It’s a SoCal showdown in San Diego this weekend as SDFC prepares to take on the LA Galaxy in a high-stakes match at Snapdragon Stadium.

The race for the Western Conference playoff push is as close as it gets.

San Diego sits just above the Galaxy in 11th place, only one point ahead.

A win for either side could drastically shift playoff positioning as the regular season enters its critical final stretch—just three points separate 11th-place San Diego from the 7th spot in the standings.

The Southern California rivalry also got a bit more personal, as the Galaxy will be coming into the game with newly acquired former SDFC DP, Chucky Lozano.

It will be Chucky Lozano’s first game back at Snapdragon since the team’s Western Conference Final loss against Vancouver last season. Lozano scored in arguably the biggest game in club history. Now he returns, only this time he’ll don the rival team’s colors.

Ironically enough, Lozano famously delivered a memorable performance against the LA Galaxy last season with a dramatic and heroic last-minute goal to win the game 2-1. It was the last time these two teams met. The reception from the fans will be mixed, as the team came under heavy criticism over how they handled the Lozano situation.

The stars have to show up for San Diego to continue the team’s momentum down the stretch.

The team will rely heavily on attacking players Anders Dreyer and their latest DP signing, Elias Achouri, who had an impressive home debut last weekend with a goal in San Diego’s 3-0 win against Colorado.

Both managers will look to control the tempo of the game. A notable player questionable for tomorrow’s match is Marcus Ingvartsen, who picked up an injury in their recent match against Colorado. The Galaxy will be without their starting goalkeeper, JT Marcinkowski, who received a red card in their last match against Montreal.

Manuel Sanchez