SAN DIEGO — San Diego FC announced Mikey Varas will be the club's first head coach.
Varas most recently was the Interim Head Coach for the U.S. Men's National Team. Prior to joining U.S. Soccer, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach for FC Dallas, during which the club made it to the MLS Cup playoffs twice.
In a statement released Monday, SDFC Chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said Varas is the "perfect choice" to lead the club's inaugural season next year.
“Mikey’s leadership, desire to win now, and his deep understanding of player development make him the ideal choice to guide our Club forward," Mansour said.
SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps said Varas "embodies the values and ambitions of San Diego FC."
"We have big aspirations for SDFC, and we believe Mikey has the right drive, passion, and leadership to help us build a winning culture," Heaps said. "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.”
Varas's background
Varas played collegiate soccer at the University of San Francisco and trained with CD Santiago Wanderers in Chile.
He has a Master's degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis on Physical Education from Freson Pacific University, as well as a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University. He has a U.S. Soccer Pro License and is fluent in Spanish, too.
Varas became the head coach of the U-16 team for FC Dallas in fall 2017. He later became an assistant coach for the club under former head coach Luchi Gonzalez.
Varas joined U.S. Soccer and began coaching the Men's National Team in November 2021. The next year, the U.S. qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2008 and won the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship.
“I am honored to join San Diego FC as the Club’s first Head Coach,” said Varas. “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.”
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