San Diego FC played Real Salt Lake today at Snapdragon Stadium. Despite the two-game losing streak, 28,116 fans showed up to support San Diego FC.  

Coach Mikey Varas’s lineup continued to experiment with the fullbacks, with Luca Bombino and Willy Kumado starting instead of Franco Negri and Jasper Loeffelsend. Anibal Godoy and Luca de la Torre returned to the midfield to join Jeppe Tverksov, bringing energy and leadership into the midfield. 

The fullbacks, Kumado especially, brought the ball quickly up the pitch to cross into the box. They both were fast enough to support the centre-backs on counterattacks. Kumado’s improved defensive focus allowed Godoy to focus more on his attacking runs, creating chances from the middle of the field instead of only crosses from the flanks.

The fullbacks and midfielders launched many good-looking crosses into the box, but with no true striker on the pitch, nobody was there to put the ball in the back of the net. 

In the last minute of the half, San Diego FC’s defense broke down, allowing Diego Luna to create a stunning individual goal. Only seconds later, while San Diego FC were in the box, a Real Salt Lake player committed a foul on Godoy. 

San Diego FC earned a penalty. The stadium was silent, as “Chucky” Lozano stood on the spot. Just a moment later, the crowd roared, blue smoke filled the air, and San Diego FC equalized the game with a great penalty from Lozano. The halftime whistle blew, with the score level—one goal for each team.

Bury It & Rise Above

Chucky pic.twitter.com/IFc9u3W5VR

— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) April 27, 2025

Real Salt Lake came out stronger in the opening minutes of the second half. The referee called a penalty for Real Salt Lake after the ball hit Jeppe Tverskov’s arm. Diego Luna converted the penalty, and San Diego FC was trailing again. 

San Diego FC fell further behind when Real Salt Lake scored a great shot from distance by Sam Junqua at the 65th minute. The chants grew louder to support San Diego in the final half hour. 

Godoy and Bombino were replaced by Alex Mighten and  Hamady Diop, with plans to bring the ball up the left side of the pitch to service Lozano, who moved to the striker position. 

Ten minutes later, Milan Iloski and Jasper Loeffelsend came on to bring fresh legs to the attack and defense, replacing Valakari and Kumado. 

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano and Mikey Varas thanking fans after rough 3-1 loss against Real Salt Lake.@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/bdDLkd9Hmh

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) April 27, 2025

After a hard tackle, de la Torre made way for Alejandro Alvarado Jr, who immediately brought energy to the midfield. He won the ball in the midfield and set up one of the few shot opportunities for SDFC’s attack. Tomás Ángel came on, and the fans were hopeful that having a true striker in the box would allow the team to score. The midfield and fullbacks did a great job launching accurate crosses and through balls into the pitch, but nobody was there to finish off the goal.

In the final minutes of the game, Real Salt Lake went down to 10 men after a second yellow card for Bode Hildago. San Diego had the advantage for a couple of minutes, but it wasn’t enough to make a difference.

Despite beating Real Salt Lake 3-1 on their turf, San Diego FC remains in poor form and lost 3-1 at home. San Diego has a lot of improving to do after their third straight loss.

After the game, head coach Mikey Varas delivered a message to the fans, thanking them for their continued support despite the game results.

A message from head coach Mikey Varas to the San Diego FC fans@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/Ur7Vc0Mdqc

— Jenny Furrer (@JennyFurrer619) April 27, 2025

Jenny Furrer

Jenny is a San Diego native, athlete, and local sports fanatic. She covers San Diego FC and San Diego Wave.