San Diego FC keeps three picks, adds six on MLS Expansion Draft day

San Diego FC started Wednesday with seven players. Less than 24 hours later that number is nearly doubled.

The newest Major League Soccer club came away with six additions by the end of their MLS Expansion Draft. Sporting Director Tyler Heaps and Head Coach Mikey Varas made five picks, two of which were traded away by night’s end.

Their roster additions are midfielders Jasper Loffelsend (Colorado) and Heine Bruseth (Orlando), and defender Hamady Diop (Charlotte). They also selected Thiago Andrade and Hosei Kijima. Andrade was sent to Toronto and Kijima to D.C. United for cash and a draft pick.

Prior to the draft the club announced two trades. Goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos comes over from Inter Miami. The 24-year-old has international experience with the United States Youth National Teams. They also added MLS experience in Chris McVey. The former D.C. United defender came to the league in 2022 and won the 2023 Leagues Cup alongside Lionel Messi in Miami.

There was also one move that has been reported, but is not yet official. According to MLS insider Tom Bogert the club landed center back Andres Reyes from the New York Red Bulls. The 25-year-old from Colombia scored the winning goal to lift New York past Orlando in this year’s Eastern Conference Final. Reyes was unable to play in their MLS Cup Final loss to L.A. Galaxy because of an illness.

“I think we have really good players that complement each other very well,” Heaps said. “Now you can start to see the spine start to take shape. I think we’ve got a really good center back pairing for this league – people that complement each other in terms of Paddy (McNair) and potentially the new one that’s coming. We’ve got some goalkeepers that are gonna be eager and challenging to compete for that No. 1 job. We’ve got a frontline that we think is very dangerous. If we can complete one or two more pieces we think it can be among some of the best in the league.”

Heaps believes Loffelsend can start for SDFC from day one. The 27-year-old German has been in the league since 2022, and made 34 starts from 2022-2023 for Real Salt Lake.

“Heine we think has top potential,” Heaps said about the 20-year-old from Norway. He joined Orlando City in 2024 but did not make an appearance.

Diop was the No. 1 pick in the SuperDraft two years ago out of Clemson. Charlotte drafted the now 22-year-old and loaned him to a club in Serbia for 2024.

“He’s proven he can do it in Europe, there was a lot of interest for him to stay in Europe,” Heaps said. “We think he’s a really good profile to stay with us and contribute in MLS.”

Those six join a roster that features Mexican star Chucky Lozano, who will arrive in San Diego after wrapping up his time with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. The team also includes San Diego native Duran Ferree, an 18-year-old goalkeeper. They added 21-year-old forward Tomas Angel from LAFC earlier this week.

The roster will continue to grow in the coming weeks. MLS free agency begins Thursday. San Diego FC is slated to make the top pick in the SuperDraft on December 20. The window to sign players from international leagues opens January 31.

Lozano is currently the club’s lone “Designated Player” – top talents, often acquired from overseas. Lionel Messi is the most popular example at the moment. Given the steep price tag for those players, their salary does not count against the team’s cap.

The club intends to add another “DP” before the season.

“I think the next step for us is to get our second DP,” Varas said. “We know in our league when you get your DPs right you’re competitive.”