San Diego FC falls 3-1 to Portland Timbers
Credit: San Diego FC
San Diego FC visited the Portland Timbers for a game in the 2026 MLS regular season this Wednesday, August 19.
SDFC was on a three-game winning streak in all competitions, but was unable to keep that momentum going in this match.
San Diego was coming off a 1-0 win at LAFC, but Varas did make some changes to his lineup from that match. One change that he was forced to make was replacing Anders Dreyer for Alex Mighten as the Danish winger received a red card against Los Angeles.
Varas also made four other changes, most notably bringing on Jeppe Tverskov for Anibal Godoy. Varas replaced both of his fullbacks, starting Kieran Sargeant and Dagur Thorhallsson against Portland.
It was a good first half for the visitors as San Diego looked like the better team at Providence Park. Portland struck first in the 29th minute via a very impressive goal by Kristoffer Velde. The Norwegian forward struck the ball from well outside the box with plenty of power to get past CJ dos Santos.
Simply, Velde. pic.twitter.com/aANvOPmCn9
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) August 20, 2026
SDFC controlled possession and persistently attacked Portland’s net, which paid off in stoppage time of the first half. Gabriel Pirani scored his first goal with San Diego from a very precise shot from around the penalty arc.
The first half ended 1-1 in a game where San Diego looked hopeful to get more out of it.
Gabriel Pirani for his FIRST-EVER goal for San Diego 🔥 pic.twitter.com/N0F4CFJiRx
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) August 20, 2026
However, this was far from the case in the second half as Portland was much more clinical than the visitors. Ariel Lassiter gave the Timbers a 2-1 lead in the 51st minute.
Velde started the scoring play with a masterful pass through the left flank and into the penalty area for Jimer Fory. The Colombian player then sent in a sharp cross to Lassiter, who scored with ease very close to the net.
Ariel Lassiter with the finish and @TimbersFC take the advantage at home 👊 pic.twitter.com/S1dQocB6f7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 20, 2026
Kristoffer Velde was not done yet as he provided the assist on Portland’s third goal in the 68th minute. Velde made very impressive play down the left flank, which forced San Diego’s marking on him.
David Da Costa was left unmarked near the edge of the box and was able to pull off a marvelous strike, which made it 3-1.
GOOOLAZO de @TimbersFC: David Da Costa anota con un remate perfecto.
Asistencia de Velde que encaró y leyó la jugada. pic.twitter.com/exEjGxP2PF
— MLS Español (@MLSes) August 20, 2026
Alejandro Alvarado, Elias Achouri, Luca Bombino, Oscar Verhoeve,n and Amahl Pellegrino all came on in the second half. However, James Pantemis made some key saves, and San Diego was just not effective enough to make it a competitive outing.
With this loss, San Diego is in 13th place with 24 points, but is only three points out of a playoff spot. Despite this, there is clearly a severe lack of consistency with SDFC this year, especially in the attack.
San Diego will stay busy and host Colorado for an MLS game this Saturday, August 22, at Snapdragon Stadium.
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.