San Diego FC (willingly) releases 3 players for U20 World Cup amid MLS stretch run

San Diego FC is in the thick of the race for the top spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference, with three of its final four regular-season games coming on the road, starting Saturday at Atlanta United.

At stake is the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best overall record, home-field advantage in the playoffs and a berth in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

And smack in the middle of that, here comes the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, a 24-team tournament that begins Sept. 27 and runs through Oct. 19 — and, notably, does not require professional clubs to release players like the senior World Cup or periodic international dates.

What does SDFC do?

It releases them, all of them, knowing they’ll miss at least two MLS games and possibly three. The expansion club had three players on the U.S. U20 roster announced Friday: starting left back Luca Bombino, midfielder Pedro Soma and goalkeeper Duran Ferree. That’s the most of any MLS club.

It could have been double that. Forward David Vazquez, who scored in SDFC’s 4-2 exhibition win against the Tijuana Xolos on Tuesday, was left off coach Marco Mitrovic’s roster despite being among the 23 players invited to final training camp earlier this month in Spain and starting the final tune-up against Morocco. With three goals, Vazquez was the leading U.S. scorer in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament last year for the U20 World Cup.

Two SDFC teammates also had caps with the U20s but are currently injured: defenders Aiden Harangi and Oscar Verhoeven.

Again: Clubs are not obligated to release them for the U20 World Cup.

Except SDFC has and will, at least as long as Mikey Varas is coach and Tyler Heaps is sporting director.

“One hundred percent supportive of the national teams and especially the World Cups,” Varas said. “If our guys get called, they’ll go.

“You have a philosophy. You always take into account short-term results but also mid-term and long-term. … We’re always balancing all of those things. You can’t get so short-sighted. For us, it’s a worthwhile investment.”

Varas sees both sides. He was the U.S. U20 national team coach for two years, guiding the Yanks to the quarterfinals of the 2023 U20 World Cup in Argentina before losing 2-0 to eventual champion Uruguay.

He also was an assistant coach at FC Dallas, an MLS club that prioritizes youth development and once released two starters plus a key backup to U20 World Cup duty.

“For me, where I came from, my background, why I think I’m such a good match here with the ownership and Right to Dream group, is we’re all aligned in that,” Varas said. “There’s a bigger picture, always, at play.

“Ultimately, it’s about supporting national teams and supporting the sport in this country, trying to get it to another level. We hope that they go there and win a World Cup. We haven’t done that. So let’s give our best players to the national teams to give us the best chance of winning.”

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi have played in the U20 World Cup, along with future stars like Luis Figo, Davor Suker, Xavi and Sergio Aguero. But increasingly, the planet’s biggest pro clubs are signing younger and younger players to bigger and bigger contracts that deter their release when not required, either for fear of injury or fear of losing league games in their absence.

That’s why you won’t see Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal for Spain, Chelsea’s Estevao and Real Madrid’s Endrick for Brazil, or Paris Saint-Germain’s Desire Doue and Manchester United’s Leny Yoro for France.

Nigeria lost three projected starters, two from the same German club (Hoffenheim). South Korea had its three best attackers denied by European clubs. South Africa had a key defender blocked by his Belgian club. Mitrovic, the U.S. coach, said Germany’s Augsburg nixed 18-year-old defender Noahkai Banks despite not being a regular starter for the Bundesliga side.

Morocco is in the same boat, only worse.

“We started from a large group of around 55 players, and it was complicated, not just for Morocco, but for many teams,” coach Mohamed Ouahbi told Moroccan media on Friday. “We prepared a preliminary list, sent it to clubs, and waited for their responses.”

There was no such consternation when it came to SDFC and U.S. Soccer. Release, granted.

The U.S. opens Sept. 29 against New Caledonia, then completes group play against France on Oct. 2 and South Africa on Oct. 5. The round of 16 begins Oct. 7. The final is Oct. 18 in Santiago.

Bombino, Soma and Ferree will be available Saturday against Atlanta United, then miss Sept. 27 at home against San Jose and Oct. 4 at Houston. If the U.S. reaches the semis, they’ll also miss the regular-season finale at Portland.

The MLS playoffs begin the following weekend.

Ferree is the third-string keeper, but Bombino has started 22 times this season and Soma has come off the bench in the last four MLS games.

“I think that’s great for the club, to be honest,” said 28-year-old SDFC defender Christopher McVey, who played for Sweden at the under-17 level. “It’s a good experience for the young guys to go out and try the international stage, it’s really good.

“For us, we have such a big squad and we trust everyone here, so even if they’re gone, we know other people can come and fill it up and take that position. You’ve seen it the whole year. We’ve rotated a lot with guys away for national team duty. There are no worries there. And it’s good for them to get that experience and hopefully come back stronger and better.”

San Diego FC (17-8-5) vs  Atlanta United (5-13-11)

When: 1:30 p.m

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Streaming: Apple TV

Radio: 760-AM, 1700-AM (Spanish)