San Diego FC opens its 2026 MLS Regular Season this Saturday, Feb. 21, hosting CF Montréal at Snapdragon Stadium with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff — and East County fans will not want to miss it.
The club enters Year 2 as the defending Western Conference regular season champions after one of the most remarkable expansion campaigns in MLS history. SDFC finished 19-9-6 with 63 points in 2025, setting expansion-era records for wins and points before advancing to the Western Conference Final in the playoffs.
The headliner is Danish forward Anders Dreyer, who put together one of the most prolific debut seasons in league history — 19 goals and 19 assists, earning MLS Newcomer of the Year and MLS Best XI honors while finishing runner-up for the Landon Donovan MVP award. Now entering his second season, Dreyer is chasing even bigger history: 30 goal contributions in 2026 would put him alongside Sebastian Giovinco and Zlatan Ibrahimović as the only players to reach that mark in each of their first two MLS seasons.
Head coach Mikey Varas returns 22 players from the inaugural roster and has added significant reinforcements. Midfielder Bryce Duke arrives from CF Montréal — Saturday's opponent — along with Scottish international Lewis Morgan, the 2024 MLS Comeback Player of the Year, and 18-year-old winger Bryan Zamblé, a Right to Dream graduate. Saturday's opponent, CF Montréal, finished 13th in the Eastern Conference last season and has never previously faced San Diego FC.
For fans making the trip, Snapdragon Stadium is roughly 30 minutes from Santee via Interstate 8. Doors open early for Fan Fest, presented by Adriana's Insurance, featuring a Modelo Beer Garden and live music from Linea Divina from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The 2026 food lineup has been updated with local favorites including Taco Stand, Buona Forchetta, and The Fish Shop. MTS will run additional Green Line Trolley service before and after the match for fans looking to skip the parking hassle.
The match will be broadcast on Apple TV in English and Spanish, with local radio coverage on San Diego Sports 760 AM. SDFC's next home match after Saturday comes on March 11, when they host Liga MX's Deportivo Toluca FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.