Greetings! Our summer break is almost over, and San Diego FC is kicking off again in about 10 days. What that also means is that the summer transfer window is officially open. San Diego FC has made a couple of moves since we last spoke, and it’s a good time to revisit those transactions and look forward to what else is needed before the start of the second half of the season.
Anisse Saidi
To recap a move that happened back in June, Anisse Saidi was loaned out to Monterey Bay FC. This move follows a similar loan for Jacob Jackson to Monterey, which I’ve already talked about. Saidi has played a little bit more than last season, but at 18 years old, he is still struggling to find minutes with San Diego FC.
Saidi was also designated as an “off-roster, unavailable player,” which limits the number of times a player can suit up for the MLS team. Furthermore, the move doesn’t do much to free up space on the roster for another player, as the “off-roster” spot is spot number 31. For Saidi, this is a necessary move to receive more playing time. With the USL Championship side Monterey Bay, Saidi has already played over 180 minutes and has started two out of four matches. This should help in his development as he fights for minutes next season with SDFC.
Ian Murphy
In terms of transactions coming into the club, the first is Ian Murphy, who was acquired in a trade with the Colorado Rapids. The trade was for a second-round draft pick in 2027 that SDFC had initially acquired in a trade with Charlotte FC , along with $100,000 in conditional GAM if certain performance metrics are met. Murphy is a left-footed center back who has played 5 seasons in MLS with FC Cincinnati and the Colorado Rapids.
This is a classic Tyler Heaps move: identifying a player who is low on their current depth chart but could be an effective piece in your system. It is very similar to moves Heaps made last summer to acquire Corey Baird and Amahl Pellegrino. This season, Murphy has only played in one match (7 minutes), whereas he played over 1,200 minutes across all competitions in 2025.
There is a clear reason why Murphy is no longer starting for Colorado. Back in the 2025 summer transfer window, the Rapids acquired their future center backs: 18-year-old Lucas Herrington from A-League side Brisbane Roar FC and 30-year-old Rob Holding on a free transfer from Crystal Palace. The new tandem has started 12 out of 15 matches played in 2026. That meant the man who started 12 matches for the Rapids last season in league play was on the outside looking in for playing time.
For San Diego’s purposes, he is probably not going to beat out Manu Duah or Chris McVey for a starting spot. However, if SDFC wants to get a little creative, they could possibly pair Murphy (or Andres Reyes) with Manu Duah. That would mean Chris McVey would have to play right back, which is something he has done in a pinch. A back line of Bombino, Murphy (or Reyes), Duah, and McVey could be a much stronger unit than anything they’ve had in the past. The Murphy acquisition could also mean that another member of the back line is on the way out via a loan or transfer.
A little more on Murphy: he is listed at 6’2’’ but isn’t a massive aerial duel threat, having won 54.1% of his duels in 2025. What Murphy does bring to the table, however, is his ability to push the ball forward. In 2025, Murphy completed 44 passes into the final third —the exact same number that Manu Duah completed last season. Murphy also completed 10 progressive passes into the final third, which was one more than Paddy McNair had all season. In 2024, Murphy was 9th among all center backs in passes completed into the final third with 102, racked up 123 progressive passes completed, and had 17 of those progressive passes enter the final third. On the defensive side, Murphy recorded 110 tackles plus interceptions in 2024 with a 62% tackling win rate.
With Murphy, SDFC is attempting to add a depth piece who can compete at the levels he showcased back in 2024 —a player who pushes the ball into the final third and gives you just enough defensively to not be a liability. Murphy is also coming from a system in Colorado that likes to play out of the back and utilize a patient build-up , so there should be plenty of familiarity for him at SDFC. Right now, it’s clear that Murphy sits behind McVey and Duah on the depth chart. Once another move is made to clear roster space, it will become much more apparent exactly where Murphy stands.
Gabriel Pirani
The other move San Diego FC announced this week was the acquisition of Gabriel Pirani from D.C. United in exchange for $350,000 in 2026 GAM, and up to $650,000 in conditional GAM if certain incentives are met. Pirani is an attacking midfielder who comes from Brazil, where he played for three different teams: Santos, Cuiabá, and Fluminense. In the Brazilian top flight, Serie A, Pirani played over 2,700 minutes, recording 5 goals and 3 assists.
