally have a chance.