San Diego FC closed out the regular season with a statement win over the Portland Timbers. As a matter of fact, that was arguably the closest to a perfect game as they’ve played all season long.

“I think we played a very mature and almost perfect game”, said Jeppe Tverskov.

The latest win capped off an incredible regular season and earned SDFC first place in the Western Conference (with a little bit of help from Dallas). Vancouver Whitecaps, who were in first place, needed to lose to give SDFC a chance to overtake them in the standings with a win of their own. With the result, SDFC also clinched a berth in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.

MLS ‘Decision Day’ brought plenty of drama as the score in the FC Dallas vs Vancouver match kept changing. Ultimately, FC Dallas, who were fighting for a playoff spot of their own, pulled off an incredible victory in Vancouver to earn themselves a seat in the playoff round.

San Diego fans never really had to worry about the result in Portland during the match as SDFC dominated the game from start to finish, earning a 4-0 victory in Oregon.

As always, let’s dive in!

Getting the Most Out of the Squad

SDFC continued their road dominance – extending their unbeaten streak to ten victories away from Snapdragon Stadium. Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano didn’t travel with the team due to reasons that the club is keeping private. Head coach Mikey Varas said they are dealing with his private situation “week to week”. Speculating as to what the situation is would be futile. The team is aware of the importance he plays and is surely doing all they possibly can to bring him back into the starting lineup come playoffs.

Amahl Pellegrino and Corey Baird started up front for San Diego, and while Anders Dreyer stole the spotlight, the newcomer duo played great on and especially off the ball. Baird, known for his timely runs and off-the-ball work ethic, consistently pulled defenders off of Dreyer with calculated runs.

Pellegrino put in another hard-fought performance that also produced individual results. In 67 minutes played, Pellegrino got on the scoresheet twice and snagged another assist when he passed the ball to Dreyer, who hit a sensational strike from outside of the box.

While Pellegrino may not be the number nine that SDFC is seeking in the long run, he surely delivered in the last two matches with a combined three goals and three assists, earning a 9/10 rating for each of the matches. Pellegrino’s success is the latest example of the technical staff, along with Sporting Director, Tyler Heaps’ research and knowledge of players.

“We have a big squad”, Varas said when asked about the success of players off the bench. “We got good players on the bench who don’t get to play, and that’s an amazing feeling for a coach because it means we have a competitive environment. They push each other in all the right ways, and I just love being a part of the project.”

Tactical Awareness and Staying True to Identity

San Diego FC finished first in the league when it comes to possession. Staying true to their identity, SDFC controlled the midfield by staying patient in possession. Their signature gameplay forced Portland to push up with numbers, which allowed counterattacks that SDFC took advantage of. Let’s take a look at the example below:

Center back Manu Duah starts the play by holding the ball and picking out one of the four options available to him for a pass. He chooses to play it to the captain, Jeppe Tverskov, who one-touches it to Anibal Godoy.

The key moment of this attack was when Godoy passed the ball to Onni Valakari, who made a difficult, skillful turn to get into space and away from his defender. At this point, we can see that Amahl Pellegrino is asking for it to be played into space in front of him.

Valakari plays it into Pellegrino’s run,n and SDFC have what they strive for – a man advantage in the attack. Portland is caught chasing back. Notice how Baird is pulling the defenders with him to create the space underneath. Dreyer runs into the open spa,ce and Pellegrino finds him.

At this point, everyone gets a real-life example of what it means to have a special player on your squad. A player that can make the sort of plays that turn a game in your favor. Dreyer proved he’s that player many times before, but this strike was incredible from outside the box. The Timbers goalkeeper is cheating to the right a little bit, but the strike was so precise that it still beats him into the right corner of the net. Special play, special player.  

El Paletero. But you knew that. pic.twitter.com/aIv9shkqJN

— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) October 19, 2025

Injury-Ridden Defense

One thing that San Diego fans will want to look out for is who will play right back in Sunday’s playoff game. Aidan Harangi came off the field in the 55th minute with an apparent injury. Willy Kumado replaced him but couldn’t finish the game due to suffering an injury of his own.

Paddy McNair showed up on the last injury report as questionable and did not make the bench. He continues to deal with a muscle injury. If McNair can get healthy enough to start this weekend, SDFC will arguably start their best back line options.

Oscar Verhoeven continues to deal with a lower-body injury and does not seem likely to be available this weekend. Mikey Varas could also use Ian Pilcher or the veteran Franco Negri, although Negri has become more of a bench piece at this point of the season.

One bright spot in the injury news is Marcus Ingvartsen. Since leaving the field on August 17th against the Earthquakes, Ingvartsen has not seen game action. He made his return last Saturday, seemingly looking fit and healthy. Ingvartsen was seen practicing with the team in the past week as he gears up to be ready to play in the playoffs. His competition with Pellegrino for minutes will be a fun one to watch.

Preparing for Real Salt Lake or Portland

The possibility of facing Portland four times in a row is still very much alive. The Timbers will take on RSL on Wednesday in a wild-card match to determine who will play San Diego in the first game of a possible three, starting on Sunday.

Questions naturally arise when teams face each other this often — how much do tactics evolve the third time around? Portland will no doubt make adjustments and dig into the wealth of game footage now available. The real unknown is whether Mikey Varas’s reluctance to alter his approach could give the Timbers an edge in a potential playoff clash. One advantage for San Diego, however, is rest — if Portland advances, they’ll be coming off a midweek match while SDFC will be fresh.

If RSL wins and earns a trip to San Diego on Sunday, they’ll arrive with payback on their minds after splitting both regular-season meetings with SDFC. Regardless of who advances, San Diego FC will face a favorable matchup — especially against a team coming in on short rest.

The Round One Best-of-3 series will see SDFC host Game 1 on Sunday, Oct. 26, play Game 2 on the road on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. PT, and, if necessary, return to Snapdragon Stadium for a decisive Game 3 on Sunday, Nov. 9

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Dmitry Anisimov

Dmitry Anisimov is a San Diego native who played soccer up to the college level when he represented the SDSU Men’s Club Soccer team. Growing up in San Diego, Dmitry is a fan of all the home teams but he specifically couldn’t wait until San Diego got an MLS team. Once that dream became reality, Dmitry married his love for writing and the game of soccer to portray a voice of the San Diego soccer community. There is a deep-rooted love of soccer culture in San Diego and Dmitry hopes to bring it to light through his pre and post-game coverage of all things San Diego FC.