Major League Soccer’s leadership should be pleased that San Diego FC has committed itself to playing entertaining soccer.
The San Diego newbies control the ball better than most MLS teams, a statistical fact, and they’re quick to advance extra players into the attack.
Not interested in imitating the sea turtles off San Diego’s coast, it’s very rare for them to hunker down into a defensive shell.
SDFC’s soccer, if one allows for the limitations of the MLS talent pool relative to the world’s best leagues, discourages channel surfing, phone-checking and dozing. That’s an important and difficult achievement in a sport that, by its very nature, leans toward defense.
If a soccer aficionado in America wants to give an MLS match a chance, while also having the option to watch more advanced soccer as played in several European countries and Brazil, he or she can know that SDFC will play a bold, confident version of the beautiful game.
Why that matters is this: If folks don’t tune into the broadcasts, attendance alone won’t generate sufficient cash, making it impossible for the league to thrive in the fierce global market for entertaining player talent.
A former MLS MVP stands among the appreciative observers of what unbeaten coach Mikey Varas’ first-year club (2-0-2) has done heading into Sunday’s road game against Austin FC (2-2-0).
“They have a style, and that’s the most important thing at this level,” said Diego Valeri, who as a forward and midfielder with the Portland Timbers had 86 goals and 65 assists in 262 matches and is the Spanish-language analyst for MLS Season on Apple TV.
“They have a good coach. They built a good roster. They have young people in the front office, young people in the roster. They have a great development program. So it’s really exciting. It makes me really happy that MLS is having new franchises like San Diego.”
The injury March 1 to the team’s best offensive player, left wing Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, 29, didn’t transform San Diego into a timid team devoid of flair.
Even without Lozano, who suffered an apparent hamstring injury in the first half of the team’s March 1 home opener, the club won the possession and shot-creation game in the scoreless draw against St. Louis City that night. SDFC has since defeated Real Salt Lake 3-1 and tied the powerful Columbus Crew 1-1.
Another injury blow to the offense came late in the first half against Columbus. As a result, forward Marcus Ingvartsen will Lozano on the unavailable list against Austin.
Valeri lauded the 6-foot-1½ Ingvartsen as a “power guy” who can win in the air and on the ground and is “really good on pressuring the central backs without the ball when they are putting on high pressure.” The 29-year-old Dane, who scored at Utah, stands second on SDFC in shots (10) and shots on target (4). Varas said Friday he’ll be sidelined for a while.
“That’s going to be a loss, for sure,” Valeri said.
But the MLS analyst said the roster’s versatility offers hope. He praised right wing Anders Dreyer, 26, who has a team-high three goals; left wing Tomás Ángel, 22, who has two top-notch assists; and super-sub Onni Valakari, 25, who has a goal and an assist.
“Let’s see if Tomás Ángel or maybe Dreyer can be, not a nine (the striker positioned farthest upfield), but a second striker that can provide goals,” Valeri said.
Valeri, who won the league’s MVP award in 2017, when he amassed 21 goals and nine assists, said he’s glad Colombia’s Ángel has received steady playing time
“He gives Mikey Varas an option, right? In a roster, you need those complementary features,” he said. “In that case, Tomás Ángel is really good. He hasn’t had enough minutes in MLS as he deserves. You can tell he is a good player, has a lot of potential. So, let’s see if he has a chance and he takes it.”
The assertive Valakari, said Valeri, might fill a need as “a midfielder that becomes a striker at some point.”
San Diego FC has received steady play from a trio of midfielders in Jeppe Tverskov, 32, Luca de la Torre, 26, and Anibal Godoy, 35, the latter now unavailable due to national-team obligations. Led by Tverskov, SDFC’s leader in touches and completions, the midfielders’ savvy drew praise from Valeri.
“The only thing that they should improve a little bit is how many goals they are going to score,” said Valeri, who grew up in soccer-loving Argentina. “At least Luca de la Torre has the capacity, but he didn’t do it yet — to score goals and be more of another striker of the team. At the same time, they are doing a great job in balancing the team, of harmonizing.”
A few harsh truths are worth noting.
The San Diego newbies now lack both their best offensive player and a solid-to-good forward who’d played every minute until he went down last week. Expansion teams generally aren’t as deep as the established clubs.
But, some trust already has been earned.
“They have a great style,” Valeri said, “and they’re going to be very good in the West Conference because of that, and you can tell there’s a good internal competition, because they have two or three guys at each position.”
