by Even though San Diego FC and the Portland Timbers fought to a stalemate at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, the team was still the first in Major League Soccer to secure a postseason berth this year.
The expansion team (16-7-5) now leads the Western Conference with 53 points, one slot ahead of Minnesota United FC (14-6-8, 50 points), after gaining one point during the scoreless draw.
In the competition for the Supporters Shield, which is awarded annually to the team with the most points earned during the regular season, San Diego is also one point behind the Philadelphia Union.
San Diego should have led 2-0 despite Saturday’s game ending in a stalemate if it weren’t for two official calls involving Anders Dreyer.
First, an SDFC goal in the 16th minute was disallowed because Dreyer was offside. Then, in the 31st minute, the authorities called Dreyer offside, nullifying another of his goals.
All three of San Diego’s recent additions—two of whom joined the team this week—played, with two of them logging substantial amounts of playing time.
The injured Marcus Ingvartsen was replaced in the starting lineup by winger Corey Baird, a native of Escondido who was acquired by San Diego from FC Cincinnati earlier this month.
However, he departed the game in the 41st minute with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, ruining his SDFC debut.
Leo Duru, the new center back, and Amahl Pellegrino, the new forward, were also getting minutes, albeit as substitutes.
The 20-year-old Duru is on loan from Blackburn Rovers F.C. in the English Football League till June 2026, with a permanent purchase option.
About Duru, who stands 5’10” and weighs roughly 175 pounds, SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps stated, “He’s a guy we have been studying for many months and is a defender with great physical traits.” Supporting his growth and watching him advance in his career are something we look forward to.
Duru played the rest of the game after entering the game in the 58th minute.
For $300,000, Pellegrino, 35, was purchased from the San Jose Earthquakes. This season, he made 13 appearances for the Earthquakes, including five starts, and recorded two goals and two assists. He entered the game in the eighty-second minute and continued to play until the final whistle.
Although his team is unhappy to leave the Portland game without a goal, San Diego head coach Mikey Varas stated during the press conference following the game that it does not detract from the team’s overall objective of growing and learning.
Jeppe Tverskov, the squad’s captain, stated that while he and the team are optimistic about their prospects of making the playoffs, they are not particularly happy with the game.
While we are pleased to be in the playoffs, Tverskov said, “at the moment, the emotions are based on the game, so it’s mixed emotions.”
He stated, “I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to compete with the other teams (in the playoffs) if we play the way we’ve done the entire season.”
While expressing displeasure at not winning against the Timbers, Dreyer added that making it to the playoffs is fantastic and that it’s wonderful to do it early.
He remarked, “We wanted three points today, but we didn’t get it.” We want to win every time we play in front of these supporters.
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San Diego and Portland, who are vying for a postseason spot, met for the first time on Saturday. The Timbers are currently in sixth position in the Western Conference standings with a 10-9-8 record and 38 points.
On October 18, in Portland, San Diego and Portland will play again during the last week of the regular season. Depending on how the rest of their season goes, this game might make or break Portland’s chances of making the playoffs.
Next up: On August 31, SDFC travels to play Los Angeles FC. On September 13, they return to Snapdragon Stadium to play Minnesota United FC. On September 16, which is Mexican Independence Day, they play Liga MX’s Club Tijuana in a friendly match.
Notes: San Diego declared on August 22 that 23-year-old defender Hamady Diop had been waived. After making his season debut on March 23, Diop played seven games for the team, accumulating 225 minutes.
