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San Diego FC has a coach, a general manager, a full staff, a new training facility and half a roster.
Now it has a schedule.
The Major League Soccer expansion already knew its first two games – at L.A. Galaxy, home against St. Louis SC – but learned the remaining 32 in the league’s mass schedule release Thursday.
The 34 regular-season games are concentrated in the Western Conference, where SDFC will play each of the other 14 teams once at home and once away. The other six games come from the Eastern Conference, which is where Lionel Messi and Inter Miami reside.
That meant a 40% chance of facing Messi and a 20% chance of getting him at Snapdragon Stadium, but neither of those odds hit. SDFC’s three home games against the Eastern Conference are against the Columbus Crew, Toronto FC and Nashville SC. The three away: Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire and Atlanta United.
Other scheduling notables:
- SDFC knew it would play its inaugural match against the defending champion Galaxy in Carson but didn’t have a date. That is now Sunday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m.
- Twenty-six of the 34 games are on Saturdays, four on Wednesdays, three on Sundays and one on Friday.
- All but three home games kick at 7:30 p.m., most on Saturday nights. Two could have issues with sun in shadeless Snapdragon Stadium: April 26 at 4:30 p.m. against Real Salt Lake and May 24 at 1:30 p.m. (to accommodate national TV) against the Galaxy
- All but two of the 34 games are available exclusively on Apple TV, which requires a separate MLS Season Pass subscription. The May 3 home game against FC Dallas will also be aired on Fox Sports 1, and May 24 against the Galaxy on Fox.
- The dates against the L.A. teams: Feb. 23 (at Galaxy), March 29 (LAFC), May 24 (Galaxy), Aug. 31 (at LAFC).
- SDFC will be on the road for its final two regular-season games and three of its last four.
- The league will break from June 15-24 for the FIFA Club World Cup (that includes Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders) and the CONCACAF Gold Cup for national teams. The All-Star Game is July 23 in Austin, Texas. The regular season starts Feb. 22 and concludes Oct. 18.
- Leagues Cup, an annual summer tournament with Liga MX and MLS teams, will be held between July 29 and Aug. 31. MLS will not break for it, meaning matches will be played in and around those already scheduled.
SDFC adds midfielder
The club is up to 14 announced players with the signing of Panamanian midfielder Anibal Godoy from MLS free agency.
Godoy is a 10-year veteran of the league who most recently played for Nashville SC, which declined to exercise the club option for 2025. He made $721,250 last season.
Godoy, who turns 35 in February, becomes SDFC’s oldest player, bringing experience from MLS in general as well as MLS expansion to a roster that generally skews young. He joined Nashville for its inaugural season in 2020 after spending five years with the San Jose Earthquakes. He has 143 caps with Panama’s national team and started three games in the 2018 World Cup.
“Aníbal is a proven midfielder with experience at the highest level who brings valuable depth to our midfield,” SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps was quoted in a news release. “As a leader, his experience as Panama’s captain and his time with an expansion side will make him an important part of our squad.”
Godoy holds a U.S. green card, which means he counts as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes and doesn’t occupy an international slot.
Next up in roster build is the MLS SuperDraft on Friday. SDFC has five picks in the three-round draft, including the No. 1 overall selection.
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