October sports scene crowded with season openers, playoff drama

It’s October. Besides baseball’s World Series, professional sports is witness to the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, the start of the playoffs in Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League and the WNBA.

The National Football League and college football are both ongoing. Locally, minor league hockey courtesy of the San Diego Gulls is also on tap to face off prior to Halloween.

It’s a crowded sports scene on what to watch on television … and what to watch in person.

Tip-off

As the WNBA wraps up its championship series between the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury, the NBA tipped off its preseason schedule Saturday at the sports arena between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The NBA has been relegated to exhibition stops since the original San Diego Rockets, founded as an expansion team in 1967, departed town in 1971 after being sold to a new ownership group in Houston.

Can America’s Finest City support the league again? Will the Brooklyn Nets come west to populate the proposed 16,000-seat state-of-the-art arena planned for the Midway District?

The Los Angeles Clippers, once a resident at the current sports arena from 1978-84, have relocated their G-League development team to Oceanside’s Frontwave Arena and rebranded it as the San Diego Clippers to show there is interest in the sport in the region at the professional level.

At present, Seattle and Las Vegas are considered leading candidates to land an expansion team ahead of San Diego with Mexico City, Montreal and Vancouver showing international interest in the league.

A rather robust crowd of 12,096 attended Saturday’s exhibition game won 126-116 by the Timberwolves.

Denver, keyed by 14 points each from Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic, paraded 18 players on the court while Minnesota, keyed by Bones Hyland’s 18 points, auditioned 17 players.

Photos by Andy Bartotto

Soccer: MLS

San Diego FC’s expansion MLS franchise has set a league record for most standings points  (60) and wins (18) in an inaugural season after defeating the host Houston Dynamo, 4-2, on Saturday.

Anders Dreyer bagged two goals to increase his season numbers to 17 goals and 18 assists.

The formidable San Diego entry (18 wins, nine losses, six ties) wraps up regular season play Oct. 18 in Portland in a bid to secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. SDFC is tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps (17-6-9) for the conference lead and are two points ahead of Minnesota United (16-7-10) and four points ahead of the Loa Angeles Football Club (16-7-8).

The Audi 2025 MLS Cup playoffs kick off with wild card matches on Oct. 22.

Playoff format features nine clubs from each conference qualifying for postseason play with the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds playing a one-match wild card elimination game. The winner joins the top seven byed teams in a home-and-home best-of-three Round One playoff. A tie match goes directly to the kicks form the penalty mark tiebreaker. The first team to win two matches advances. The higher-seeded team hosts the first and third games (if necessary).

From the conference semifinals to the MSL Cup, playoff series are single elimination with extra time and penalty shootouts for tied games. The higher-seeded team hosts.

The conference semifinals will feature two 15-minute extra time periods. If still tied, a penalty shootout will determine a winner.

The conference finals and MLS Cup final are both single-elimination matches hosted by the higher-seeded team.  Deadlocked matches are resolved via extra time, then penalty shootouts (if necessary).

The conference semifinal and finals matches are win or go home.

SDFC is guaranteed a berth in Round One and will play a minimum of two matches, three if a tie-breaking best-of-three match is required.

A team advancing directly to the championship game from Round One would play a total of five matches (two in Round One and one each in the conference semifinals, conference finals and MLS Cup). The maximum number of games played would be six (three in Round One and one each in the next three rounds).

Teams vying for wild card berths in the Western Conference include FC Dallas (41 points) and Real Salt Lake (40 points) and Colorado (40 points) in the Western Conference and Chicago (52 points) and Columbus (51 points) in the Eastern Conference.

Dallas trails Austin and Portland by three points in the standings while San Jose (38 points) is two points behind both Austin and Portland. Chicago is one point behind Orlando City and two points behind Nashville.

Philadelphia leads the Eastern Conference with 66 points, followed by Cincinnati with 52 points and Inter Miami with 59 points.

Denis Bouanga of the L.A. Football Club and Leonel Messi of Inter Miami top the league with 24 goals each, followed by Sam Surridge of Nashville with 23 goals.

San Diego FC’s roster includes 15 players who have scored at least one goal and 16 players who have recorded at least one assist.

Goalscoring leaders include Danish international Dreyer with 17, followed by Milan Iloski with 10, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano with nine, San Diego native Luca de la Torre with five, Onni Valakari with four and Tomas Angel with three. Four players have each scored two goals: Jeppe Tverskov, Christopher McVey. Marcus Ingvartsen and Amahi Pellegrino. Players with single goals include Luca Bombino, Alex Mighten, Anibal Godoy, Ian Pitcher and Franco Negri.

Assists leaders include Dreyer with 18, Tverskov with 11, Lozano with 10, Valakari with nine, Bombino with four and Jasper Löffelsend with three. Five players have two assists each: De la Torre, Angel, Godoy, Pellegrino and Willy Kumado. Players with one assist include Iloski, McVey, Ingvartsen, Pitcher, Negri and Paddy McNair.

