SAN DIEGO – San Diego FC gears up for its first road game of the 2026 MLS season and looks to continue its momentum this Saturday against Sporting Kansas City. The undefeated squad is getting contributions from several players, and faces an intriguing decision at an important position.
As they prepare for Matchday 3, head coach Mikey Varas, forwards Marcus Ingvartsen and Amahl Pellegrino, and defender Christopher McVey spoke to the media on Thursday at the Sharp HealthCare Performance Center.
Kansas City (0-1-1) is still searching for its first win under new head coach Raphael Wicky. They lost the season opener 3-0 to San Jose, then earned their first point with a 2-2 draw against Columbus. In the 87th minute, goalkeeper John Pulskamp made a crucial penalty save to keep the match tied. Captain forward Dejan Joveljic had a brace on Saturday, earning a spot on the second edition of MLS Team of the Matchday.
Joveljic, who scored 18 goals last season, will be the central focus of their attack, posing a true test for San Diego’s young backline. With his two goals this past weekend, he tied Predrag Radosavljević, best known as Preki, as the fastest player in KC team history to score 20 regular-season goals (34 games).
When talking about the upcoming opponent, Varas said they have a potent striker (Joveljic) who can score at any moment.
San Diego (2-0-0) has won three out of its four matches this year across all competitions. The team's run started with a 4-2 aggregate victory against Pumas UNAM in the Concacaf Champions Cup. This was followed by a dominant 5-0 win over CF Montréal and a 2-0 victory against St. Louis City SC, led by the Danish connection.
SDFC has a +7 goal differential through two league games. Can they keep this up?@SportingTrib pic.twitter.com/dG2l0tepFK
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Sanchez_Reports) March 5, 2026
One of the biggest takeaways from SDFC’s inaugural season is its ability to perform on the road. When in enemy territory, some teams struggle and change their style of play—well, not San Diego. They had the most away regular-season wins in the MLS last season with 12. They had five fewer wins at Snapdragon Stadium.
“We established this road performance mentality last year, and this year, we want to show it wasn’t just a one-off,” Varas said. “It’s an attitude that we have, and it’s a mentality that we have and continue to be brave, relentless, and show who we are through our performance.”
Ingvartsen echoed that statement, saying he hopes they replicate that road success this season.
This first away match marks the beginning of a busy few weeks for the club. With San Diego reaching the Round of 16 in the Champions Cup, they will have five games in 16 days: Kansas City (March 7), Toluca (March 11 and March 18), FC Dallas (March 14), and Real Salt Lake (March 22).
All hands will need to be on deck during this period. The good news is that San Diego is playing high-level soccer, has depth, and is regaining some crucial players from injury.
Forward Lewis Morgan, acquired from the New York Red Bulls in the offseason, has yet to make his SDFC debut. This was one of the bigger acquisitions the team made. Morgan, 29, suffered a left knee injury last season, only appearing in three games. He had 20 goal contributions (13 goals and seven assists) in 2024.
Varas announced that Morgan will be available as a bench option against Kansas City. Oscar Verhoeven is also returning to the lineup, providing a significant boost to the right-back position, which has faced several injuries. Willy Kumado and Wilson Eisner are still not available.
What has led to all the RB injuries for SDFC?
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Sanchez_Reports) March 6, 2026
Mikey Varas said it’s bad luck, a demanding position, and that they are young players adapting to the pro level.
Oscar Verhoeven is back. Willy Kumado and Wilson Eisner are still not available.@SanDiego_Futbol with the question. pic.twitter.com/mHQ2iTgsnV
When asked about the injuries to the right-backs, Varas underlined three main reasons: bad luck, the demanding nature of the position—particularly within the Right to Dream style of play—and the fact that the group consists of young players who are still adjusting to the professional level.
