San Diego FC thinking big picture as it heads into Leagues Cup finale

by Ryan Finley

San Diego FC will take the field for Tuesday’s Leagues Cup match against Mazatlán FC with nothing left to play for in this tournament.

The Major League Soccer expansion club is 0-2 in group play, and has already been eliminated from advancing to the knockout stage. The club is thin on players and battling both injuries and exhaustion — Tuesday marks the club’s sixth match in three weeks.

Yet SDFC coach Mikey Varas believes there’s plenty at stake. How his team plays will impact the rest of the MLS season in both major and minor ways.

“For us, it’s clear: We want to finish the tournament strong because we’re here to win. It’s a competitive culture that we have here, and every time we step on the field, whether it’s 5-v-5 (in practice) or a game or a scrimmage, we want to win the game,” Varas said.

However …

“It’s an opportunity to continue to make our squad bigger, giving some guys opportunities to see how they do, and (it) also gives us an opportunity to set ourselves up to finish the summer strong, get some guys right and give everybody the stimulus that they need so we can hit the ground running after this game, also.”

So expect Varas to lean on his small-but-growing bench during the match, which begins at 7 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium. Newcomers David Vázquez and Aidan Harangi made their SDFC debuts last week, and are expected see more time; they’ll join a young core that includes fellow 19-year-old Luca Bombino and 20-year-old Manu Duah, among others.

The young players are needed in SDFC is going to build any depth down the home stretch. SDFC (14-7-4) remains at the top of the Western Conference standings with nine regular-season matches remaining, starting Saturday at Kansas City (6-12-6).

“We believe that our best is still yet to come,” Varas said. “Getting guys healthy, fit and layering in those final little details, that’s what’s on our mind right now.”