San Diego Football Club has a new head coach fresh from the majors.
Mikey Varas has joined the team directly from serving as interim head coach of the U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team.
“I am honored to join San Diego FC as the Club’s first Head Coach,” said Varas in a statement.
“The opportunity to build something special from the ground up, with such ambitious and committed ownership, and in a city with such a passionate fan base, is truly exciting. I look forward to working with the team and the community to develop a winning culture from the start.
“I will give everything to this club and the people of San Diego.”
“We believe Mikey is the perfect choice to lead San Diego FC as the Club’s first Head Coach,” added SDFC Chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour.
“As we prepare for our inaugural season, Mikey’s leadership, desire to win now, and his deep understanding of player development make him the ideal choice to guide our Club forward.”
Varas was hired as the Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach in November 2021, and there led the team to a 8-3-3 record during his first 14 months on the job — including at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship where the team won the tournament, and the U.S. qualified to the Olympics for the first time since 2008.
Varas’ squad secured qualification for the Olympics with an impressive 3-0 victory against host Honduras in the tournament semifinals, then defeated the Dominican Republic 6-0 for the title. He later coached the U-20 MNT to the top of their group at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina.
“Mikey embodies the values and ambitions of San Diego FC,” said SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps.
“We have big aspirations for SDFC, and we believe Mikey has the right drive, passion, and leadership to help us build a winning culture. I’m looking forward to welcoming him to San Diego and continuing to build out the staff that will support and help us accomplish our goals.”
Before joining U.S. Soccer, Varas was an assistant coach for FC Dallas under former head coach Luchi Gonzalez for three seasons. During his tenure, FC Dallas reached the MLS Cup playoffs twice fueled by a number of standout Homegrown players from the club’s academy.
Varas joined FC Dallas in fall 2017 as head coach of the U-16 team after he connected with Gonzalez, then FCD’s Academy director, while the two pursued their U.S. Soccer “A” Coaching Licenses in 2013.
Prior to his time at FC Dallas, Varas worked with the Sacramento Republic academy, where he was recognized as the U.S. Soccer Development Academy West Conference U-14 Coach of the Year for the 2016-17 season.
Varas played collegiate soccer at the University of San Francisco and trained in Chile with the Club de Deportes Santiago Wanderers before transitioning into coaching.
More information can be found at www.sandiegofc.com.