Luca Bombino, a 19-year-old left-footed player, has stepped in admirably at the right-back position for the time being. On Thursday, McVey explained that playing as a defensive winger is one of the most challenging roles because it requires a lot of running and the ability to transition quickly from attacking to defending.
San Diego’s biggest strength is their depth—something they struggled with in year one. Now that they have a complete roster with several young and hungry contributors, it has created some legit competition.
“We're always gonna be looking to see how we can strengthen and grow,” Varas said. “We also have room to grow within our roster, but we know that we have players who are coming back still.”
The Chrome & Azul team chemistry has been through the roof, and a major part of that has been their understanding and embracing of the style of play. Look at both goals in the St. Louis games: Dreyer and Ingvartsen made the extra pass in the box to put the ball in the net.
The 11 goals scored by 10 different players say it all.
“There's not a single person out there who's upset about it,” Varas said about having multiple goal contributors. “Everybody is pumped.”
Ingvartsen, the team’s leading goal-scorer with two, said it’s been nice to have so many guys add goals: “We have a lot of guys in a good rhythm. We have a big squad, and need everybody.”
One of those goals came from Right to Dream graduate Bryan Zamblé. The 18-year-old left-winger joined the club a few days ahead of its season opener. Within four minutes of making his MLS debut, Zamblé scored. A special moment that will forever be woven into SDFC’s history.
Pellegrino, a 35-year-old forward, was asked about Zamblé, saying he’s a “fantastic kid who really wants to learn,” and he’ll take him under his wing. He’s impressed with his fast rise.
In two league matches, SDFC has completed the most passes in the MLS (1,352). The team is also tied for the second-best completion percentage at 89.7%. The coach is pleased with the way his team supports each other, travels together, completes clean passes, and shows unselfishness on the pitch.
They have been clicking on all cylinders. The backline has been exceptional and has been playing with a “fireman mentality.” Varas often uses this phrase when discussing the defense's collective ability to extinguish fires to stop the attack.
SDFC’s coach said his players have taken this mentality to heart, mentioning Kieran Sargeant's goal-line clearance, Manu Duah’s hustle plays, and McVey’s key stops in transition. These high-effort plays have benefited whoever is starting in goal.
Pablo Sisniega, Duran Ferree, and CJ dos Santos have all had their moments as the starting goalkeeper. Out of the bunch, dos Santos has seen the most playing time with 30 starts last season, and earned himself an early extension. He suffered a cheekbone injury that forced him to miss an extended period.
Sisniega was inserted into the lineup during the playoffs, starting three games against Portland Timbers, Minnesota United FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the Western Conference Final. He got the start against the Pumas and registered nine saves in their second meeting to help San Diego advance to the next round. The 30-year-old Mexican keeper was rewarded with a contract extension on Feb. 26.
However, a red-card suspension in the conference final forced Sisniega to miss Matchday 1, and dos Santos was not quite ready to go. That opened the door for 19-year-old Del Norte High graduate Duran Ferree, and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Duran Ferree: two starts, two clean sheets.@SportingTrib pic.twitter.com/0uxxjq8tYU
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Sanchez_Reports) March 5, 2026
After his two-save, zero-goal performance in his first MLS start against Montréal, the former San Diego Loyal SC goalkeeper was given another start this past Sunday night. It was a bit of a surprise considering Sisniega was eligible and just received an extension.
Ferree followed up his debut start with another clean sheet versus St. Louis. The San Diego native continues to make it a difficult decision for his coach. He’s earned another start, but it’s not a guarantee he will in Kansas City. We will find out the decision shortly before kick-off.
It’s a three-way competition, according to Varas. He mentioned the GK position is a strength and views it as an ideal situation to have—“that doesn't usually happen in other clubs in the world.”
The Sporting Tribune asked the coach what factors he considers when selecting a starting goalkeeper, and Varas said for every position in the lineup, he evaluates the player’s training, recent game performance, and the upcoming matchup.
Below are the full San Diego FC media availabilities from Thursday, March 5.