‘Soccer town’ San Diego make some noise on MLS debut with win over LA Galaxy

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By Rory Carroll

CARSON, California (Reuters) – San Diego FC enjoyed a debut to remember by stunning MLS Cup defending champions LA Galaxy 2-0 on Sunday in a win fueled by the thunderous backing of fans who made the trip north to Los Angeles.

Winger Anders Dreyer scored both goals for the expansion side as charged-up fans banged drums and delivered deafening chants on a warm evening in the Southern California city of Carson.

Longtime observers of San Diego’s soccer scene said they were surprised by how quickly the city had taken to the team.

“I feel the passion,” Stuart Holden, a former MLS and national team player turned Fox Sports analyst, told Reuters at the game.

“I played with the U.S. national team back at Qualcomm Stadium and they turned up 30,000-40,000 people per game, so I always knew San Diego was a soccer town.

“So when MLS was announced I was stoked, but I didn’t anticipate the reaction they were going to have in terms of the amount of season tickets they’ve sold and the amount of fans that have traveled here today.

“This is going to be a fun rivalry between San Diego and the LA teams, and this back and forth is only good for the league.”

MLS’s 30th team arrives for its 30th season and San Diego supporter Bryan Swarberg said he was thrilled his native city was finally getting its opportunity.

“I’m a San Diego sports fan through and through,” Swarberg said.

“I didn’t have a lot to root for on a local level. I always cared about World Cup, CONCACAF, but San Diego, which I feel is a great sports city, has maybe never gotten as much as they deserved.

“Now we have a local club to root for and I want to be a part of it.”

San Diego play their first competitive home game on Saturday when they face St. Louis City at Snapdragon Stadium.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Peter Rutherford)