Inaugural MLS Head Coach Named Ahead of First Season at Snapdragon Stadium

SDSU President Adela de la Torre joined other regional and state leaders in welcoming Mikey Varas as San Diego FC's first head coach.

The university will host the Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team at SDSU Mission Valley's Snapdragon Stadium, where its inaugural season will begin next year.

California State University Trustee Sam Nejabat, Sycuan Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez and Man Capital CEO Loutfy Mansour joined de la Torre and SDSU Athletic Director JD Wicker at Snapdragon Stadium for the introduction of Varas as head coach.

In 2023, SDSU joined in announcing that an MLS team would call Snapdragon Stadium its home field.

San Diego FC, the 30th MLS team, will begin playing at Snapdragon Stadium in 2025, and the partnership involves the MLS league, Sycuan Band of Kumeyaay Nation, and majority owner and Man Capital founder Sir Mohamed Mansour — with SDSU serving as host partner.

De la Torre said an MLS team coming to San Diego is an important and exciting development for the city, the state and the university.

Varas joins San Diego FC from U.S. Soccer, where he most recently served as the interim head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team (MNT).

Hired as the U-20 MNT head coach in November 2021, Varas led the team to a 8-3-3 record during his first 14 months on the job, including a dominant performance in winning the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship. There, the U.S. qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2008 and took home its third-straight confederation crown following an undefeated seven-game run that featured six shutouts.

Before joining U.S. Soccer, Varas served for three seasons as an assistant coach for MLS team FC Dallas under former head coach Luchi Gonzalez. During his tenure, FC Dallas reached the MLS Cup playoffs twice, fueled by a number of standout homegrown players from the club’s academy.

“I am honored to join San Diego FC as the Club’s first Head Coach,” Varas said. “The opportunity to build something special from the ground up, with such ambitious and committed ownership, and in a city with such a passionate fan base, is truly exciting. I look forward to working with the team and the community to develop a winning culture from the start. I will give everything to this club and the people of San Diego.”