Don’t Miss Petco Park’s Full Roster of Craft Brews

As the clock wound down on August 23, 2025, San Diego FC had one thing on their mind: clinching the postseason for their new hometown. It wasn’t a night of dramatic late goals or last-second strikes—it was a steady, controlled run against the Portland Timbers. Snapdragon Stadium roared with the hopes of 35,000 locals, who’d spent years waiting for a championship team to call their own.

When the referee blew the whistle at the end of the game, the scoreboard remained at a draw, 0-0. But history had been made nonetheless—SDFC became the first team in the league to lock up a 2025 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs berth, securing their place with six matches still to play in their inaugural season.

A month later, after nabbing a Wild Card spot, the Padres punched their ticket to the postseason with catcher Freddy Fermin delivering an RBI single in the 11th inning. The 5–4 walk-off win over the Milwaukee Brewers marked the team’s fourth postseason appearance in six seasons (and the second straight season that San Diego reached October baseball). This was a new team, the kind the franchise hadn’t seen in decades.

Finally, in October, the Wave FC reminded us why it only took them a matter of months to build a record-breaking NSWL fanbase. In the first 18 minutes of the game, the team struck three goals (the fastest trio of goals in club history) and continued the momentum throughout the game against the Chicago Stars. Their 6–1 victory that night landed them in the postseason.

If last year’s playoffs run didn’t convince you that San Diego is a sports town once again, you weren’t paying close enough attention. Now, with the 2026 baseball and soccer seasons kicking off, we break down what to expect from the Padres, San Diego FC, and the Wave FC this year and ask their coaches to give us an insider’s sneak peek.

San Diego Padres

Freddy Fermin nearly did it. Down to the last out of the wildcard playoff series—the last chance for the Padres’ 2025 season—he put a charge into a fly ball that made all of Wrigley Field hold its breath. Of course, the potential game winner fell into the glove of the Cubs’ center fielder. Season over. So close. Less than two weeks later, manager Mike Shildt announced the stress was getting to him and retired.

To many fans, Fermin’s flyball felt like a metaphor. The late Peter Seidler had put a charge into the franchise, investing in the team like no Padres owner ever had. The Padres’ lease agreement with Petco Park runs through 2033. But every season, the team falls just short. With a 2027 lockout looming, was 2025 the final year of the Padres’ window to finally bring a World Series championship to the city? Or does it remain open for 2026?

There’s still massive, all-star talent on the team—Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatís Jr., Mason Miller, Michael King, Joe Musgrove, Adrian Morejon, Nick Pivetta (who surprised everyone by becoming a legitimate ace last year). After a few down years, Xander Bogaerts showed flashes of the elite talent that inspired his hefty contract.

Everyone knows general manager AJ Preller is a maverick who loves to make blockbuster moves. But to fill the managerial role, he only had to make a call down to the bullpen to Craig Stammen—a former Padres relief pitcher who’d been working as a special assistant, mentoring players.

“If I said it was going to be easy, I’d be lying to myself,” Stammen admits. “My whole life there have been different things that prepared me for what I’m about to do. Obviously playing gave me a lot of experience, and the special assistant role gave me a lot of knowledge of what it’s like behind the curtain—what the front office is thinking about, what the coaches are all trying to accomplish during the season. I feel like I got a taste of a little bit of everything.”

As manager, Stammen is going to be leading guys who used to be his teammates. Much like when a colleague gets promoted above you at work, there’s uncertainty around how team dynamics will shift. But Stammen believes it’s going to be a positive.

“At this point, I haven’t had to make very many tough decisions with those guys, but there may come a time during the season where that may happen,” he says. “If it does, I just have to be very up front and honest and be the same person I’ve always been. We’ll do our best to keep our friendship [what it is] and use that to our advantage as much as we can.”

