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San Diego FC now knows its path through the shortened 2027 MLS Sprint Season, and it will begin with a familiar Southern California opponent.
SDFC will open the 14-match season on the road against LAFC on Sunday, Feb. 21 at BMO Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT, with the match serving as the opening weekend edition of Sunday Night Soccer.
Six days later, San Diego will return to Snapdragon Stadium for its home opener against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
The Sprint Season represents a unique chapter in MLS history. Rather than the traditional full-length campaign, clubs will play just 14 regular-season matches between February and May as the league prepares to transition to its new summer-to-spring calendar.
Each team will play every opponent in its conference once, giving San Diego seven home matches and seven away matches before Decision Day on May 8.
A short season with little room for error
With only 14 games on the schedule, every result will carry additional weight.
The top eight teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences will advance to the 2027 MLS Cup Playoffs. The postseason will then shift to a single-elimination format, with the Eastern and Western Conference champions meeting in MLS Cup over Memorial Day Weekend.
That leaves clubs with significantly less time to recover from a slow start or a difficult stretch of results.
There is also more at stake than the MLS Cup trophy. Results from the Sprint Season will help determine qualification for the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup and 2028 Leagues Cup.
For SDFC, the schedule begins with one of the biggest games available.
San Diego travels north to face LAFC at BMO Stadium before playing Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas in consecutive home matches. After that, SDFC hits one of its most demanding portions of the schedule, with three straight road games against Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps and Minnesota United, separated by a home matchup against Austin FC.
Seven games at Snapdragon Stadium
San Diego's seven home games are spread between February and May, with five of them scheduled for Saturdays.
After hosting Real Salt Lake on Feb. 27, SDFC welcomes FC Dallas on March 6 and Austin FC on March 20.
April will be the busiest month at Snapdragon Stadium. Sporting Kansas City visits San Diego on Wednesday, April 7, followed by Portland Timbers on Sunday, April 11 and St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, April 24.
The final home match of the Sprint Season could also be one of the most anticipated.
SDFC will host the LA Galaxy on Saturday, May 1 at 7 p.m., giving San Diego another Southern California matchup with postseason positioning potentially on the line.
The regular season then concludes one week later when SDFC travels to face the Colorado Rapids on Decision Day.
San Diego FC 2027 MLS Sprint Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Feb. 21 | at LAFC | BMO Stadium | 4:00 p.m. |
| Sat., Feb. 27 | vs. Real Salt Lake | Snapdragon Stadium | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., March 6 | vs. FC Dallas | Snapdragon Stadium | 7:00 p.m. |
| Wed., March 10 | at Seattle Sounders FC | Lumen Field | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., March 13 | at Vancouver Whitecaps FC | BC Place | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sat., March 20 | vs. Austin FC | Snapdragon Stadium | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., March 27 | at Minnesota United FC | Allianz Field | 12:00 p.m. |
| Wed., April 7 | vs. Sporting Kansas City | Snapdragon Stadium | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sun., April 11 | vs. Portland Timbers | Snapdragon Stadium | TBD |
| Sat., April 17 | at San Jose Earthquakes | PayPal Park | 7:00 p.m. |
| Wed., April 21 | at Houston Dynamo FC | Shell Energy Stadium | 5:00 p.m. |
| Sat., April 24 | vs. St. Louis CITY SC | Snapdragon Stadium | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., May 1 | vs. LA Galaxy | Snapdragon Stadium | 7:00 p.m. |
| Sat., May 8 | at Colorado Rapids | Dick’s Sporting Goods Park | 5:00 p.m. |
The road to the playoffs
San Diego will play two matches in February, five in March, five in April and two in May.
The compact schedule means SDFC will have little opportunity to ease into the campaign. By the end of March, half of the 14-game regular season will already be complete.
Decision Day arrives May 8, with every Western Conference match scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. PT. Once the final standings are set, the top eight teams from each conference will move into the single-elimination MLS Cup Playoffs.
MLS Cup will then be played over Memorial Day Weekend, bringing the short but potentially chaotic Sprint Season to an end.
For San Diego FC, it all starts Feb. 21 in Los Angeles — and with only 14 games to determine the postseason field, the race for points will begin immediately.
