San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas wanted to talk to the meaning of their local derby at home at De La Galaxy this weekend.
Although it is the newest expansion team of the MLS, Varas knows that there is enough at stake for his side when recording the bottom of the Western Conference, who are still looking for their first victory of the season.
“It is a regional derby. You can see that it means so much for the community. These are always special games; at the end of the day they are champions. They are champions until someone else wins a final,” he said a press conference.
“They have eight or nine boys who start the competition that the MLS Cup has won. They have probably marked this game on their calendar for a while, especially after the first game of the season, so they will come with everything.
“They are a very good team, so it is our job to prepare our mentally, physical, technical, tactical, to ensure that we are the challenge going on, and that is what we always do.”
When asked about the difference between his San Diego team, now and the one who started the MLS campaign, Varas suggested that the time they had spent together improved them as unity.
“At the end of the day we have funds to our value of having a growth mindset,” he said.
“I see that the group has grown a lot and I see that individual players have grown a lot.
“The most important thing is that we continue to improve, see how that helps us with this next game and how that helps us in the future.”
Moreover, he justified his decision to play Dreyer as a central striker, after a series of three goals in four games for the Danish attacker.
“A part of my work as a coach is to analyze what happens in the training, what happens in games, how do boys have consequences? When do boys have consequences?” Said Varas.
“Then put a line -up on the field that we believe gives us the best chance to win because we are here to win, and how we win things and who we win with business.
“So now my feelings are different [Dreyer] Only playing like No. 9 gives us the best position outside the start of the game. “
San Diego vs. Los Angeles.
Do we have to say more? pic.twitter.com/kefp346qsw
– San Diego FC (@Sandiegofc) May 18, 2025
Players to watch
San Diego – Other Dreyer
Dreyer is both the top scorer of San Diego with six goals and the player with the most target contributions, who has made another five assists.
The Danish attacker scored three goals in his last four performances after scoring three in the first three games of the season.
La Galaxy – Marco Reus
Marco Reus yielded his second and third MLS goals last weekend to save a point against City Rivals Los Angeles FC.
That total places the former German international second in the top scorers of the Galaxy this season, a behind Christian Ramirez with four goals.
Match forecast: San Diego Win
La Galaxy is the first team in the history of MLS that Winless will be won during their first 14 games of a season. The four points of the Galaxy are two less than any other team in this phase of a season in competition history.
Their 14 match Winless Run is the same as the second longest Windless Run in the season in the history of MLS. Only the Houston Dynamo (16 upright) in May-September 2021 and San Jose Earthquakes (15 consecutive) in August-October 2014 had longer profitless runs within a single season in competition history.
San Diego has meanwhile kept back-to-back clean sheets for the second time after they had done this in their first two MLS competitions.
The hosts have admitted 11 times in their four defeats, while allowing only five total goals in their other 10 games (W7 D3). They come in after they have won three and have signed one of their last four games.
Opta wins probability
San Diego – 48.6%
Drawing – 25.8%
La Galaxy – 25.7%