The moment that San Diego soccer fans have eagerly awaited for so long has finally arrived as San Diego FC will play its first regular season Major League Soccer match this Sunday versus the reigning MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park.

SDFC closed out preseason play at the Coachella Valley Invitational on Feb. 15 with a 6-0 blowout victory over the other 2024 MLS Cup finalist (NY Red Bulls). The Galaxy also took part in the Coachella Valley Invitational. Its final game was a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire after earning a 2-2 draw against Charlotte and a 2-1 win versus Minnesota.

LA Galaxy is a six-time MLS Cup champion, the most recent coming last season after a 2-1 victory over the Red Bulls in the title game. Along with Inter Miami and LAFC, it is among the favorites to win it all again this year.

San Diego FC features the talents of Mexican national team legend Hirving “Chucky” Lozano and Anders Dreyer who had a brace in the match against the Red Bulls. SDFC will try to emulate the same feat that was accomplished by the Chicago Fire after it pulled off “el doblete” by winning the MLS Cup as well as the U.S. Open Cup in its first season (1998).

San Diego FC will play its first home game on Saturday, March 1 at Snapdragon Stadium versus St. Louis City SC, which also had an impressive rookie season in 2023 after finishing with the best record in the Western Conference.

Lookinorteg back at the history of how previous San Diego professional soccer teams did in their respective regular season openers, 1904 FC beat the California Strikers 3-1 at SDCCU Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019, while the San Diego Loyal earned a 1–1 draw against the Las Vegas Lights at Torero Stadium on March 7, 2020. Albion San Diego, which came into existence after a merger between 1904 FC and ASC San Diego of the NPSL, fell 2-1 to Valley United on April 1, 2022, y the San Diego Wave’s first regular season match was a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dash on May 1, 2022.