San Diego FC shocked everyone by winning the Western Conference as an expansion team. However, the real test came in their first playoff match. Since the 1998 Chicago Fire won the MLS Cup in their first season the only expansion team to win even a single postseason game was Nashville in 2020.
New season, same results.
SDFC jumped out to a two goal lead and held on for a 2-1 win in front of a sellout crowd at Snapdragon Stadium, putting them one win away from the conference semifinals.
After controlling possession for most of the first 20 minutes SDFC has several shots but couldn’t find a way to get one by Portland goalie James Pentemis. They finally cracked the seal in the 23rd minute. Manu Duah’s shot hit the upright and settled at the feet of Onni Valakari, who punched it in for the first playoff goal in San Diego FC history.
They thought they had another a minute later but Amahl Pellegrino was ruled offsides before his shot hit the back of the net but the home team would not be denied for long. In the 30th minute Anders Dreyer and Luca Bombino played give-and-go, Bombino flipping a pass to the middle where Dreyer flew through the air for a diving header as the sellout crowd erupted, serenading the striker with chants of “MVP! MVP!”
Portland cut the lead in half in the 36th minute on a blast from Kristoffer Velde, sending the match to halftime 2-1. In the second half the Timbers put themselves at an even bigger disadvantage.
Jimer Fory was given two yellow cards in two minutes for a pair of fouls, sending him off and leaving the Timbers with 10 men on the field. SDFC was quite content to, for all intents and purposes, just play keep away for the rest of the match.
It is worth noting Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, the first designated player in club history, was not on the active roster for the match. He’s being disciplined for what the club is calling an internal behavioral issue. Lozano was seen in the stands at halftime signing autographs for fans.
Game two of the best-of-three game opening round is Saturday night in Portland. Another win for San Diego will put them into the single-elimination Western Conference semi-finals. A loss would force a decisive Game three against the Timbers back at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, November 9.