In this episode, we step inside the Right to Dream Academy: San Diego.

With ambitions to be the most advanced facility of its kind in North America, the clock is ticking to get it ready for their first wave of student-athletes in 2025.

We meet the club’s team of scouts — the largest in MLS — and learn what they’re doing differently in order to unearth the next generation of soccer stars… on both sides of the US–Mexico border.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right to Dream has landed in Southern California with a bold plan to revolutionize youth development. But is everyone happy to see them?

San Diego is known as a hotbed of soccer talent — home to some of the nation's top youth clubs, each with their own way of doing things.

We meet the SDFC staff who are out in the community, working to win hearts and minds, preparing the ground for the club’s first academy program.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s November 2024, less than three months until SDFC play their first-ever game — and they only have six players on their roster. But in a few weeks’ time, they’ll have an opportunity to change that with the MLS Expansion Draft and SuperDraft.

Tyler and Mikey now focus on how to build a team that can play in the Right to Dream style — while winning games straight out of the gate.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mikey and Tyler start strategizing on how to build a Right to Dream club, true to the organization’s philosophy, while representing the people of Southern California.

But before they can start thinking about players and tactics, they set off on a whirlwind world tour of the Right to Dream network. They visit Ghana, Egypt, and Denmark to see what lessons they can bring home to San Diego.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

San Diegans love their sports teams — but there’s also been more than a little heartbreak over the years. It’s a history littered with false dawns and tragic endings, not least when it comes to soccer teams.

The job SDFC faces is simple: unite seven fragmented supporter groups under one banner, and appeal to a city of passionate fans in time for match day one. But with a 35,000-seat stadium to fill, they better get a move on.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, what does it take to win the rights to become Major League Soccer’s 30th team? And who would pay half a billion dollars to do it?!

In this episode, we explore the unlikely partnership behind SDFC: Right to Dream — a revolutionary global soccer group — and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation — the first Native American owners in men’s professional sports.

It’s a story that bridges cultures, spans 8,000 miles and 20,000 years, and came together to bring MLS to San Diego.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s September 2024. The national sports press has gathered at Snapdragon Stadium for the unveiling of San Diego FC’s first-ever head coach — Mikey Varas.

As he prepares to face the media and the fans, we delve into the club’s hiring process and hear from those behind the decision to bring Mikey to America’s Finest City.

Coming off a tumultuous two-week stint as interim USMNT coach, we find out why they believe he’s the right man for the job — despite his lack of top-tier experience...

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the summer of 2024 — four months since the announcement that MLS is finally coming to San Diego, and just over six months until SDFC takes the field for their first-ever game.

Join us behind the scenes to see what it takes to launch a sports organization from scratch; hear what the soccer-loving people of San Diego really think — and meet the man whose job it is to actually build the team: 33-year-old rookie Sporting Director, Tyler Heaps.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.