From where we stand today, with No. 1-seeded San Diego FC set to host Minnesota United FC before a sell-out crowd at Snapdragon Stadium in a Western Conference Semifinal on Monday night at the business end of statistically the best expansion season in MLS history, the Chrome & Azul look quite clever for hiring Mikey Varas as their first-ever head coach (10 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV ).

SDFC have played some of the league’s most aesthetically pleasing soccer while also being viciously effective, paced by MLS Newcomer of the Year and Best XI honoree Anders Dreyer , and a first-place finish – fueled by expansion-club records for points (63) and wins (19) – ensures the Western road to MLS Cup 2025 presented by Audi runs through their house.

Things looked rather different when

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