Goalkeeper C.J. dos Santos has allowed 38 goals in 29 games with nine clean sheets.

Soccer: NWSL

The San Diego Wave (8-8-7, 31 points) is holding onto the final NWSL playoff berth but is within striking distance of several teams ahead of them in the standings, just one point behind Racing Louisville (32 points), two points behind the Orlando Pride (33 points).and three points behind the Seattle Reign (34 points).

The top eight teams make the playoffs, which are slated to start with quarterfinals Nov. 7-9.

The Wave enters the weekend sitting three points ahead of North Carolina Courage in the standings, so the team needs to finish regular season play strong to keep itself in postseason consideration.

At one point this summer the Wave had fashioned a five-game points streak (two wins, three ties) but has since fallen on harder times. The team lost 1-0 to Louisville on Aug. 24, drew 0-0 with Seattle on Aug. 29, 3-0 to the Houston Dash on Sept. 7, lost 2-0 to Gotham FC on Sept. 12, drew 1-1 with Portland on Sept. 20, lost 2-1 to Orlando on Sept. 26 and 2-1 to the Washington Spirit on Oct. 5.

The Wave hosts the Utah Royals on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., followed by matches against the Chicago Stars (Oct. 18) and KC Current (Nov. 2). With three games remaining in regular season play and the standings as tight as they are, there’s plenty of time to either move up or down.

The Wave has 16 players register at least one goal and 11 players record at least one assist this season. Three players have each scored four goals: Kimmi Ascano, Adriana Leon and Daphnie Cascarino. Kenza Dali and Maria Sanchez have each scored three goals. Assist leaders are Cascarino with five and Perle Morroni with four.

The Current (19-2-2) currently tops the NWSL table with 59 points, followed by Washington (12-4-7) with 43 points and Gotham (9-6-8) with 35 points.

Hockey: AHL

The Gulls met the arch-rival Ontario Reign in an exhibition game on Sunday, coming out on the short end of a 3-2 loss in a highly competitive contest.

Jan Mysak led the Gulls with a goal and assist while Sasha Pastujov netted the team’s opening goal and Will Francis posted an assist.

Tomas Suchanek stopped 12 of 14 shots in his first action since the 2023-24 season after being sidelined all last season because of a torn ACL. Vyachelav Buteyets stopped 13 of 14 shots.

Mysak’s goal tied the game, 2-2, early in the third period while Ontario rode the win on Martin Chromiak’s game-winner at 14:144 of the frame. Pastujov opening game scoring at 1:32 of the first period. Francesco Pinelli scored a shorthanded goal to tie the contest early, 1-1, at 3:22 of the opening period.

Shots were 28-22 in favor of the Reign in front of 5,174 fans at the Toyota Center. The hosts piled up a 13-4 advantage in the second period while the visitors rebounded with a 10-6 edge in the final period. Neither team scored on the power play. Ontario was 0-for-3 and the Gulls 0-for-2 on man-advantage situations.

Stars of the game included Chromiak (first star), Pinelli (second star) and Mysak (third star).

Mysak and Pastijov showed good chemistry together on the ice.

Ontario is the top minor league developmental affiliate of the NHL Los Angeles Kings.

The Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the NHL Anaheim Ducks, open the regular season this Friday, Oct. 10, against the Firebirds in Coachella Valley (affiliate of the NHL Seattle Kraken)  and host the Henderson Silver Knights (affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights) Oct. 18 to face off their home schedule.

The AHL is celebrating its 90^th season of operation in 2025-26.

The Gulls have failed the make the Calder Cup playoffs the last three seasons, but that drought could be over following off-season signings, in particular, of right wing Matthew Phillips and defenseman Nikolas Brouillard.

Phillips. 27, is familiar to San Diego fans after spending four seasons with the Stockton Heat and another with the Calgary Wranglers, the AHL affiliates of the NHL Calgary Flames. Listed at 5-8 and 160, he’s proven size isn’t a handicap after registering 300 points in 339 career AHL games and 23 points in 39 career Calder Cup playoffs games.

He tallied 100 goals with the Heat/Wranglers and tacked on 18 goals and 57 points in 65 games last season to lead the AHL Colorado Eagles in team scoring.

The Calgary native has appeared in 34 NHL games, three with the Flames, three with the Pittsburgh Penguins and 28 with the Washington Capitals. He logged one goals and four assists in the 2023-24 season with the Capitals.

Phillips has been a plus on the ice in the truest sense while posting a +24 pus-minus rating and logging only eight penalty minutes. He collected eight points in nine Calder Cup playoff games with the Eagles, who topped the Pacific Division standings with a 43-21-5-3 record (94 points).

Brouillard, 30, spent three seasons in San Diego from 2020-23, appearing in 167 games before departing for single-season stints with the Hartford Wolf Pack and Coachella Valley.

