On Saturday night, San Diego FC returned from Kansas City with a hard-fought but well-deserved victory.

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

That seemed to be the approach of head coach Mikey Varas, who kept faith in the lineup that started against St. Louis and Montreal.

Ten of the eleven starters remained the same, with the only change coming in midfield as Pedro Soma made his first official MLS start in place of Aníbal Godoy. Soma had previously started against Pumas UNAM and had already shown promising, reliable performances.

San Diego controlled possession early and continued the trend that has defined their recent matches. The first half turned into a physical battle with Sporting Kansas City, with both teams contesting every ball. The breakthrough finally came in the 39th minute when San Diego applied high pressure and intercepted Kansas City during their buildup. Onni Valakari quickly set up Anders Dreyer, who delivered a beautiful finish to score his second goal of the season.

Andres Dreyer with the clever little finish and @SanDiegoFC is ahead in Kansas City 😱

📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/fGlasp6bL8 pic.twitter.com/fwYdtwU34F

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 8, 2026

After the goal, San Diego appeared to be in control. However, they were unable to put the match away. Several opportunities went begging, including a header from Valakari and a pair of missed chances by Amahl Pellegrino. Pellegrino also thought he had doubled the lead in the second half, but his goal was ruled out for handball.

Despite San Diego’s impressive defensive structure and tactical discipline, a 1–0 scoreline always leaves the door open. Even with dominant possession and multiple chances created, it only takes one moment to undo all the hard work.

That tense moment arrived in the 88th minute when Sporting Kansas City built a dangerous attack with a through ball to Taylor Calheira, who found himself one-on-one with San Diego goalkeeper Duran Ferree. Ferree stood tall, making a crucial save to keep the clean sheet intact.

Kansas City pushed again in stoppage time. After Dreyer struck the post at the other end, the hosts quickly built another threatening play. Stephen Afrifa found himself with a late opportunity, but once again Ferree came up big, rushing down low and shutting down the chance to secure the win. The performance marked his third consecutive clean sheet.

San Diego will now look to continue their impressive run on Wednesday at Snapdragon Stadium when they face a tough challenge against Toluca in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Rodrigo Noriega

Rodrigo is a passionate soccer fan, fan is an understatement. Following SDFC, Xolos and most of the top leagues in the worlds. Binational grown, loving both sides of the border.