San Diego FC’s dynamic duo delivers to defeat top-seeded Nashville SC 1-0
Credit: San Diego FC
San Diego FC’s dynamic duo delivers in the second half to defeat top-seeded Nashville SC 1-0 at Snapdragon Stadium.
Anders Dreyer received a long pass from Jeppe Tverskov and assisted Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s game-winning score in the 53rd minute. An All-Star worthy play for San Diego (14-7-4, 46 points), who takes down a strong Nashville (14-6-5, 47 points).
“At the end of the day, you get a clean sheet against a team that has scored a ton of goals in the league,” Mikey Varas said postgame.
Friday night at Snapdragon Stadium featured the top-seeded team in the West against the second-seeded team in the East. The visiting squad entered the match just one point behind FC Cincinnati.
A significant factor in Nashville’s success this season has been forward Sam Surridge, who is tied with Lionel Messi for the most goals in MLS, with 18. Midfielder Hany Mukhtar has 11 goals on the season—a dynamic scoring duo for one of the best teams in the league.
Surridge, Mukhtar, and defender Andy Najar represented Music City at the 2025 MLS All-Star Game in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. San Diego also had three All-Stars: forwards Lozano and Dreyer, along with midfielder captain Tverskov. MLS defeated Liga MX All-Stars 3-1.
Nashville entered tonight’s match on a two-game winning streak, having defeated the Columbus Crew (3-0) and Toronto FC (1-0) this past Saturday. They have won seven of their last eight matches. That one loss was against Inter Miami. They are red-hot.
Meanwhile, a hobbled San Diego squad managed to secure a draw at home against top-seeded Vancouver Whitecaps this past weekend. The Canadian team scored just before halftime, but SDFC continued fighting for the equalizer. Ian Pilcher scored his first career MLS goal in the 79th minute.
The home team welcomed back two players from injury: defender Paddy McNair and veteran midfielder Anibal Godoy were available to come off the bench. However, forward Marcus Ingvartsen and defenders Christopher McVey and Willy Kumado are still sidelined.
The young defense, featuring Luca Bombino, Manu Duah, Ian Pilcher, and Oscar Verhoeven, which made its debut this past Saturday against the Whitecaps, remained unchanged for tonight’s match. The average age of these four players is just 20 years.
Mikey Varas chose goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega to start instead of CJ dos Santos. Sisniega has been impressive while dos Santos was sidelined with a nose injury.
As the ball began to roll, the teams were neutral for a dozen minutes. SDFC had some runs in the attacking third, but the passes were too long or out of reach. The first official attempt at a goal was a Luca de la Torre header that went right of the posts.
Around the 18-minute mark, Lozano was sprinting on a potential fast break opportunity for San Diego, but was fouled by Walker Zimmerman. He was shown a yellow card for a bad foul. The referee went to VAR to check for a possible red card. After reviewing the play, he ultimately decided that it was not ejection-worthy.
Following the delay in the game, Dreyer impressed the crowd with some impressive dribbling skills as he maneuvered around the defenders. The Danish forward then attempted a shot from outside the box, but it went over the goalposts, sailing wide to the left.
To a surprise, Nashville’s first shot attempt came in the 35th minute. Sisniega blocked Alex Muyl’s kick. SDFC’s ball control ability, along with a disciplined backline, has kept the visiting team quiet.
Through 45 minutes, San Diego has had 60.8% possession and three more shot attempts than Nashville. None of the shots have been on goal.
SDFC has had its opportunities but has yet to break the seal. This half showcased the team’s urgent need to add a striker during the transfer window, which opened up yesterday. They miss Milan Iloski.
Six minutes into the second half, Chucky received the ball from Oscar Verhoeven and shot the ball from the right side of the box. His attempt was high and hit the crossbar.
Two minutes later, the Mexican winger had another goal-scoring opportunity with the help of his fellow all-stars.
Tverskov got the break started from past midfield and completed a long pass to Dreyer. He took three dribbles and lightly passed it to Lozano. Chucky immediately shoots it and puts it in the back of the net. Goalkeeper Joe Willis had zero time to react.
Anders Dreyer ➡️ Chucky Lozano pic.twitter.com/WRzbxvbB0H https://t.co/rB6Oqydzlf
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Ssanchez_16) July 26, 2025
That was Lozano’s seventh goal this season, and Dreyer’s 16th assist, which leads the MLS. San Diego’s dynamic attacking duo continues to deliver.
“We’ve been together for a short time, but in that short time we have advanced a lot,” Lozano said on his connection with Dreyer. “It’s demonsttrating on the field, and it every game.”
Chucky Lozano on his connection with San Diego FC teammate Anders Dreyer this season.@EVT_News pic.twitter.com/1jAT3hMYZ5
— Sebastian Sanchez (@Ssanchez_16) July 26, 2025
“Those guys finish when they get chances like that,” Tverskov said about the goal.
With a 1-nil lead, SDFC shifted its focus to defending that advantage.
Jonathan Pérez from Nashville crossed the ball into the box towards Surridge, who headed it toward the center of the net. Sisniega made a crucial block to deny the effort. Moments later, Sisniega had an impressive diving save, preventing a shot aimed at the bottom right corner.
To strengthen the defense, Varas substituted defensive midfielder Godoy for forward Tomás Ángel—this marked Godoy’s first appearance since July 5th.
In the 80th minute, Nashville earned a corner kick. Mukhtar delivered a pass to Jeisson Palacios, but Palacios missed the target, sending the ball to the right of the net.
San Diego had an opportunity to secure their lead when a Nashville defender committed a foul inside the box. Dreyer stepped up to take the penalty, but Willis made a diving save, blocking the shot in the right corner.
Tverskov received a yellow card in the 88th minute, giving the visiting team a free kick from a dangerous position. San Diego’s defensive wall blocked Gastón Brugman’s shot.
Eight minutes of extra time were added. Varas subbed in more defensive help, bringing on McNair to help secure the win. That substitute proved critical in the 94th minute.
McNair altered the ball entering the box, and Sisniega secured the ball, stopping the attack.
In the dying moments of the match, Nashville was in full-attack mode, and Dreyer took the ball and took it the distance to score. The referee determined that the game was over before Dreyer’s attack.
A big time win for San Diego in front of the home crowd of 28,114 in attendance. They remain at the top of the West and continue to prove they’re a legit contender.
Postgame, Tverskov had some high praise for Duah’s recent performances. Tverskov believes the team found Duah’s position at center back, complemented his play style, and said, “he’s been amazing.”
For the next three matches, San Diego FC will shift its focus toward the Leagues Cup. They will host Chucky’s former team, Club Pachuca, on Tuesday, July 29 at 8:00 p.m. PT. SDFC will play against Tigres UANL on Aug. 1 and Mazatlán FC on Aug. 5 at Snapdragon Stadium.
San Diego will play their next MLS match on Aug. 9 at Sporting Kansas City.
