For the second week in a row, San Diego FC were not the better team. For the second week in a row, they found a way to win.

The three points that SDFC earned in San Jose not only keep them on top of the Western Division standings, but also put them atop the league standings. The sixth road victory in a row broke the MLS record for an expansion side and put San Diego one victory away from tying the expansion record for wins (17 by St. Louis CITY SC in 2023) and five points away from the expansion points record (57 by LAFC in 2018).

With seven games left to go in the season, the Chrome & Azul are set to shatter those records.

Unwavering Belief

Records are great to beat, but only if they come with trophies. The one record San Diego is looking forward to the most – being the first expansion side to hoist the Supporters’ Shield. The quality of players that SDFC has on their roster is paired with unwavering belief in each other and a strong will to play until the last whistle.

There have been many slow starts throughout the season for San Diego FC. Much of that can be attributed to the style of soccer they play with. The slow build-up out of the back, waiting for the opponent to bite on the high press, taking what the game presents them – all of that patience has put emphasis on the second half. By the time the two teams figure each other out, usually in the second half, is when SDFC tends to let off the breaks a little bit and go after the win.

In fact, San Diego has more come-from-behind victories than anyone else in the league this season at 17. They’ve scored the most second-half goals as well, 30 to be exact.

Head coach Mikey Varas knows this all too well when it comes to his players. “When you make as many come-from-behind wins as this group has, it shows that this group has a fighting spirit in ’em and that’s fundamentally the base of who we are,” Varas said.

Anders Dreyer echoed that sentiment in his post-game interview. “We stay humble and we keep fighting every weekend,” said Dreyer. “Today was not that pretty, but we get three points and I think that shows a top team. It was not a top performance, but the way we worked after we went behind 1-0, we still believed. What a comeback.”

Tomas Angel Continues To Be Ineffective

The Earthquakes had majority of the momentum in the first half. Tomas Angel was once again fairly ineffective, this time in a winger role. The Colombian international had 13 touches and was dispossessed twice in the first half. Angel never seemed comfortable in his position, often times getting lost in transition. This level of unproductivity saw him get subbed out at the beginning of the second half for Luca de la Torre, a regular starter who began the game on the bench, perhaps due to aches and pains.

Instantly, the game turned. Looking at the second half possession map for SDFC, it’s clear they favored the left side where de la Torre took over. The midfielder amassed a total of 44 touches in the second half while looking much more dangerous than his Colombian counterpart.

Dos Santos’ Error Leads To Goal

Despite winning the possession, San Diego often seemed on their back foot, defending in transitions and around their own penalty area. CJ Dos Santos took credit for three key saves in the game, looking comfortable between the sticks while shouting directions to his young back core. It wasn’t until the 72nd minute when the mistake came.

Dos Santos set the live ball and took a couple of steps back, setting himself to clear it upfield. Just as he wound up, San Jose midfielder Noel Buck came charging in at full speed. Caught off guard, Dos Santos tried to get his kick away, but Buck managed to stick a leg in and force the turnover. The loose ball fell to Josef Martínez, who wasted no time slotting it into the back of the net past the helpless keeper.

This wasn’t the first mistake from Dos Santos, and it won’t be the last. Every goalkeeper slips up, but when they do, the consequences are magnified—often ending in a goal. Pablo Sisniega has been the steadier option in goal this season, but he was sidelined with injury. The alternative? Eighteen-year-old Duran Ferree, still waiting for his first MLS minutes. Committing to Dos Santos on a long-term deal signals the club’s belief in him, and he’ll remain the starter while Sisniega recovers. Once healthy, though, Sisniega may well push to reclaim the No. 1 spot.

Number Nine Questions Answered?

Marcus Ingvartsen was always supposed to be the central striker for SDFC. The club invested $1.7 million in him for that role. After all, he earned that contract after scoring 30 goals in 74 appearances with FC Nordsjaelland. Ingvartsen gave reason for doubt to the SDFC faithful when he got on the scoresheet only once during his first three and a half games with the club.

Then the injuries took over. Ingvartsen missed considerable time during which San Diego found light in a different striking option. That option no longer exists, as San Diego couldn’t keep Milan Iloski. The void for a goal-scoring central striker may not be so blatant anymore.

Ingvartsen came on in the 64th minute and nabbed himself a game-tying goal and a game-winning assist. It was the perfect comeback story. The one Ingvartsen dreamed of and worked so hard in rehab for. Perhaps, his comeback will make the San Diego offense as dangerous as it was when Iloski was still here.

“What a welcome back for Marcus,” said Varas. “I think that’s perfect for a No. 9 to get on the scoresheet. Such an important finish. Such an important presence. He’s been dealing with a lot of adversity this season, but he’s a great leader and a great person, and he’s got a lot of talent, so we’re all just really happy for him.”

The other Dane, you know, the one who leads the MLS in goal contributions and is a front-runner for the MVP award, Andres Dreyer, said about Marcus – “A goal and an assist in 25 minutes; he’s a good player. He’s been out for a long time, and I think he’s very hungry to show himself.”

Trials and Tribulations

Every team will face adversity throughout a season. San Diego has faced many of their own already, but more are left to overcome. With an injured Chucky Lozano, the offense is left to scramble in order to fill that role. It’s not as easy as just plugging the next man up into the position of a player that can produce instant results, like Chucky did against Sporting Kansas City when he scored a wonderful goal from outside of the box.

Chucky’s absence was felt, and the club will be hopeful for his return in the next match. The other side of the field is now feeling it more than before, with Oscar Verhoeven, Aidan Harangi, and Paddy McNair all dealing with injuries. Franco Negri stepped in well on Sunday after Harangi could not continue. Negri not only played solid defense but also provided a magnificent, lobbed pass to Ingvartsen for the game-tying goal. McNair was available off the bench but was not used.

Perhaps another reinforcement is coming soon, as the club has recently been linked to U-20 U.S. international Leo Duru, a highly-rated 20-year-old right-back who currently plays for Blackburn Rovers in England.

Staying Positive and Looking Ahead

In the seven games left in the season, San Diego FC are staying positive, finding ways to win. The race for the Supporter’s Shield is tight, with a possible ten teams who are realistically within reach to hoist the trophy. Under the management of Mikey Varas, SDFC have been able to overcome setbacks together, and according to the skipper, it’s because of how close the team is.

“We got 11 guys playing on the field,” said Varas. “We got another nine guys on the bench. We’re giving good energy, we got a coaching staff, we got a support staff, and then we got Frontera SD up there, just bringing the energy all the time. And all of that is what makes us the team and the family that we are.”

San Diego returns home to Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday to continue their magical run when it faces the Portland Timbers at Snapdragon Stadium, with kickoff at 7:30 pm. Stay tuned for a match preview coming later this week.

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Dmitry Anisimov

Dmitry Anisimov is a San Diego native who played soccer up to the college level when he represented the SDSU Men’s Club Soccer team. Growing up in San Diego, Dmitry is a fan of all the home teams but he specifically couldn’t wait until San Diego got an MLS team. Once that dream became reality, Dmitry married his love for writing and the game of soccer to portray a voice of the San Diego soccer community. There is a deep-rooted love of soccer culture in San Diego and Dmitry hopes to bring it to light through his pre and post-game coverage of all things San Diego FC.