Tuesday’s Concacaf Champions Cup opening-round matchup with Mexico’s Pumas UNAM marked San Diego FC’s first competition of 2026.
It took about 60 minutes for the team to play in mid-season form.
Four different goal-scorers came through for SDFC in a late-match barrage spanning just 18 minutes, and SDFC romped to a 4-1 victory at Snapdragon Stadium.
Manu Duah and David Vazquez ignited the eruption with a pair of headers, scoring in the 68th and 76th minutes.
Anders Dreyer helped SDFC break through with a well-placed corner kick, and Duah rose above the Pumas UNAM defense to fire his header past goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
David Vazquez #19 of the San Diego FC celebrates after a goal against the Pumas UNAM during the CONCACAF Champions Cup match at Snapdragon Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Vazquez delivered next on a play that unfolded in much the same vein, with Wilson Eisner doing the honors on the corner cross. An electrified Vazquez slid on his knees across the Snapdragon Stadium turf in celebration as fireworks shot off, the home crowd responding with hearty cheers perhaps doubling as sighs of relief.
With Vazquez’s goal, SDFC pulled ahead in a match it dominated from the opening kickoff everywhere but on the scoreboard.
Luca Bombino #27 and Alex Mighten #77 of the San Diego FC celebrate after a goal against the Pumas UNAM during the CONCACAF Champions Cup match at Snapdragon Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Pumas UNAM, coming into San Diego with four Liga MX matches to its credit in January, didn’t need possession long to strike.
Robert Morales snapped a perfectly timed bicycle kick off of an Adalberto Carrasquilla assist, the shot fired from straight-on, whizzing past SDFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega.
Morales’ goal was the lone Pumas shot attempt until deep into the second half, and two total shots on goal for the club on the night, as SDFC owned possession for nearly 73% of the contest.
While SDFC controlled the ball with an approach picking up right where it left off in its historic inaugural season, finding goals proved more difficult.
Pumas UNAM led for nearly 60 minutes until Duah’s goal. But once the floodgates opened, the blue and chrome poured it on.
Alex Mighten extended the lead in the 81st minute when he came sliding in to follow up on Navas’ denial of another Vazquez header attempt.
Luca Bombino closed out the SDFC blitz in the 86th minute with a shot from straight-on.
SDFC peppered a remarkable 22 shot attempts on the night, with seven shots on goal. The aggressive offensive approach limited Pumas’ opportunities, and in turn, puts SDFC in a more favorable spot heading into next week’s second leg of the Champions Cup in Mexico City.