San Diego FC coach Mikey Varas talks in calm and hushed tones, referencing Eastern philosophers ranging from the Dalai Lama to Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh.
Varas casually threads Zen Buddhist icon Shunryu Suzuki into another conversation.
It might come as little surprise then that Varas’ dog, a sheep-o-doodle with a bright pink mohawk, is named after colorful and eclectic rock star David Bowie.
Varas, who grew up in the wide-eyed Bay Area to an American mother and Chilean father, Miguel, became a certified yoga instructor. His dad infused him with an unrelenting ion for soccer, a South American religion of its own.
It all informs what comes next.
The conversation shifts to his brother Paul Daniel, who ed away in 1990 because of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the unexplained loss of an infant under the age of 1. With disarming ease, Varas mentions another test, the family home in Burlingame burning down when he was in sixth grade.
The traumatic incidents happened one year apart.
“My family has been through tough times, but I’ve always endured,” Varas said. “I have no idea what caused the fire. We came back from Christmas shopping and the whole neighborhood was there. That was pretty crazy.
“I give my parents a lot of credit for raising us and keeping a positive outlook on life.”
The philosophers, the meditation, the purposeful and controlled breathing, the serenity with things that easily would rattle most offers a glimpse into Varas’ special wiring.
Over time it could provide a window into how he coaches the game and affixes his stamp on the MLS expansion franchise.
“How did I handle it all?” said Varas, parroting the question. “Family . When you’re a little kid, you don’t know how things are going to affect you. Mom poured a lot of into us.”
San Diego FC and its 42-year-old coach debut Sunday with a 5 p.m. game at the 2024 MLS champion L.A. Galaxy.
It’s the christening of the city’s newest top-level sports franchise behind a man who can be both intriguing and tough to plot on the radar in the same moment.
“One of the big things for me is to live my life every day as if the world depends on it and what I do,” Varas said. “At the same time, don’t forget to laugh at your own insignificance.
“The paradox is trying really hard to make sure you do good, at the same time recognizing that you’re not really that important in the grand scheme of things.”
Varas thinks in the margins.
Things are more complex and nuanced than simple black and white in his world. Relationships can be more evolved. There’s more to gain from them when borders are erased.
If you fear Varas is two thoughts away from being that strange guy at the bus station, he makes you more at ease by the minute. In his world, there’s a bigger picture too many miss.
“Just making sure you’re treating people well and with comion, treating yourself with comion and leaving a positive mark on the individual interactions you have,” Varas said. “As you learn in life, everything is interconnected.”
That makes soccer a near-perfect match. Each run and connects the ball like pearl strings that form in front of your eyes. If you see what could be in your mind, you can make it happen on the pitch.
“I’m a pretty boring person, to be honest,” Varas said in a way that is difficult to buy.
Start with Chile. He has made multiple trips there to better understand his roots and the game that has become so central to his life.
“The game means everything to the people,” he said. “Watching the national team play was special. Chile has sometimes felt like the underdog or underappreciated country.
“The sport is for the people. All you need is a ball and something to create goals out of, which could be shoes.”
He continued.
“It’s the common man or woman’s game. They give everything to it. When their team wins, it’s an amazing day. When their team loses, it’s quite tragic.
“Chile lives and breathes the game. So in every cafe, every sports bar, on every radio, in every home, in every car, that’s like 80% of what’s happening.
“In South America, we say you can smell the game everywhere there. Everbody’s an expert. Everybody’s talking about the game constantly.
“Everything stops. Life stands still. There’s a celebration of football and their country.”
His blended influences color everything.
Though Varas appreciates the Chilean rhythms of salsa and cumbia, his first and favorite concert was Metallica at Candlestick Park. The rhythm of the sport lives in the heavy thumping of the music.
“There’s so much energy and ion in those songs,” said Varas, who listens to the band every match day. “There’s a lot of emotion in there. It’s impossible not to feel when they play.”
Oldies like the Mamas and the Pappas and Johnny Cash, picked up from his father, showcase the broad and vibrant palate in his life.
Varas also appreciates the basics. His first car was a 1984 Geo Spectrum when he was 19. His father bought it from a woman who was retired and only used it for grocery-store runs.
The small white car was 15 years old, but only had 10,000 miles on it.
“It was in perfect condition,” he said.
Varas drove his best friend on a road trip to San Diego in the car one Fourth of July in 2006 or ’07. They visited Pacific Beach and got the truest sense of the area.
The friend’s group was close to the one of Jessica, his future wife. They spent time at the bar Miller’s Field in Pacific Beach and “it was game over after that.”
Jessica moved to his then-home of San Francisco in six months, the couple was engaged in nine months and married in a year and a half. That was 13 years ago.
Then came Bowie, named because of Jessica father’s fandom. Game days begin with breakfast and a walk with Jessica and his pink-haired sidekick.
“Once you meet him, you’ll never forget him,” Varas said.
Just like Varas.