He co-led Coachella Valley defensemen last season with seven goals and 38 points. He is the Gulls’ all-time leader among defensemen in points (92) and assists (70), ranks second in penalty minutes (279) and third in goals (22).  Across 307 AHL games with Coachella Valley, Hartford, San Diego and Toronto from 2016-15, he’s logged 166 points with 471 PIM.

The Ducks had 14 players who suited up for the Gulls last season attend this year’s NHL training camp.

 Sixteen players were sent down to the Gulls on Sept. 28. Late cuts by the Ducks included goaltender Calle Clang, center Nathan Gaucher, left wing Yegor Sidorov and defensemen Tyson Hinds, Tristan Luneau and Stian Solberg.

Luneau, a second-round pick (53^rd overall) by the Ducks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, led the Gulls in scoring last season with 52 points (nine goals, 43 assists) in 59 games to become the second San Diego blue-liner to reach the 50-point mark in a single season.

In a key addition to bolster their roster, the Gulls received veteran NHL goaltender Husso from the Ducks in a transaction on Wednesday, Oct. 8. Husso, who has backstopped the St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings and Ducks in the NHL, appeared in nine games last season for the Gulls with a 7-2 record, 2.56 goals-against average and 0.907 save percentage.

Core players back with the Gulls include team captain Ryan Carpenter, alternate captain Roland McKeown, forwards Pastujov and Mysak, and forwards Sam Colangelo, Sidorov, Nikita Nesterenko, Judd Caulfield and Justin Bailey, the team’s top 10 scoring leaders.

Carpenter finished runner-up in team scoring last season with 19 goals and 49 points in 72 games while Pastijov had 45 points in 43 games, Mysak had 42 points in 68 games, Colangelo had 40 points in 40 games, McKeown with 38 points in 69 games, Sidorov with 34 points in 59 games, Nesterenko with 34 points in 50 games, Caulfield wigth 25 points in 67 games and Bailey with 22 points in 35 games.

Additionally, forwards Carson Meyer (21 points in 29 games), Nico Myatovic (19 points in 64 games), Nathan Gaucher (19 points in 56 games) and Hinds (18 points in 71 games) also returned to San Diego.

Colangelo represented the Gulls in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic as a reward for a strong start to his first professional season.

McKeown ranked second among San Diego defensemen in scoring while Hinds was third.

Last season’s Gulls roster included 39 skaters and five goaltenders.

Also back for more looks are forwards Travis Howe (92 PIM in 39 games) and Owen Lindmark (one point in 15 games), defensemen Ian Moore (five points in nine games) and Solberg (five points in 10 games) and goaltender Calle Clang (11-13-4, 3.17 GAA).

Free agent signings include forwards Cal Burke, (Heneerson), Drew Elliot (New Brunswick, Ryan Luatenbach (UMass) and center Tim Washe (Western Michigan).  

San Diego head coach Matt McIlvane said the one preseason game showed him this team has “a lot of good structure to stand on.”

“What will be fun is to get our group in place as the last pieces from Anaheim (arrive), as we start planning moving forward and see what this group can look like, and we insert all the pieces into our lineup,” McIlvane said. “I think there’s great structure that the Ducks have that we can stand on. And I think that we’re just trying to put those pieces into place and get off to a great start.”

The top seven teams in the 10-team Pacific Division qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs. The Gulls finished ninth in the division table, eight points out of a playoff berth. San Diego finished three standings point out of the division cellar occupied by Henderson.

Abbotsford Canucks, who finished runner-up to Colorado by two points in the Pacific Division standings, return to defend their Calder Cup championship of a season ago. The Canucks defeated the Eastern Conference champion Charlotte Checkers four games to two in the final best-of-seven series.

“I think we want to get off to a fast start,” Pastujov said. “Obviously, the last couple years, we haven’t and it’s a huge focal point this year. Although it’s preseason, I think a lot of guys have a bad taste in their mouths right now. Anytime you compete, you want to win. We’re going to take that, fuel us and get our full lineup, and hit the ground running.”

College football: Aztecs extend win streak to three games, 45-24 over Rams

From staff reports

San Diego State University improved to 4-1 on the season with last Friday’s 45-24 win over the Colorado State Rams at Snapdragon Stadium. The four wins already better the three wins posted by Aztec head coach Sean Lewis in his first year at the helm last year.

SDSU had two rushers each gain more than 100 yards in a game since Sept. 14, 2019, as junior Byron Cardwell Jr. (Morse) and junior Lucky Sutton (Cathedral Catholic) stretched the chairs for 129 and 113 yards, respectively.

Sutton, who had 21 carries, scored two touchdowns while Cardwell (15 carries) scored once.

Junior Christian Washington (Helix) had eight carries for 28 yards and one touchdown — the second this season and seventh of his career.

Sophomore Jordan Napier reeled in five passes for a career high 153 receiving yards while senior Gabe Plascencia booted a career long 53-yard field goal. Plascencia has now made 19 consecutive field goals to set a program record.

 The four wins are two shy of becoming bowl eligible.