Stammen has a reputation as a calm, supportive leader who can connect with players. And the move for an internal hire makes sense with such a turbulent offseason (they lost headlining players Dylan Cease, Luis Arráez, and Robert Suárez, and retirement rumors swirl around Yu Darvish). Bringing continuity, he’s somebody the Padres think can keep the clubhouse steady and focused. “There’s a trust level between AJ Preller, [Assistant General Manager] Josh Stein, and me,” he says. “They’ve seen my leadership qualities up close and personal.”

One of the biggest strengths of the team remains the pitching. “Great pitchers make a manager look really good,” Stammen says.

Then, there’s the fans. The Padres sold out 72 of 81 games last season, making them number-two in attendance behind only the Dodgers. Petco Park is a layer of hell for opposing teams. “When the fans show up to the ballpark,” Stammen says, “they’re helping our ball club win a baseball game. Without our homefield advantage, it would be very difficult to get to the playoffs and accomplish our goals.”

Those team goals? “To reach our potential,” Stammen confirms. “We obviously have a team we think can compete for a division championship and compete in the National League and have a chance to bring something to San Diego that’s never happened before. But you can’t think about that stuff right now. Right now, we’ve just got to be able to focus on reaching our potential.

San Diego Fútbol Club

It’s hard to imagine a dreamier kickoff to the MLS era in San Diego. In their debut year, San Diego FC broke multiple league records for an expansion team—most points (63), most wins (19), fastest to clinch a playoff berth. They won the Western Conference and came one victory away from the MLS Cup.

Near perfection. Now, can they follow it up?

The biggest headline entering year two is the end of “Chuckymania.” Mexican national star Hirving “Chucky” Lozano was supposed to be the face of the franchise, but it didn’t pan out. After he experienced some injuries and well-documented internal conflicts with the coach and team, SDFC decided to part ways with their original headliner.

Instead, the team invested in the vision of coach Mikey Varas, extending his contract by multiple years.

“They could see that the project was moving in the right direction,” Varas says. “When I was signed [last year], there had to be some question marks. I hadn’t been in this role before. Fortunately, everyone saw the alignment was 100 percent in sync. Our visions and values align. It’s where I’m supposed to be.” Any questions were answered when the franchise burst out of the gates winning.

In 2026, “it’s about asking ourselves individually and collectively: Now what?” Varas says. The answer shapes this year’s vision.

With their superstar departing and forward Marcus Ingvartsen coming off an injury-plagued season, the club wants people who have a point to prove—and, just as important, players and staff who push team chemistry. “We really do believe our collective is our superpower,” Varas adds. “That means having people who care about understanding how to play better with and for their teammates.”

Building off last year’s roster, the team snatched up versatile forward/ winger Lewis Morgan off waivers in December. The move will add front-line depth to supplement their other star forward Anders Dreyer, who was given a guaranteed contract extension through the 2028–2029 season—deservedly so, since he scored 19 goals and was named 2025 MLS Newcomer of the Year. On a planet without Lionel Messi, Anders Dreyer would arguably be the reigning league MVP.

“We’re also really excited about [developing] guys that started with us at ground zero and seeing what kind of steps they take,” Varas says. “The Luca Bombino who was playing for us last year can’t be the Luca Bombino who shows up this season. He’s got to be a better version of himself. There’s freshness coming from all different angles.” Bombino was also awarded a contract extension through the 2028–2029 season.

And now that the team isn’t surprising anybody with their pressing style of play, being overlooked by other clubs will no longer be an advantage going into this season. “That’s okay,” Varas says. “We like that kind of challenge.”

There’s already a resounding buzz coming from fans, supporters, staff, and players for 2026. When a team gets within striking distance of the MLS Cup (they lost 3-1 to Vancouver in the Western Conference final), the audience only gets hungrier to smell more Snapdragon fireworks.

Wave FC

In the final game of last year’s regular season, the San Diego Wave held their fate in their own hands: win or watch the playoffs from home. They responded, blowing away Chicago FC 6-0 and setting a club record for goals in a single game.

The offensive hangover came quick—they lost 1-0 in the first round to Portland. But our rose-tinted glasses are squarely on, so, as far as we’re concerned, just being back in the playoffs after missing out in 2024 was a good sign for a team that has been one of the country’s biggest stories in women’s sports since its inception four years ago.

