San Diego FC host struggling Portland Timbers
MLS
San Diego FC has a golden opportunity to potentially break out of a recent seven-game winless slump. SDFC will host the struggling Portland Timbers for a game in the 2026 MLS Regular season at Snapdragon Stadium this Saturday, April 25.
San Diego FC is at an all-time low, currently on a four-game losing streak, coming off a 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo. Disciplinary issues are at an all-time high for San Diego as Amahl Pellegrino received a red card against Houston and will be unavailable for this match.
The Chrome and Azul side has now received seven red cards in the last eight games in all competitions. A totally unreasonable amount of red cards for any team to deal with and find success.
The only saving grace is that Pellegrino has been more of a bench player in recent games. However, SDFC is lacking attacking depth and his absence may still be felt for this match.
SDFC has been shutout three times in the last six games in all competitions as inconsistencies have plagued the frontline.
Anders Dreyer is still having a great season numbers wise, but he has only provided one goal contribution in the last four games. The Southern California team is clearly highly reliable on the Danish international as this type of contribution is simply not enough to find consistent success.
Mikey Varas continues to experiement with his lineups and formations, seemingly not being able to find an ideal attacking line. Varas surprisingly used a three-man backline against Houston and it did not seem to function really offensively.
SDFC had just one shot on target in that match and obviously needs to be creating much more clear-cut opportunities than that. Lewis Morgan started the game against the Dynamo and is still, yet to score this year. Marcus Ingvartsen has proven to be a more reliable option, but has still suffered inconsistencies throughout the season.
The only security within this team seems to come from the midfield duo of Jeppe Tverskov and Anibal Godoy. Both are the leaders of this team and seem to be the only players consistently performing for Varas and company.
Duran Ferree had a relatively quiet game in net against Houston and it is unclear how much longer Varas will trust him in net.
With all of San Diego’s struggles, Portland has still managed to be significantly worse than the Southern California side. The Timbers are currently 12th on the Western Conference table with just seven points from eight games.
The Pacific Northwestern team only has two wins this year and is coming off a 2-0 defeat against Minnesota. Portland’s offense is very stagnant with the standout being Kristoffer Velde, who has scored three goals. With those three goals, Velde leads the team in goals and goal contributions as no one has really stepped up for this side.
Portland also has the third-worst defense in the Western Conference with 18 goals allowed. James Pantemis has proven he has the ability to be a solid MLS goalkeeper at times, but the backline has not been much help.
San Diego FC has a certain obligation to come away with the three points from this match given the circumstances. A loss would immediately raise questions about Mikey Varas’ future and other front office decisions.
Francisco, 28, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego FC, San Diego Wave. I have covered Liga MX, MLS, Mexico National Team, USWNT, Copa América and European clubs like Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.