San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas warned his side not to rest on their laurels ahead of their second season in MLS, which kicks off on Saturday against CF Montreal.
San Diego had a record-breaking first season in the league, finishing atop the Western Conference with 63 points, the most by an expansion side in MLS history.
They then went to the Western Conference finals in the playoffs, losing to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
And that stretch deep into the postseason has further raised the club’s expectations, with Varas making it clear that San Diego doesn’t have the option to give up.
“When you do something special, or almost special, it can be a natural response for people to relax; that was hard, wow, and that’s just something we’re not going to accept,” Varas said.
“Not only do we have to take the same steps we took in our preparation last year, but we have to take those steps even better.”
Anders Dreyer, one of MLS’s breakout stars in 2025, reiterated his head coach’s goals.
“Now it’s a new season. Now we’re starting all over again and we have to prepare,” Dreyer said.
“It will be tough. A second year is always tough for any team. Teams prepare a little better for what awaits us when they play against us.”
Our next match
: https://t.co/2ii43nYX3h pic.twitter.com/wV8bKrT4S8
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) February 11, 2026
CF Montreal, meanwhile, had a miserable 2025, finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference with just 28 points after winning just six of their games.
It was 15 points fewer than in 2024, when they reached the postseason, and head coach Marco Donadel is confident Montreal will make a big improvement this time around after a positive preseason.
“It was a long pre-season, but I think it was very good work, both on and off the field. We used our time perfectly; this is like a completely new experience,” he said.
“I am very satisfied with our current situation, but also curious about our first real test. We are happy with the preseason training and matches, but San Diego is a different challenge.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
San Diego FC-Anders Dreyer
Dreyer scored 19 goals and 18 assists in 2025, joining Lionel Messi last season as the only two players in MLS history to score at least 17 in a season.
Last season he was involved in at least one goal in 22 games, tying him for the most of any player with Messi.
CF Montreal – Prince Owusu
Prince Owusu (13 goals) and Dante Sealy (nine goals) combined to score 22 of Montreal’s 34 goals last season.
With Sealy heading to Colorado, Owusu is the only player left at the club to score more than two goals for the team last season.
Competition week
Ready for matchday 1 #CFMTL @AllstateCanada pic.twitter.com/vlzXHsHHlE
— CF Montreal (@cfmontreal) February 19, 2026
MATCH PREDICTION: SAN DIEGO FC WIN
This will be the first meeting between San Diego and Montreal. Last season, San Diego split its six meetings with Eastern Conference teams, winning twice, losing twice and drawing twice.
San Diego’s 63 points in 2025 was a record for an expansion team, surpassing the 57 points collected by Los Angeles FC in 2018.
Meanwhile, Montreal’s 28 points in 2025 tied for the fewest in a full season in club history (28 in 2014). Montreal’s 34 goals and -26 goal difference were both the worst in a single season in team history.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
San Diego FC – 66.2%
Draw – 18.4%
CF Montreal – 15.4%
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