St. Louis CITY SC took MLS by storm in 2023, setting all sorts of expansion club records and redefining what it meant to be an expansion side. Now, with the newest MLS side, San Diego FC, in the mix, St. Louis are once against going to make expansion history.
San Diego FC's inaugural home opener is this weekend, hosting the most recent expansion club prior, St. Louis CITY SC. A poetic matchup of two cities storylined by the loss of a beloved NFL team to Los Angeles later expanding into the MLS. San Diego lost the Chargers in 2016, while St. Louis lost the Rams in 2015; now, both play in LA at SoFi Stadium. St. Louis CITY SC kicked off their inaugural campaign in 2023, while San Diego FC kicked theirs off last week in 2025.
As the first opponent to ever play at San Diego FC's SnapDragon Stadium this Saturday (March 1st, 2025), St. Louis now get the opportunity to preserve the history they made in 2023.
The most incredible storyline in #AllForCITY vs #SDFC:
— Will Bratton (stlcityscviews) (@willbrattonstl) March 1, 2025
Both cities lost beloved NFL teams to LA back to back (Rams 2015, Chargers 2016). Both later received MLS bids back to back (STL 2023, SDFC 2025).
Now, #stlcitysc get the chance to protect their expansion records from SDFC. pic.twitter.com/uQ1nCxICIC
Records To Protect:
- Only expansion club to win first 5 matches (5-0-0 through first 5 matches).
- Only expansion club to win their conference (Western Conference Champions, 2023) in their inaugural season.
- Tied LAFC for most wins (16) by an expansion side in their inaugural season.
- Second most points (56) by an expansion club in their inaugural season.
San Diego FC So Far:
- Won first match in club history on the road against reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy by a score of 2-0 (1-0-0).
St. Louis went scoreless in their home opener, sharing a point with Colorado Rapids. The full returns of forward Cedric Teuchert and midfielder Chris Durkin, as well as the impact of new signing Conrad Wallem could be a storyline to watch on the pitch for the boys in CITY Red.
March 1st, 2025. A date that will be forever remembered in San Diego FC history. But, will the memories include a victory for the home team, or will St. Louis CITY SC rain on the parade?