Chromaniacs: a San Diego FC Podcast

Tony Sanchez is at Snapdragon Stadium, joined by Craig Elsten and Alex Peña in studio to break down a disappointing 1-0 home loss to San Jose Earthquakes. It seems like San Diego soccer fans have been shown the same match for almost four months now, with great possession but very little finishing touch, and goals conceded against the run of play. The guys work through their frustration over the never-ending hole at the #9 position, and hear the post-match comments from head coach Mikey Varas.

On tonight's show: SDFC plays well for a half in Atlanta, then stumblesThe battle for first place in the West tightens upLuca de la Torre's struggles in the midfieldWho starts at left back wtih Bombino out?SDFC-San Jose Earthquakes preview

ON THE SHOW TONIGHTSDFC shows SDSU how to fill Snapdragon Stadium without giving away the houseLooking back at a loss to the LoonsHow can SDFC reach next year's CONCACAF Champions CupMikey Varas wants SDFC to support all national teams (training ground sound)SDFC-Atlanta United previewIs this the ultimate trap game on the schedule? 

Tony Sanchez is live from Snapdragon Stadium, Craig Elsten and Alex Peña join from home to break down a 4-2 win over Club Tijuana in the first-ever Baja Cup. David Vasquez made a play for a bigger role in the offense with a goal and assist. Tomas Ángel delivered a beautiful assist on the Vasquez goal. Manu Duah nailed a header in the box on a corner kick for the lead. And "Guest Player 37" capped things off with a fourth goal. Guest player WHO? Tony has the answers on the names behind the guests. The guys hear from head coach Mikey Varas about the win.

ON THE SHOW TONIGHT! The international break is over, what happened?Right to Dream academy officially launches, MLS Next team comingSDFC vs Xolos, the "Baja Cup" is coming next weekSDFC spoiled Sonny's debut for LAFC but NOT in South Korean AI recaps!Match preview: Minnesota at SDFCWhat's the dream scenario for Saturday's results? How can Los Chromados overcome Minnesota's planned low-block defense?Audio: Onni Valakari from the SDFC training grounds

Monday night, the Chromaniacs and 2 Balls and a Mic got together for another epic roundtable, talking about the hottest team in MLS! SDFC's 2-1 win at LAFC was the signature win so far of an inaugural season that has already delivered more memories than could possibly be imagined. With no match this week, we wanted to share the excitement of our talk with the Chromaniacs audience! The panel went through the match in detail, the implications for the MLS table, how CJ Dos Santos has regained his firm grip on the goalkeeping position, and much, much more! 

ON THE SHOW TONIGHTLooking back at a 0-0 draw against PortlandWhy does SDFC play so much better away than at home? Craig has a theoryLos Chromados about to be hit with call-ups for the U-20 USMNTVOICE OF THE SUPPORTER: Adriene (Papi Chavo) joins us to talk about the growth of the supporter section and what it takes to be a drummer for Frontera SDMATCH PREVIEW: SDFC faces their biggest test of the regular season when they travel to BMO Stadium on Sunday night 

ON THE SHOW TONIGHTWhat does Duru bring to SDFC?How can the Chromados use Duru now and in the future?How does this impact who is already here?The future of SDFC is youth AND sellingTraining Sound from Leo Duru and Mikey VarasThe Last Team We Haven't Seen in the West: PortlandPlayoff Clinching Scenarios

Monday night's first hour of 2 Balls and a Mic (the flagship podcast of SanDiego.Futbol) brought together The Chromaniacs, along with Chiva and Abe of SD.F, for a fun hour of roundtable SDFC talk! The group focused on Sunday's road result, a 2-1 win in San Jose which gave SDFC six straight wins away from San Diego. Marcus Ingvartsen's return to center forward led to a pair of goals, is he the key to SDFC's offense going forward? The group dissect the game from start to finish, including some strong defense from the young back line, an egregious error at goalkeeper for the lone concession against, and how the lineup could change down the stretch. The hour wraps up with a look ahead to Saturday's home match against Timbers. We also invite you to check out the video version of this show on YouTube, where some of The Chromaniac's jokes might make a lot more sense :)

ON THE SHOW TONIGHTA look back at SDFC's 2-0 win in Kansas CityWho is SDFC's best young rookie?Could two SD pro teams win their divisions this year?VOICE OF THE SUPPORTERFrontera SD Vice President Vanessa B joins the show!Creating supporter energy in San Diegothe challenge of bringing multiple SGs under one bannerSD-SAN JOSE PREVIEWAlex Peña's experience becoming a soccer fan in San JoseJeeping the Cristians under controlCan SDFC keep their remarkable road run going?

The Chromaniacs gather late on a Saturday night after a 2-0 SDFC win at Sporting KC. Getting your Designated Players right matters in MLS...a LOTIndividual brilliance from Chucky Lozano for a 1-0 leadSDFC holding off an hour of spirited KC attackDreyer using his determination and getting a little luck tooCJ Dos Santos back in net with a clean sheetWhy does SDFC play so well away from home? 

ON THE SHOW TONIGHTMilan Iloski to Philadelphia, a tale of TAMCorey Baird to SDFC, what kind of fit will he be?Is Marcus Ingvartsen the key player down the stretch at forward?Leagues Cup Review: a goodbye win over MazatlanAnother change in netMikey Varas post-Mazatlan soundSporting KC preview: can SDFC keep up their road form in the heat and humidity?