“I think there were a lot of learnings during the season,” says head coach Jonas Eidevall, who is beginning his second year leading the Wave. “There were parts of last season that were really successful. I think we established an identity and a way of playing that was clear and a good fit for the club and the players: [We’re] creative. We want to express that on the pitch.”

During the offseason, December was a volatile month for the Wave. They started it off by capturing gold at the World Sevens tournament. On the tournament’s reduced-size pitch, they outscored the other teams 14-3. With midfielders playing forward early and burners playing wide, speed was the attacking tool that overwhelmed their opponents’ defenses.

More importantly, it allowed the team to step into an unknown together. Instead of 11 players per side, there were just seven. The format encourages a high-tempo style of play where every possession is threatening. “It helped us understand what we need to learn, change, and adapt [for regular-season play],” Eidevall says. “We did that well in the Sevens tournament, and that’s a mindset we can keep on going with in the season.”

Shortly following the team’s victory in Sevens, offseason moves started. Roster shakeups always cause some broken hearts—but fans were particularly shocked when the team abruptly announced in late December that goalkeeper and captain Kailen Sheridan’s contract would be terminated. (Along with Kristen McNabb, Sheridan was one of just two remaining players from the franchise’s original team.) As of press time, the Wave hasn’t announced who will take the captain’s reins from Sheridan.

With the team’s esteemed back-line leader out, the Wave signed goalkeeper Leah Freeman to a one-year contract. Last year, Freeman spent her rookie season with Bay FC after a decorated collegiate career playing for both University of Oregon and Duke. While at Oregon, she earned Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2022. At Duke, she nabbed the same Atlantic Coast Conference honor in 2024.

Among returning members, “one player who was making a good impact for us already with limited time with the team was Dudinha,” Eidevall says. “I’m really excited to see what she can do in the league here with a full preseason.” The Brazilian forward netted five goals in just 12 games. In rare company with former Wave legends Alex Morgan and Jaedyn Shaw, Dudinha matched a club record by scoring in three consecutive games last fall.

Even with the loss of a face of the franchise like Sheridan, “going into the season, both expectations and the know-how of what it takes to achieve what we want to achieve is much clearer,” Eidevall says. “We laid the foundation last season, which we now need to build upon. Players we’re bringing in can be picked to fit into that [creative] identity.”

The Padres were supposed to be a mess this year. But thanks to an unstoppable start, star power veterans, and some of the best young talent in the league, this has been a season to binge. When it comes to a World Series run, fans may still sometimes feel like cats in a room full of rocking chairs, but we’re glued to the show, and the Pads are packing Petco. It’s been a hell of a carnival.

After a 2024 season that crescendoed into the playoffs with the highest of high drama, only to end in a whimper, the team entered 2025 under a storm cloud. In the aftermath of beloved owner Peter Seidler’s death, the club’s front office had started to resemble a Succession spinoff. Lawsuits, power struggles, mysterious silence from the top—the vibes seemed cursed, unbefitting men of the cloth. 2025 appeared doomed to play out like a tedious hangover.

But, somehow, they kicked down the doors. The team opened this season 5–0, then hit 13–3, then went nuclear with a 11–0 home streak. Suddenly, this team that was supposed to be in a rebuilding phase became MLB trivia fodder: best start in franchise history, first team since the ’66 Indians with six shutouts in 16 games. And as of press time, the team leads the league in shutouts with 13.

Manny Machado has been Manny Machado. He smacked his 350th career homer, got his 2,000th hit, and was voted starting third basemen for the NL All-Star team. Elite. Jackson Merrill is building on his legendary rookie campaign and has committed his career to the Padres, signing on to a nine year, $135 million contract extension. Fernando Tatis Jr. started the season playing at an MVP level and was rewarded with a trip to his third All-Star game. Relievers Jason Adam and Robert Suárez are also headed to the Midsummer Classic.

