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.
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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.”
