San Diego FC’s new training facility — the first professional soccer entity built on tribal lands — still has a few construction projects going on. But, the five training fields and soccer performance areas are all ready to go, and the folks who get to use them every day are more than a bit impressed.
“It feels a little bit like the Field of Dreams, doesn't it?” mused Tyler Heaps, SDFC sporting director. “And then, obviously, you get to nighttime, and you can see the stars. It's peaceful over here. We'll have a lot of people living here. I'm really excited, too, for the moment we have the first wave of Academy people because this is not just a training center. It's a campus.”
It's a campus designed with nothing but soccer in mind. Sitting next to Singing Hills Golf Club at Sycuan, the facility is 100% focused on the beautiful game. And it had better be because there’s a ton of work to be done.
Monday was the first time the majority of the roster, which is still not entirely complete as a few final pieces fall into place, was together on a soccer pitch. Head coach Mikey Varas has to install an entire system in a short time. His philosophy?
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“Keeping things simple,” says Varas. “We're going to be focusing on the basics, not trying to rush things, taking things step by step, getting them to talk, putting them in positions where they're just interacting at a casual level.”
That last bit might be the most important part of the entire team building process. Even more than a game plan, this organization needs to create an identity — something Heaps kept in mind when he was recruiting and assembling this club.
“For us, it was really important to find that balance, not only in the in the position groups but also the whole team,” Heaps said. “Because, you mentioned it, we're building a culture from scratch. We need to make sure that we have people in good moods and confident to go enjoy themselves because that's also what the sport is about.”
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While an organization can try to preach chemistry, ultimately, the vibe of a team falls on the personalities of the people in the locker room.
“That's definitely within the philosophy, but these are grown men. These guys are seasoned pros. They also know what it takes to build a team,” Varas said. “I'm not doing this by myself. I'm partnering with them. It's all of us aiming in the same direction,and they do a lot of that stuff on their own.”
If the talent and the personality both click, the expectations for this expansion team have been set very, very high.
“We need to compete in year one,” Heaps said. “I think that's no secret. We have expectations to make the playoffs. And in this league, when you make the playoffs, anything can happen.”
On that point, Varas is even more pointed: “Conditions have been set for us to be successful. This is a no excuse environment here.”
Their first match is set for Feb. 23 on the road against LA Galaxy. Their first home match at Snapdragon Stadium kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on March 1 against St. Louis.