And the city is showing up like it’s 1998 all over again. Petco is packed tighter than the 8 East at rush hour. It’s Mission Beach on the Fourth of July every home game—beach balls flying, swagger in the stands. SD is ranked third in the league for overall attendance this year. You’d think a fanbase that’s been through recurring heartbreak and an ownership system error might back off. Instead, they’re louder and more eager than ever.

This season shouldn’t be happening. But here we are, with a team worth celebrating. The Padres are chaotic, occasionally frustrating, and eminently watchable. SD didn’t merely get a solid baseball team this year. We got prestige programming. Now we just need that deep playoff run.

Q&A with Manny Machado

You’ve had an electric start this season—the best in team history. What changed?

I think it was kind of just a little bounce-back from last year. We had such a good year, but we fell short. So we really wanted to start this season on the right foot. That’s all we were talking about during spring training: “How can we be better than last year?” Once we got back to Petco and felt the energy of the fans and the city, we just hit the ground rolling.

Where do you like to eat around town?

I love pizza, so I go to Garage [Kitchen + Bar in the Gaslamp]. That’s one of my favorite spots. I keep it simple—pepperoni or cheese. Barbusa [in Little Italy] is another. The hospitality there is unreal. I’ve gone three times and haven’t even looked at a menu—they just send food out. Everything they bring is awesome. The Henry [in Coronado] is the same way—great people, great energy. I’ve always been that guy who sticks to a few good places.

What’s your pregame routine like? Any rituals?

I always listen to music. We’ve got a solid playlist in the clubhouse—Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Bad Bunny, Rick Ross. That’s the rotation.

Do you have a go-to pregame meal?

Coffee. Always a latte. I make it at home. I’ve been working on my latte art. Sometimes it looks like a flower; sometimes it just looks like… something.

Do you have a guilty-pleasure snack?

It used to be Skittles, Goldfish, Cheez-Its. I’ve cut most of that out. But McDonald’s? That’s the one I can’t give up.

Have you ever had one of those surreal, slow-motion moments during a game?

Definitely. Big homers tend to do that. The walk-off we had here last year. A walk-off against the Giants. My three-homer game in Baltimore—my third was a grand slam. It’s like everything just slows down. You instantly know what’s going to happen. It’s kind of crazy.

If you could play catch with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

Roberto Clemente. Not just for what he did on the field, but to pick his brain about what he did for Puerto Rico and the community. What he did was special. He influenced so many of us.

Are ghosts real?

Yeah. I’ve seen one. It was actually my grandfather, at my house. Not haunted or anything—just him saying hello.

Q&A with Jackson Merrill

You guys came out blazing this season. What made the start so strong?

Best Proof That San Diego is a Sports Town

2024 Summer Olympics

Last year’s Olympics in Paris delivered plenty of unforgettable moments—a metal band performing alongside a headless Marie Antoinette in a 13th-century castle, breakdancing’s short-lived debut (sorry, Raygun), and even Snoop Dogg serving as a torchbearer. But some of the most memorable concerned our own hometown heroes.

Sixty San Diegans competed for Team USA, earning 25 medals across eight sports, with gold medalists including then-Wave FC players Naomi Girma and Jaedyn Shaw, basketball star Kelsey Plum, and cyclist Jennifer Valente. Encinitas’ own Jagger Eaton hit the street park as one of only three Americans representing the country in men’s street skateboarding, nabbing a silver medal finish. And while TikTok-famous local “rave horse” Suppenkasper and his rider Steffen Peters, beloved for their EDM-fueled dressage routines, didn’t make it to the finals, the 17-year-old gelding had audiences eating out of the palm of his, uh, hoof from the very first beat drop.

Best Star-Making Soccer School

SDFC & The Right to Dream Academy

The next Chucky Lozano might soon be honing his skills right down the road in El Cajon. San Diego FC kicked off its inaugural season in February and quickly proved itself a force within MLS (at press time, it sits at number one in the Western Conference). With it came the Right to Dream Academy, a scholarship-based academic and training facility where promising players as young as 11 will prepare for a bright future in the pro league under top-tier tutelage.