Back in 2024, D.C. United acquired Pirani from Santos as a U-22 initiative player through 2025, with options for 2026 and 2027. In 2024, Pirani played over 1,300 minutes for D.C. United, scoring 6 goals and adding one assist alongside 45 shots (15 on target). In 2025, Pirani started 22 of 28 matches played, totaling over 1,800 league minutes while scoring 7 goals and providing three assists. Among attacking midfielders in 2025, Pirani ranked 8th in non-penalty shots with 59, just two ahead of Pep Biel and Diego Luna. Pirani also ranked second in fast-break xG with 1.50 and put up a 5.83 non-penalty xG.
To compare Pirani to what SDFC currently has in Onni Valakari: Pirani registered 50 progressive passes, 71 progressive carries, and 161 progressive receptions in 2025. Valakari had 89 progressive passes, 82 progressive carries, and 273 progressive receptions in 2025. Both players can clearly move the ball forward, but they rely on different technical abilities and skillsets to get the job done. Valakari will most likely pass the ball into the final third to either Dreyer or Ingvartsen due to not being much of a shooter himself. Pirani, on the other hand, will try to make something happen by dribbling into the final third, taking opponents on 1v1, and generating his own shot. It will be exciting to see both players in the midfield alongside Jeppe Tverskov.
While Pirani had a couple of good seasons with D.C. United, he has only played in 8 matches across all competitions in 2026, with no goals and no assists. The last match Pirani played for D.C. United was on April 15th in the U.S. Open Cup. D.C. United’s last match before the break was on May 23rd, and Pirani was a healthy scratch, missing out on the bench entirely. As Tom Bogert reports, he expected Pirani to leave in the summer, as it seems the player and his former club simply fell out of favor this season.
While this could be on the player, it’s not like D.C. United has it together as a club. They were dead last in the standings last season and were the worst team at scoring goals in 2025, managing just 30. This season, D.C. United isn’t in last place, but they are currently sitting 9th in the Eastern Conference. Yes, San Diego FC had their own falling out with a player (Chucky Lozano is still with SDFC), but you hope Pirani’s situation turns out differently. You hope San Diego FC can unlock the best version of Pirani heading into the playoffs. Time will tell, but this offers a great chance to see if the experiment works, with the option to bring the player back next season if it does. If not, you release him and Pirani becomes a free agent.
The New-Look Roster
With the two new additions of Pirani and Murphy, San Diego’s senior roster is now full. Thanks to Pirani’s U-22 status, he can remain a U-22 player at 25 years old if his option is picked up next season, because he is still on his initial MLS contract. His budget charge on the roster is only $200k. As of right now, the Pirani trade is costing SDFC the initial $350k in GAM. For Murphy, his salary budget charge is $447,500, and he may have earned an additional 10% due to the trade, so let’s estimate his number at $492k.
In total, these transactions will cost SDFC over $1 million in GAM. This puts their total available GAM number around $2.8 million. There have been talks about bringing in a third Designated Player. The cost for that would be a budget charge of $803k, and you may have to buy another international slot, which could cost an additional $300k in GAM. However, given the lack of open roster spots, a loan out or transfer of an existing player would also be necessary. This is especially true for a player occupying an international slot. Two names that come to mind are Osvald Søe and Willy Kumado. So, before anyone else can transfer into the team, someone will have to leave.
Rumors
Before the break, there was a rumor that SDFC was kicking the tires on Turkish international and Midtjylland player Aral Şimşir. However, Şimşir is heading to Trabzonspor in the Turkish Süper Lig for a reported $13 million fee.
Nevertheless, it seems SDFC kept their eyes on the Danish league. As French journalist Loïc Tanzi reports, SDFC has reached an agreement with Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen. Achouri is 27 years old and can play as a left winger. Across all competitions for Copenhagen, Achouri has tallied 10 goals and 24 assists over 3 seasons. Achouri also saw some World Cup action with Tunisia in the group stage, playing over 40 minutes across three matches.
Achouri looks like another player who loves to create chances with the ball; he is a shooter and possesses excellent ball control. Last season with Copenhagen, Achouri played over 1,300 minutes in league play, scored 3 goals, added 3 assists, and started 15 of the 20 matches played. Achouri would be a welcome addition to SDFC and could easily slide in to play the left wing. Achouri’s acquisition could conclude a busy World Cup break for Tyler Heaps as he attempts to upgrade this roster to compete in the second half.
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