Who says an expansion team has to necessarily be bad?
Obviously, first-year teams in established leagues often need time to set their rosters, develop playing talent and cultivate a winning atmosphere.
San Diego FC appears to be fighting the norm through the MLS expansion club’s first seven matches and winning the day.
SDFC defeated the visiting Seattle Sounders, 3-0, last Saturday to improve its early season record to four wins, one loss and two ties. The local side sits in a tie for second place in the 15-team Western Conference standings with Minnesota United FC. Both teams, in turn, sit just two points behind the division leading Vancouver Whitecaps.
It’s quite extraordinary considering the team’s highly touted player signing, Mexican international Hirving “Chuck” Lozano, has been absent with an injury for the bulk of those games.
Fans have been encouraged, however, by the team’s play and have to wonder what could be in store for the remainder of the season once Lozano comes up to speed.
They may have just gotten a sneak peek last Saturday as Lozano scored his first goal in a SDFC uniform while drawing assists on the hosts’ other two goals.
Jeppe Tverskov (second minute), Anibal Godoy (41st minute) and Lozano (three minutes into stoppage play before halftime minute) each tallied goals to set a dominant tone to the match. Though the hone side may have been out-shot (14-10) and out-played (58 percent possession to 42 percent), the scoreboard told the greater story for the 28,000-plus in attendance.
The formula continues to pay dividends.
Tverskov took a quick pass from Lozano and calmly left-footed shot from near the center of the box to stake the hosts to a quick 1-0 lead with his first goal with San Diego.
Godoy doubled the lead on another left-footer to the bottom right corner off a pass from Anders Dreyer. The scoring play started off a ball played in from the left by Lozano.
Lozano scored on a breakaway off a pass from Jasper Löffelsend, burying a right-footed strike past a frozen Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei that sent the masses into near flag-waving hysteria.
The start for the newest club in MLS remains astonishing. San Diego FC is averaging 30,018 fans at Snapdragon Stadium while playing to 87 percent capacity. The attendance figure ranks second in the league and well above the league average of 22,404.
San Diego takes its winning act on the road the next two weekends — Saturday to the Colorado Rapids (6:30 p.m. kickoff) and April 19 to Charlotte (4:30 p.m. kickoff) — before returning to the friendly confines of Snapdragon Stadium for a pair of matches against Real Salt Lake (April 26) and FC Dallas (May 3).
Homegrown