Best Triple Play

San Diego Padres

Picture it: Padres against the hated Dodgers in LA. With two runners on, the fate of the Padres’ 2024 postseason rests on one play. Bottom of the ninth inning. No outs. Padres closer Robert Suárez is looking to hang on to a 4–2 lead. Crack—a ground ball to Manny Machado. Machado tags third and fires to second. Jake Cronenworth turns it and beats the runner at first. Just like that, San Diego pulls off an unforgettable triple play and clinches their playoff berth. Easily the most cathartic moment in San Diego sports in the last year.

Best Next Step For a Fútbol Phenom

Alex Morgan

As one chapter ends, another kicks off. San Diego’s favorite WNSL icon, Alex Morgan, officially hung up her cleats (along with her number-13 jersey, which the team is retiring in her honor) for good in September 2024 after her final game with San Diego Wave FC against the North Carolina Courage. But before you get too emotional, she also dropped the much happier news that baby number two was on the way.

True to form, she’s not slowing down anytime soon. She’s staying in the game as a minority investor in the Wave, continuing her mission to uplift women in sports and ensure the next generation has even more room to shine.

Best Local PGA Power Player

Xander Schauffele

2024 was a big year for San Diego State alum and world-ranked number-three golfer Xander Schauffele. Following a near-perfect round of 62 at Kentucky’s Valhalla Golf Club, tying the lowest round ever scored in a Major championship, he secured a narrow PGA Tour win over titan Bryson DeChambeau. Fast forward to July, and Schauffele brought his A-game to the Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Battling wind, rain, and the course’s punishing bunkers, Schauffele was one of only 17 golfers to break par throughout the tournament.

Best Legend We’ll Miss

Bill Walton

We said goodbye to a local icon this year: 6’11 NCAA Hall of Famer Bill Walton. Born in La Mesa, Walton played basketball at Helix High with his brother Bruce (who later became an NFLer) before making his mark at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden. He won three straight NCAA Player of the Year awards (’72–’74) and was the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. Leading the Portland Trail Blazers to their only NBA championship in 1977, Walton became a beloved sports legend. A devoted Deadhead, he attended more than 800 Grateful Dead concerts and spent his later years deeply involved in community work, leaving a lasting legacy.

Best Record Breaker

Caitlin Simmers

Growing up in Oceanside, Caitlin Simmers had always gravitated toward the activities that make a California beach city what it is. She dabbled in BMX, dance, martial arts, and skateboarding, but found her calling in surfing at age 6. Now, at 19, she is in her third year of the World Surf League Champions Tour and part of the USA Olympic team. Last year, at Lower Trestles, only 20 miles from her hometown, she notched a pretty serious resume builder: She became the youngest woman winner of the World Surf League Final.

“You’re opening a brewery? In this economy?”

This is the question I posed to Erik Fowler, executive director of the San Diego Brewers Guild. He and his wife Shannon just announced they’re opening Good Pressure Brewing Company in Allied Gardens at the end of the year. 

Don’t get me wrong—this is fantastic news coming from great people. But I’m sure I’m not the only incredulous inquirer. The latest Brewers Association report says more breweries are closing than opening across the country, and craft’s overall volume has dropped 5 percent since 2024. Even San Diego, the self-proclaimed “Capital of Craft,” isn’t immune.

Goal Brewing pulled out of the Brewery Igniter space in North Park in March. Little Miss Brewing shuttered all nine locations earlier this year. Half Door Brewing sold to Villains Brewing Company. Division 23 Brewing closed in May. The owners of Jacked Up Brewery retired. Border X Brewing tried launching a GoFundMe before closing up shop in Barrio Logan. It feels a little bleak out there.

But Fowler is far from a naive beer newbie. On the sensory side, he’s a certified Cicerone and BJCP beer judge with sommelier training. He’s studied beer at UC Davis, and gone through the San Diego State University Professional Certificate in the Business of Craft Beer program. He worked in wine retail before managing the taproom and distribution for ChuckAlek in Ramona. He was a taproom lead at Stone Brewing, head of education and hospitality at White Labs for nine years, and the executive director for the Guild for two years. He just had one more thing to cross off his beer bucket list—open his own brewery.

