San Diego FC are setting risky new records in an eye-catching MLS debut

San Diego FC, an MLS expansion team, has adopted an exceptionally risky and unique buildup style influenced by top coaches like Pep Guardiola and Roberto De Zerbi. This approach was exemplified when backup goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega deliberately lured Nashville's top scorer Sam Surridge near his box before calmly passing to a defender, leading directly to a winning goal.

Head coach Mike Varas fulfilled his preseason promise of bravery, with goalkeepers launching only 8.6% of open-play passes over 40 yards – the lowest rate in MLS history and lower than any top-five European league team since at least 2017-18. This contrasts sharply with conventional safety-first goalkeeper tactics.

While MLS overall has nearly doubled its defensive-half buildup touches (from 138 to 257 per game) over the past decade, San Diego dwarfs the league with 367 such touches in 2025. Their commitment to playing out from the back exceeds any recorded team globally.

Despite historical trends toward buildup play, San Diego's implementation is unprecedented given their circumstances. The team began preseason just six months ago as "30 strangers" under complex roster rules, whereas Varas' inspirations (like Guardiola and Luis Enrique) work with elite squads. The club's identity prioritized style over pragmatism from inception.

This philosophy stems from owner Right to Dream's youth-development network (spanning Ghana, Denmark, and Egypt), which emphasizes attracting pressure to create central breakthroughs. Tactically, San Diego provokes presses via high-risk maneuvers: backward passes to goalkeepers, defenders dropping to the goal-line, or "repeating passes" facing away from goal.

The payoff comes in "breakthroughs" – accelerating past pressed opponents to unleash wingers Anders Dreyer and Hirving Lozano. Data confirms San Diego leads MLS in fast-break phase time, even surpassing Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, validating their high-stakes approach.