San Diego has a bunch of sports teams, but which one is the single best? Each first of the month I will be ranking all active professional teams based on multiple factors, but mostly who I think is most likely to win a championship.
12. Albion San Diego (NISA)
A year after going 2-3-13 and going winless in their final 13 matches as San Diego 1904 FC, they started with a 1-3 record in National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) play, but just beating out LA Force to avoid last place. They put up a good fight against San Diego Loyal SC in front of a local crowd in the U.S. Open Cup second round and will hopefully turn things around in the coming months under their new brand.
11. San Diego Strike Force (IFL)
They began the 2022 campaign with five of the first six games on the road. So far they are 1-4 in those games with the final game of the road trip on Sunday. Then they will have three straight weekends with a home game. Hopefully they will fare better than their first home game, a 48-10 loss to the Arizona Rattlers, who won the 2021 regular-season but fell in the championship game last season.
10. San Diego Wave FC (NWSL)
They open the regular-season Sunday after winning one of six matches in the NWSL Challenger Cup pre-season tournament. But they are a new team with most players getting used to playing with each other for the first time. A member of Canada’s national women’s soccer team, goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan will get some wins for Wave, and USWNT star Alex Morgan will help the team a lot, too.
9. San Diego Gulls (AHL)
The Gulls begin their playoff run Wednesday as the seven-seed, facing SoCal rival Ontario Reign. They received some reinforcements from the Anaheim Ducks with defensemen Simon Benoit, Trevor Carrick and right wings Hunter Drew and Buddy Robinson. Although they did not have a great regular-season, we’ve seen in many instances the hottest teams go far into the AHL playoffs. And the Gulls could definitely create a few upsets.
8. San Diego Sharks (TBL)
The Sharks lost their first five games, but a 6-3 stretch put them solidly in fourth place in a six-team Western Division. All six teams making the playoffs will help them, especially if they continue getting hot as the playoffs come up in four weeks.
7. San Diego Legion (MLR)
San Diego’s rugby team hit a mid-season slump but their 53-14 victory over the lowly Dallas Jackals on the road hopefully gets the Legion back on pace as they retake the third and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with four matches left to play.
6. SoCal Moguls (TBL)
With an 11-4 record, the SoCal Moguls have a comfortable spot to host a first- or even second-round game in The Basketball League (TBL) playoffs. They have won seven of their last eight games as well and boast a 4-1 record in the San Diego Derby with the Sharks.
5. San Diego Growlers (AUDL)
The back-to-back West Division champions lost in their season opener after losing some key players in Khalif El-Salaam, Wesley Groth and Scott Radlauer, but they saw strong performances from Sean McDougall and two-time MVP Jonathan Helton. This team has the talent to coast to a third consecutive division title and make it to the championship game.
4. San Diego Padres (MLB)
The Padres are off to a quick start, going 14-8 in their first 22 games, all without their star shortstop in Fernando Tatis Jr. But they have only played six games against teams with a .500 record or better, and are just 2-4 in those games with a struggling offense.
3. San Diego Seals (NLL)
Winning the West Division, the Seals begin their playoff run this Saturday against the Philadelphia Wings in the semifinals. Despite losing six straight before their regular-season finale, the Seals look like a legit contender and they should be a fun team to watch in the playoffs.
2. San Diego Loyal SC (USL)
In their third season since their first match, SD Loyal is off to their best start of the season, winning six of their first nine matches. It is early on in the season, but with USMNT legend Landon Donovan at the helm, it looks like this year could be special for SD Loyal and the soccer fans in San Diego.
1. San Diego Sockers (MASL)
The defending champs are right back in the MASL Finals after a 23-0-1 regular-season slate. They came back from down 1-0 in the semifinals to win the second game and the tie-breaking mini-game right after to play the Florida Tropics Monday, May 2 and Sunday, May 8. They could go back-to-back to win their 16th arena soccer championship Sunday night at Pechanga Arena San Diego.