“I’ve always wanted to own a business in the beverage space,” he says. “That’s been a goal since I turned 21. I’ve always had the entrepreneurial mindset, and I’m at an age and an experience level where the leap and the risk makes sense.” 

The Fowlers had been looking for a space to realize their dream for 18 months, hoping to stay close to their home in East County. Of all of San Diego’s 150-plus breweries, less than 10 percent of them are in East County. El Cajon, La Mesa, Valley Center, and Ramona have one apiece; Julian and Alpine each have two; there are three in Santee; and a couple production facilities that aren’t even open to the public.

“There’s still a lot of opportunity there, especially for underserved neighborhoods,” he explains. 

But after a year without any luck, they decided to expand their search slightly. When they saw the former Poochie’s Hooch Urban Cidery space in Allied Gardens that came with two patios, a cellar, existing tasting room, infrastructure for a kitchen, and a wine license, it just fit. “It’s in a great neighborhood that doesn’t have a whole lot to offer,” says Fowler. “We wanted a spot that could be family-friendly, and it just ended up working out.”

Despite an address in the city of San Diego, Fowler says they plan to focus heavily on serving the eastern side of the county, both in distribution and in their marketing approach. As residents of East County, the San Diego stereotype of beaches and surfing doesn’t always resonate with them.

“San Diego to a lot of people is the beach, but from growing up and being in East County, the San Diego that we know and see isn’t that at all,” he explains. Shannon works for the Escondido-based nonprofit Center for Plant Conservation, which inspired them to incorporate a more nature-based, plant-inspired motif for the brand that better reflects the San Diego East County locals might feel more attuned to. 

They’ll initially launch with food trucks and mostly beer, but hope to expand to other beverages like wine and cider and eventually build out an in-house food program. Fowler says they want to first and foremost be a place for families, and an approachable destination for people who aren’t beer experts.

“I want somebody like my mom to be able to come in and feel comfortable, and be comfortable ordering, and just be focused on themselves and having a good time,” he says. He already took the tests at beer school—guests won’t need to feel like they’re taking a quiz to place an order.

“We never want anybody to have to pull out a phone to look something up,” he says. “We want people to come in and have a good time… we want to be the brewery that people are wrapping up their kids’ soccer games.”

Good Pressure Brewing Company will open in late 2025 at 7559 Mission Gorge Road in Allied Gardens. 

San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events

The Second Annual Taste of College Area Arrives This September

For decades, College Area has been more defined by fast-casual concepts and taco shops than as a serious dining destination. (I totally get why—who else remembers being a broke college kid without a car?) That’s completely changed over the last couple of years, and the College Area Business District is showing off the restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and other eateries along El Cajon Boulevard—like Scrimshaw Coffee, The Luau, The Mesa Bar & Grill, and more. The second annual Taste of College Area  starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, with stops between 54th Street and 73rd Street. Don’t want to walk? Hop on the free trolley that runs until the event ends at 3 p.m.

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Beth’s Bites

• If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times—San Diego needs more pupuserias. It seems the Salvadoran food gods have heard my prayers, and opened FiveO3 Pupusas at Fashion Valley Mall. It’s the second location for the Cathedral City-based restaurant, and if the business license is to be believed, another is on the way to Las Americas Premium Outlets. May all our pupusa dreams continue to come true!
• You don’t have to work in the beer industry to attend the 2025 Craft Beer Con at Mira Costa College’s San Elijo campus, but you should probably be a pretty big beer nerd. The annual half-day conference kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 5 and offers multiple education tracks for attendees to learn about how beer competitions operate, what makes a wet hop beer, how alcohol distribution works, and more. And don’t worry—after a day of learning, there is a happy hour at 4 p.m. 
• Breakers in Encinitas is officially open! Pro surfer Benji Weatherley revived his family’s former restaurant in Hawai’i, bringing Hawaiian-inspired drinks and food to the coastal neighborhood as an all-day respite for locals (and I’m sure plenty of visiting surfers, as well). I’m on my way for a midafternoon Mai Tai…

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Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego’s Food and Drink Scene

Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].

