A Trip to San Diego

It was inevitable. A matchup between the two top clubs in the USL Western Conference was never going to disappoint, and it seems like Loyal fans in San Diego got the memo.

On Saturday, we set out to the golden coast for a matchup between two USL heavyweights, the San Diego Loyal and San Antonio FC. Outside of anything you may find on a stat sheet or game report, we were met with a matchday that exceeded all expectations.

Freestylers, supporter groups, and OGs of the sport; San Diego showed up for their yearly Pride Night match. 

“I’ve been watching soccer for longer than you’ve been alive,” says this veteran fan of San Diego sports. “I’ve been in San Diego since ‘72, so I guess that’s almost a native.”

“I got into the sport pretty quickly. I got so tired of football that I figured something’s gotta be better than that,” she adds. “The Loyal stood out to me because they’re local, and I’ve been coming to these games with my daughter ever since they kicked off a few years ago. Normally, I’d have to go to Los Angeles or Las Vegas to watch other sports teams, and that’s just too far. This team is a team that wants to stay in San Diego, and that means a lot to me. We’re right here for them.”

Although not everyone has experienced the beauty of this city since the ‘70s, recent fans of the sport do see the growth of the game in the region, especially as we enter one of the most important decades in U.S. soccer history.

“I like how it’s catching fire,” another fan tells me at the tailgate. Fernando had been waiting years for a soccer team to reach his city, and it’s clear the recent growth in support has him excited for what’s to come. 

“It’s not just growing slowly anymore. It’s finally got traction,” he says. “San Diego has been waiting for this team, and it strikes me as odd that it’s taken this long for San Diego, but I’m glad it’s here now.”

Although it may have taken long to get the recognition it deserved, the sport has an ample history in the Southern California region. For Diego, a longtime soccer fan in the area, it’s a history that he’s followed closely. 

“I supported the San Diego Flash back in the 90s, which is the team we had back in the day. When I was young, I remember going out to those games on the weekends, and they were a lot of fun. Herculez Gomez came out of this area, too, playing with the San Diego Gauchos in the early 2000s. Soccer has always been here, but maybe people just didn’t know.”

The Gauchos, a team founded in 2002 and disbanded in 2006, also happened to play in the venue hosting Saturday’s match – the great Torero Stadium. Twenty years after they started the team, it’s certain that those involved with the franchise and the stadium would have been proud of the soccer on display there these days. 

And there’s really a no better name for such a venue. Torero, or ‘bullfighter’ in English, is fitting for the scenes that these grounds witness week in and week out. 

The Hispanic-American community in the region also makes itself heard from the stands. “I’m very proud of being Mexican, so we just gotta show our pride,” tells me this Loyal supporter a few minutes before the match.

As the team has grown through the years, more and more people find themselves here to support their local club, especially as they remain a top contender in this season’s USL standings.

“I do think San Diego is becoming more of a soccer city,” he tells me as we look over Torero’s gates.

“There’s more and more hype every day. The World Cup is coming up, so I hope there are more and more people in San Diego who join us.”

Walking through the city, it’s pretty clear that the club has definitely made gains in terms of brand recognition. In an area with such a deeply-rooted sports heritage – and a history that has often ended in heartbreak due to franchises coming and going – the Loyal has seen a wave of support from the local sports community in recent months.

“It’s cool to see how the rest of the city has rallied around this team,” they tell me.

“You even see the Padres recently jumping in, and their players saying, ‘Go Loyal!’ That’s just awesome. You see a lot of community involvement and jerseys everywhere, so it’s amazing to feel like the whole city is embracing the team little by little.”

“In the next decade, I would love for us to have our own stadium for sure. I’d love to have a huge stadium to go to and say, ‘Hey, that’s our home.’”

With such ambitious and forward-thinking support from the fans, it’s only fitting that the team follows through on the field. With the team being known for its high-pressing tactics and attacking-centered mindset, the result on Saturday night was only a reflection of the mentalities shared by both the fans and the players in attendance.

The San Diego Loyal swiftly defeated San Antonio FC by a wide 3-0 margin, and they emphatically showed their fanbase that there is reason to be excited about the future. Landon Donovan and Nate Miller’s side is now just four points behind the league leaders and steadily climbing.

Although our trip out West may have been short, it really only takes one matchday to understand what’s being built here. 

If you don’t believe me, well, believe the Irish.

“We’re visiting from Dublin. American soccer doesn’t have a good reputation back home, and you really don’t hear much about USL. Still, the crowd here might even be better than what we see in Ireland,” they confess. “To the people back home, I’d just say, ‘Get over and watch a game.’”

Although I don’t know much about the Shamrock Rovers – the club these two lads support – the scenes around them at Torero Stadium probably prove them right.

After all, many fans in San Diego proclaim the city to be the Mecca of soccer in the United States. While that may be a little far-fetched, San Diego’s rich history with this sport certainly creates an intoxicating atmosphere for anyone traveling to catch a match. The generations of aficionados teeming all over the city already make San Diego a must-visit destination if you love the sport. With the way the Loyal has grown in such little time, who knows where the team and the city will be a few years from now. 

With youngsters like Evan Conway consistently making their mark and veterans like Landon Donovan leading the charge, this weekend’s 3-0 result comes as no surprise for a city that seems to have found the perfect balance between past and present – on and off the field. For history to be made, it has to be respected first, and a quick trip to San Diego shows that the city and the team are creating something special by understanding just that.