SDFC midfielder Pedro Soma is unique for more than the name(s) on his jersey
Most players put their last name on the back of soccer jerseys. Brazilians tend to put their first name only.
Pedro Soma puts both.
"It's literally just because my first name and last name are five letters and four letters," the San Diego FC defensive midfielder said. "I'd like to be known as Pedro Soma instead of just Pedro or Soma.
"I'm sure there's somebody else who's done it, but it's a good way to be unique."
And he is, born to a Brazilian mother, trained in the U.S. youth system in Florida, refined in Spain, now part of Major League Soccer. On Wednesday he provided a glimpse of that multicultural, multifaceted talent, named man of the match after his first career MLS goal and assist in the 5-0 destruction of Austin FC at Snapdragon Stadium that snapped the club's 10-game unbeaten streak.
"He's 19 years old," said coach Mikey Varas, whose team hosts FC Cincinnati on Saturday night with renewed optimism. "The sky is the limit for him."
"It's been a long road," Soma said.
He admits it. When he left Miami for Barcelona at age 12, he figured he'd never return, at least not as a professional player. He initially was part of a student exchange program in Barcelona, then signed with third-division Spanish club Cornelia, then was loaned to FC Barcelona and assigned to its B team.
His mother moved with him, then his father, allowed to work remotely, joined them a few years later. Both still live in Barcelona and wake up in the middle of the night - Wednesday's kicked off at 3:30 a.m. - to watch his SDFC games.
"Once you make that step to Europe and I was fortunate to play for, in my opinion, the best club in the world in Barcelona, you feel like you're going to be there," Soma said. "Honestly, I left the United States a little bit behind me."
But things can change in soccer, and sometimes change quickly. Barcelona's B team was relegated to the Spanish fourth division and, with an altered roster approach, opted against triggering the $881,000 purchase option in Soma's contract.
Then San Diego FC called last summer, having acquired several other prospects from the U.S. under-20 national team. Soma was the next target.
Four days later, he was on a plane.
"The first thing this club said to me is they see the talent and they want to grab it and make it 10 times better." Soma said. "I knew in my heart it was the right thing. … This is a club that's made to develop players. It's just example after example after example.
"When I signed here last year, I had all my boys who I've known for three years with the youth national team, including Bombi (Luca Bombino), David (Vazquez), Duran (Ferree), Oscar (Verhoeven), even Aiden (Harangi). This club is bringing up players. That's what I wanted."
He arrived in late July, then left in September for the U20 World Cup, then rejoined SDFC for the MLS playoffs and got a mere seven minutes over five games.
He featured early in the 2026 season, starting both legs of the Concacaf Champions Cup series against Mexico's Pumas and appearing in the first four MLS games.
He started March 14 at FC Dallas and didn't start again until Wednesday night, nearly two months later.
Varas indicated it was all part of the development plan, purposely overloading him physically to build speed and endurance in his young body. Soma felt a hamstring twinge and, as Varas put it, went "back a little bit to the work lab to make some steps forward."
Wednesday, then, represented proof of concept. Soma controlled the game from his deep-lying central midfield position, winning duels, switching the point of attack, splitting Austin's lines with a perfectly weighted pass to Anders Dreyer for the second goal, then scoring one himself with a sizzling strike from outside the box.
The American, Spanish, Brazilian influences … all on display.
"Pedro has this American spirit of anything is possible and there is no goal is too big to go after, which I absolutely love," Varas said after training Friday. "He has this tactical acumen from the Spanish game in terms of wanting to play with the ball and being smart about how you position yourself.
"And his Brazilian side, you can see this competitive nature in him. The Brazilians get a lot of credit for flair and creativity, but these guys are warriors. Also, you do see for his position he's got flair to his game, he's got a little bit of a creative side."
San Diego FC (4-5-4) vs. FC Cincinnati (4-5-4)
When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Streaming: AppleTV
Radio: 760-AM
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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 6:11 PM.