San Diego FC Sporting Director & General Manager Tyler Heaps & Head Coach Mikey Varas met with the media this morning at the SHARP HealthCare Performance Center to kick off the 2026 campaign. Ahead of San Diego's first-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup appearance and second MLS season, Heaps discusses the Club's mentality this preseason, preparation for their second-ever campaign, and player news.
San Diego FC Sporting Director & General Manager Tyler Heaps
On the Club’s Mentality & Preparation for Champions Cup
“With the CONCACAF scheduling, we came back a week early…It’s the hand we’ve been dealt to be playing earlier than we’d like on Feb. 3 and the 10th away. We got straight back to it. It’s a different year than last year. The first few days of training were fantastic. We’re fortunate to bring back 26 players, so a lot of that continuity and that style of play and everything we’ve been doing is there, and trying to integrate some new guys. Really great to be back, great that the sun is shining. We’re fortunate we can stay in San Diego the full time. Preseason will change a little bit - We will no longer be going to Coachella. Everybody’s excited, everybody’s in good spirits and a lot of the staff stayed consistent from last year which has really helped us get off the ground really quickly.”
On Chucky Lozano
“We’ve had a lot of conversations with him [Hirving] and his representatives leading into the break, as well as all of last season. We have communicated to Hirving and his representatives that he will not be part of the Sporting plans moving forward. That was not a decision that was taken lightly. It was talked through with owners down to leadership, down to myself and Mikey and communicated to the rest of the group.”
“We really appreciate Hirving’s contributions and what he was able to contribute last year, but as the season went on from style of play - as well as environment - we feel like it’s best for both parties to find a new solution.”
San Diego FC Head Coach Mikey Varas
On expectations for the Club in the second season
“We don’t focus on expectations. We focus on standards. At the end of the day, no one can take away what we did last season. That’s everybody. That’s from everyone who cleaned this building, the cooks, to the ownership, to the players, to the staff, and our amazing supporters. That was all of us. At the end of the day, we planted roots for our Club to be born. How incredible is that. On top of that, we went on an incredible ride together at the same time. That doesn’t always happen. We can’t mistake these roots for a hundred year old redwood. That’s where we’re trying to get. So we need to continue working.”
On Chucky Lozano
“Our focus is always on the collective. It’s about pushing the team chemistry this year... We all respect him for the player that he is. Ultimately, it’s just not the right fit, and when it’s not the right fit, it’s no one's fault. It’s making sure that we set him up best as possible to help him arrive to the World Cup because we do want what’s the best for him. Most importantly, this is what we think is best for the team, in the short-term and long-term.”
On the mentality of the Club
“No one’s bigger than the Club, no one’s bigger than the city. That includes me. What I can say is what I’ve always said: We’re here to win. But how we win and who we win with matters. We made a decision across the entire Club from leadership all the way up to ownership. Everybody’s on the same page. This is the best decision from us in the short-term & long-term.”
