San Diego FC to play Austin FC with several key absences
Credit: Cedric Jones/ EVT Sports
San Diego FC will face Austin FC away from home in matchday 5 of the 2025 MLS season this Sunday, March 23. SDFC is coming off a 1-1 draw against Columbus Crew at home and is still undefeated four games into the club’s inception.
However, SDFC will have plenty of key absences in this match at Q2 Stadium with injuries and the international break. Hirving Lozano, Andres Reyes, and Marcus Ingvartsen are all sidelined, while Paddy McNair and Anibal Godoy are on international duty.
#SDFC HC Mikey Varas gives injury updates regarding Lozano, Reyes, and Ingvartsen, @EVT_News: https://t.co/SYr7bxXGbr pic.twitter.com/hZt3AfUpb2
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Ssanchez_16) March 21, 2025
Godoy is set to face Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final this Sunday after Panama defeated the USMNT 1-0. Paddy McNair captained Northern Ireland in a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, and his team will play Sweden on March 25.
Ingvartsen picked up the lower-body injury in the match against Columbus and was subbed out at halftime. Onni Valakari replaced the Danish forward and scored the first-ever goal for SDFC at Snapdragon Stadium.
It is unclear how Mikey Varas plans to set his lineup with all of these major absences. Youngster Ian Pilcher has been receiving playing time and is very likely to setup in for Paddy McNair in the backline.
There is no other natural defensive midfielder to replace Anibal Godoy, with the possibility of seeing Jasper Loffelsend in a midfield role. Willy Kumado and Luca Bombino started over Loffelsend and Franco Negri in the fullback positions against Columbus, and it will be interesting to see who plays against Austin.
Alejandro Alvarado and Onni Valakari can also potentially step in for Godoy if Varas chooses a more offensive approach. There are several options to replace Ingvartsen in the attack, with Valakari, Emmanuel Boateng, and Alex Mighten all available.
Jeppe Tverskov and the San Diego backline will have more work to do without Godoy to cover all the ground that he does. While the offense is expected to be heavily reliant on Anders Dreyer, who leads San Diego with three goals scored.
Austin FC will also be missing some key players due to the international break, with Oleksandr Svatok with Ukraine and Myrto Uzuni with Albania. Julio Cascante, Mikkel Desler and Leo Vaisanen are all out due to injuries and will also miss this match.
Uzuni is a key attacker for this Austin team, but he is yet to score or provide an assist this season. The team from Texas is set to rely on Chula Vista native Brandon Vazquez in the attack. Vazquez is also yet to score this season, but has the ability to be a danger with his physical presence and aerial ability.
Osman Bukari provides plenty of speed on the wing and will be a key player to watch for this Austin side. The Texan team is coming off a 1-0 win against LAFC and now has two wins and two losses on the year.
This is set to be a hard-fought game, especially given all the key absences that San Diego will have. The midfield without Anibal Godoy and facing a veteran like Ilie Sanchez is especially a concern.
How to watch
The SDFC vs Austin FC match to be played this Sunday, March 23 (1:00 p.m. PST) will stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV +.
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.