ON TODAY'S SHOWTransfers incoming, Duran Furree returns, we check out the latest roster moves!A look back at a tough night against Pachuca in the Leagues Cup openerWas Leagues Cup the right fit for a young SDFC franchise? Preview of tonight (Friday's) match vs Tigres UANLTraining grounds sound from head coach Mikey Varas and forward Tomas Ángel

Craig Elsten and Alex Peña break down and discuss SDFC's stirring 1-0 win over Nashville SC, helping keep San Diego on top of the Western Conference table. Tony Sanchez joins the guys from Snapdragon Stadium, bringing along post-match sound from head coach Mikey Varas and captain Jeppe Tverskov.

Craig Elsten, Tony Sanchez and Alex Peña talk all things San Diego FC with you weekly, and after every match! On this week's main show, the guys take a look at the early names linked to SDFC in the transfer window. Looks like the team is getting even younger than it already is. Can we really say San Diego FC is going for it in MLS, or are they settling more into a first-year expansion outlook? Nashville SC is in town for a Friday night showdown at Snapdragon Stadium. The guys look at what might be the msot challenging match of the entire regular season.

Craig Elsten, Tony Sanchez and Alex Peña break down a dramatic 1-1 draw that allowed SDFC to stay atop the MLS Western Conference standings for now. Included, discussion of the tremendous night for a very young back line, performances from Ian Pilcher and Manu Duah, great keeping from Pablo Sisniega and SDFC's lack of center-forward attack.

Agenda 7/17/2025IntroFollow us on IG at @thechromaniacsPlease rate/reviewIloskiMilan Iloski is gone just like thatWhat has Tony heard around the club for their side of the story?What Tyler Heaps had to sayEmpirical evidence this was not anticipated: Iloski appearance at 18 Threads the week prior, Iloski jerseys prominently displayed the weekend prior! Now there’s a #9-sized hole in the SDFC attackToronto FC 1 SDFC 0What a time to play a disconnected game and lose to a bottom-tier sideNegri’s penalty was earned and partially caused by poor pass-back play to set it upMighten and Angel were non-factors, mostly the same for DreyerChucky injected life into the attackIt *was* a handball but they didn’t review it because Chucky was way offsidesVaras: TFC was man-marking and adding +1 to the back line and –1 to the front line, onus on center backs to carry some offense forward, didn’t happenTyler Heaps–incoming transfer windowNo second DPHe’s telling us to wait and see, what will we see?New loan in: Aiden HarangiVoice of the SupportersWait, another supporters fight? In the section after the match?Frontera SD getting a *terrible* reputation in a hurryLook ahead: Vancouver on SaturdayAll is forgiven with a win here?Can Chucky start/play 90Bombino as important?Vancouver has 2 wins and 2 losses since last meetingEveryone is back from the Gold Cup. 

Craig Elsten, Tony Sanchez and Alex Peña come together live on YouTube after SDFC's 2-1 road win over Chicago Fire, continuing the expansion club's remarkable run of success on the road. The guys break down a tremendous first half and wobbly second half, choose their Man of the Match and more! During the show, they receive the news as reported by sandiego.futbol that head coach Mikey Varas held top striker Milan Iloski out of the lineup because his loan is due to expire at the end of the month. Why would SDFC hurt their own lineup in the short term, and is Milan *really* going to be lost back to a sister club?

Craig Elsten, Tony Sanchez and Alex Peña begin with an exciting announcement: Chromaniacs is going to a twice-weekly recording schedule! The show will now be airing both on Thursdays as well as after each SDFC match. Also on the docket for episode #7: Did last week’s 4-3 loss to Houston expose a longer-term issue for SDFC? (weakness in defender depth, back-door of a pressure strategy)What is the summer transfer window? How much can SDFC spend?Training grounds sound from Mikey VarasPreviewSDFC at Chicago FireWe get to hate Gregg Berhalter again! Mikey vs Gregg Playing in an NFL stadium (Soldier Field)Fire are 2-3-4 at home this seasonFire just got eliminated from US Open CupLuca back??? Chucky back in the starting 11?Players to watch for Chicago

It's summer in San Diego, SDFC is #1 in the Western Conference and perfect on a three-match road trip, Anders Dreyer is an MVP candidate, and the stadium atmosphere is vibrant and rocking. What more could a San Diego soccer fan ask for? On this week's episode of the Chromaniacs, Craig Elsten, Tony Sanchez and Alex Peña look back at a magical comeback in the heat at FC Dallas. What should the nickname be for the three-headed-attack of Chucky Lozano, Milan Iloski and Anders Dreyer? Take a moment to reflect on where this expansion team is today, now. Then, Tony visited SDFC training grounds to bring back interviews with newly contract-extended center back Christopher McVey, MLS MVP favorite Anders Dreyer, and head coach Mikey Varas. In "Voice of the Supporter", @terriblesdfcmemes joins us to tell us about being a member of The Riptides, what lured him to supporter culture and how the north section continues to grow together.The guys wrap up with a look ahead to Saturday night's home match against Houston Dynamo.