Along the San Dieguito River, nestled in Del Mar’s drying brush and quiet suburbia, sit acres of immaculate lawns. They might look like sod farms or the polo grounds they once were, but the fields comprise Surf Sports Park, the seat of a soccer empire.

Surf Soccer began in 1977 as a club team for boys and girls aged 12 to 18, aiming to attract the best youth talent in San Diego’s North County. It has since fanned out as far as Massachusetts and Montana to encompass 55 affiliate clubs across the nation for kids ages 6 to 19. In 2016, Surf Soccer moved into the expansive Surf Sports Park, which hosts several prestigious club tournaments and player showcases each year. Across all its competitions, Surf Soccer serves over 200,000 youth participants annually.

“Everything we’re trying to do is be the best of the best. It’s our mantra,” says Brian Enge, COO of Pioneer Sports & Entertainment, the parent company that controls the Surf Soccer network. “When we have events, we want to make sure it’s the coolest, best experience for kids and for coaches and families. When we run our club, we want to make sure we’re developing the most college players and national team players and winning the most championships.”

These aren’t your typical sports platitudes. Surf Soccer’s top teams compete in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), one of the highest levels of youth soccer in the US, and players in the ECNL are recruited by top colleges and professional teams. Surf Soccer features a lot of that talent. Its under-13, U-15, and U-18/19 girls teams are reigning ECNL champions in their respective divisions. Surf Soccer’s U-17 team is the current champion on the boys’ side.

Perhaps no one represents the club’s success better than Melanie Barcenas. A Clairemont native, Barcenas played for Surf Soccer for 10 years, starting at 6 years old. She won several showcases and cup competitions during her time with the club, and she always pushed to play against older girls— and even the boys—which caught the attention of pro scouts. In 2023, the San Diego Wave made Barcenas, then just 15 years old, the youngest signee in the history of the National Women’s Soccer League.

“I think Surf gave me the platform [to turn professional],” Barcenas says. “We were always going to play the best teams. At one point before I went pro, I was playing two years up, and that was a great decision because I got to push myself playing against older girls.”

With the Wave turning over much of its roster this summer, Barcenas is expected to fill a more prominent role for her hometown team, something she’s already done for her country. Barcenas excelled at the 2024 FIFA U-17 World Cup, starting every match, scoring three times, and helping her team to a third-place finish. The Surf Sports alum’s international success reflects the club’s global ambitions.

“If we can run an event in San Diego, why can’t we run an event in Spain and Italy and Morocco?” Enge says. He helped export Surf Soccer’s signature Surf Cup competition to Europe and Africa in 2023. Surf Soccer also maintains partnerships with Manchester City, the dominant force in the English Premier League, and Club América, Mexico’s most successful professional team, to stage showcases in the US.

American soccer has long been the butt of the joke in “world football.” We use a different name for the sport, we play it in the summer, and, at least on the men’s side, we’re underachievers relative to our population size and economic strength. So why are the biggest clubs in the world— and some of the most soccer- mad countries—wanting to align with Surf Soccer?

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“First, European clubs and global clubs see the US as a massive consumer market. They want to build their brand,” Enge explains. “The second is player access. Southern California and San Diego have always been a massive part of that. There’s a lot of talent here.”

Not that the organization is letting that get to its head.

“We never really focus on the growth. We focus on the service, and if the service is there, the growth will come,” Enge says. “We do want to make sure that Surf is a powerful force in the way that youth soccer is developed here in the US, and we want to continue to be a big voice in that. The bigger that we get, the louder voice we get to have. Other than that, we’re just going to focus in on great clubs and great events.”

After all, Surf Soccer may be a major international force, but it’s also just a club team from San Diego.