San Diego FC invited the community to celebrate the start of the MLS season on Sunday, Feb. 16 at Snapdragon Stadium.
The stadium was filled with many fans wearing San Diego FC merchandise. Throughout the stadium, there were various areas and activities for fans to enjoy.
The two main activities at the event were the meet-and-greet and player presentation on stage.
The event started at noon and lasted until 6 p.m., allowing people to walk around the stadium. They had the chance to take pictures in the photo booth, get in line early for the meet-and-greet and those who are members and founders of the club received gifts. There were also spots to buy merchandise, food and beverages. People also had the opportunity to learn about and purchase their Season Ticket Membership.
During those six hours, a Mariachi group performed, and a DJ played music, creating an amazing atmosphere.
Two hours into the event, they introduced general manager Tyler Heaps, CEO Tom Penn, head coach Mikey Varas and all the players on the main stage.
When Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano was introduced, the crowd chanted “El Chucky Lozano.” Many of those chanting were from the Hispanic community and wore Mexico or San Diego FC jerseys with Lozano’s name on the back.
Jesse Martinez, a San Diego native and coach for the San Diego Select SC, spoke about Lozano being part of the roster.
“Chucky Lozano, 2018, everybody knows what happened,” he said. “Now, having him here in the city is the best thing.”
On June 4, 2018, Lozano scored the only goal of the match for the Mexico national team in the opening group match of the World Cup against defending champion Germany.
After the presentation, attendees had the opportunity to walk around the stadium, but most gathered in two main areas.
One was the long line for the meet-and-greet, and the other was the main stage.
At the main stage, three players at a time would be asked questions by the moderator.
Once the players were done, a new set from the roster would rotate in, moving from the stage to the field, where tents were set up for the meet-and-greets, with two players at each tent.
Lozano was the most anticipated player for the fans and was in the first round of the meet-and-greet. By the time Lozano rotated out, many fans asked security if he was coming back, with security responding with uncertainty.
During the questions with the moderator, we learned more about the players, including what to expect from them and the season. In addition, the moderator allowed the audience to ask questions.
Throughout the day, Maximiliano Valle Bernal, a third-year student at San Diego State studying marketing and also known as “El Tigre Freestyle,” performed freestyle soccer tricks surrounded by fans.
“San Diego (FC) booked me for the event,” Bernal said. “I’m working directly with them and hopefully on their first home game on March 1st, I’ll be doing the halftime show.”
With an MLS team now in San Diego, Martinez and Bernal are glad that it finally happened.
“I was born and raised and words can’t explain,” Martinez said. “I’ve been waiting for this since I was a kid. We always needed it because you know growing up without a team it’s like you do the process of club level. It’s like where do you go next? You gotta go to LA, you gotta go to Arizona or wherever. But now it’s in our backyard so we could finally take that final step and say ‘here’s SDFC’.”
As for “El Tigre Freestyle,” it opened an opportunity to showcase his talent.
“I’m happy, mostly for myself because that means more opportunities,” Bernal said. “I’m really grateful to be part of the event. I’m really happy to be changing lives like the kids are amazed with what I do with the ball. Whenever they ask for a picture or autograph that means a lot to me.”
Martinez came to the event with children he coaches as well as a team in San Diego as he knows the kids will be well represented.
“I wish I was in their shoes, honestly,” Martinez said. “These are opportunities where I tell them, ‘Hey you know what you guys gotta visualize these moments. Visualize like you guys are gonna be here one day, you know, visualize you guys gonna wake up and be an SDFC player one day.’”
San Diego FC opens the regular season in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, facing LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park at 4 p.m. Their home opener will be on March 1 at Snapdragon Stadium, where San Diego will face St. Louis City SC at 7:30 p.m.
