San Diego FC entered Saturday night needing to capitalize on a favorable stretch in its schedule. Its newest players made sure it started with three points.
Elias Achouri and Gabriel Pirani scored as SDFC built a 3-0 lead over the Colorado Rapids at Snapdragon Stadium, with two summer additions delivering in a major way at the start of a pivotal five-match stretch in the Western Conference playoff race.
Onni Valakari opened the scoring in the 27th minute, burying a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner for a 1-0 lead.
Achouri doubled it eight minutes later.
Making his first start for SDFC (7-8-6) in his first appearance at Snapdragon, the Tunisian winger gathered a ball that popped into the air and bounced between two Colorado defenders, calmly settled it near the center of the penalty area and drove a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner.
It was Achouri’s first goal for San Diego — and the 100th regular-season goal in club history, arriving in SDFC’s 55th MLS match.
Achouri nearly opened his account five minutes earlier after being played in by Oscar Verhoeven, but a defender pulled him down on the breakaway. No foul was called, drawing a sustained chorus of boos from the home crowd.
Another newcomer provided the third goal.
Pirani combined with Marcus Ingvartsen on a give-and-go in the 71st minute before finishing the move for a 3-0 lead. Ingvartsen had entered four minutes earlier for Valakari.
Amahl Pellegrino also came on in the 67th minute, replacing Achouri.
The goals from Achouri and Pirani offered an immediate return for a club that reshaped its attack during the summer transfer window. Pirani scored his first SDFC goal Wednesday at Portland. Achouri, signed as a Designated Player, followed with his breakthrough Saturday.
Colorado (9-11-1) arrived having won three straight matches, all by shutout, while conceding just once in five games since the World Cup break.
The Rapids held 53.5% of the first-half possession, and the teams were even with four shots apiece. The difference was what San Diego did with them: SDFC put three attempts on target. Colorado put none.
SDFC celebrates scoring a goal during Saturday’s MLS match against the Colorado Rapids at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA. (Xavier Hernandez for the UT)
The Rapids did not force goalkeeper CJ dos Santos into a save until the 57th minute, when he stopped Paxten Aaronson’s right-footed attempt from the right side of the penalty area. Dos Santos finished with two saves.
Aaronson had also produced Colorado’s best chance of the first half, sending a right-footed shot from outside the box wide to the right.
The performance came at the beginning of a crucial portion of San Diego’s schedule. Four of its next five matches are at Snapdragon Stadium before SDFC closes the regular season with six of its final nine on the road.
“You’re talking … 15 points available,” coach Mikey Varas said Friday. “How do you maximize as many of those points as possible in the mission of climbing the ladder?”
San Diego’s new additions helped secure the first three.
Now comes a match carrying considerably more emotion.
SDFC hosts the LA Galaxy at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday at Snapdragon in a match expected to mark Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s return to San Diego after his midseason loan to the Galaxy.