Long before San Diego FC had a name, logo, coach or general manager, the men running San Diego’s Major League Soccer expansion franchise discussed what they wanted the club to be. Some of the best insight came from Cody Martinez. The chairman of the Sycuan tribe and vice chairman of SDFC, Martinez wanted a club that would represent all of San Diego County. Not just for the coast. Not just for North County. Not just for downtown. Martinez, who grew up near El Cajon rooting for the Chargers, knew well that fanatics inhabit every corner of this sports-crazy county. So San Diego FC’s announcement that it has already sold more than 18,000 season tickets for 2025 and news that the club is third in the 30-team MLS with an average attendance of 31,314 per game comes with this added note. Fans are coming from all areas of San Diego County, SDFC CEO Tom Penn said this week. “Look, what you want to do is have an audience that reflects the community,” he said. “When you look at the demographics, you want it to be a mix of what you look at when you look at greater San Diego. … “What would disappoint us is if our audience skewed really North County, really Chula Vista, really East County. We’re seeing a broad spectrum of San Diego, represented locally.” The team’s “woven into one” philosophy isn’t just lip service. SDFC’s corporate offices are located in Little Italy. The team practices at the Sharp HealthCare Performance Center, located on Sycuan land near El Cajon. Players live near the coast, in North County and in the South Bay. The team plays at a soccer-friendly (if not soccer-specific) Mission Valley facility built adjacent to the old home of the NFL’s Chargers. SDFC (4-3-2) will host Real Salt Lake (3-6-0) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. And, if the numbers are any indication, they’ll win. Real home-field advantage For San Diego FC — and for Major League Soccer teams in general — there truly is no place like home. Continuing a decades-long trend, MLS teams have won 44% of their home games this season, according to FootyStats.org. They score more goals (1.47 per game) and give up less goals (1.13) at home while attempting over two shots per game more than their opponents. Road teams have won just 30% of their games so far in 2025. The other 26% of matches have ended in ties. MLS regular-season matches do not go to overtime. In a small sample size, San Diego FC is a much better team at home than on the road. The club has played four matches at Snapdragon this season, winning twice and tying twice. Things are less rosy on the road, where SDFC has lost three consecutive road matches after winning its first two. SDFC coach Mikey Varas said the home-field advantage question has left him and others “scratching our heads” for years. “Travel has a lot to do with it,” he said. “Different climates, different surfaces, so many different styles of play.” So far this season, SDFC has played road games in Carson; Sandy, Utah; Austin, Texas; the Denver suburb of Commerce City; and Charlotte, N.C. The club has dealt with the cold, elevation and, last week, artificial turf. That’s a far cry from the natural grass and mild weather at Snapdragon. “You feel good when you play at home, right?” Varas said. “If you’ve traveled, you haven’t.” SDFC will have plenty of opportunities to feel good going forward. Six of the club’s next eight matches are at home. Civic pride Penn and his SDFC colleagues are still learning about the San Diego sports market. This much they know. “There’s a tremendous sense of civic pride here,” he said, “and we feel an opportunity and a responsibility to represent the entire region of San Diego.” Things weren’t so simple at Penn’s last stop, LAFC. When LAFC debuted in 2018, the Los Angeles area was home to 11 other professional sports teams: MLB’s Dodgers and Angels; the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers; the NHL’s Kings and Ducks; the NFL’s Rams and Chargers; the WNBA’s Sparks — and another MLS team, the LA Galaxy. “LAFC came into that context and there was a whole lot of the Los Angeles market that just said, ‘Why do we need another one of those?’” Penn said. “San Diego is very different in that there was a real need for another pro team and a need for soccer. For 30 years, San Diego has been the logical place to put a men’s professional team in the first division, and it just never happened.” SDFC shares Snapdragon with the San Diego Wave FC of the National Women’s Soccer League and San Diego State’s football team. SDFC outdraws both the Aztecs and Wave, but there’s a belief that the market can successfully support all three teams. “Here,” Penn said, “there’s just not nearly as much either competition or clutter, so we have this chance to do something special that becomes the specific pride you want for a sports team.” SDFC’s broad ticket base began to form shortly after the franchise was announced as MLS’s 30th club. Prospective season-ticket holders could reserve a spot for $18. Every donation — the proceeds benefited the San Diego Foundation, which funds nonprofits that help youth soccer — effectively served as a business lead. The team will continue to sell 2025 season tickets through the end of May; fans who buy will be included on a wall inside Snapdragon Stadium honoring founding members. SDFC’s work has paid off. Fans will exit Snapdragon Stadium following Saturday’s match and scatter to all corners of the county.