San Diego FC and the Portland Timbers battled to a draw Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium, but the club still became the first team in MLS to clinch a playoff spot this season.
San Diego is also trailing the Philadelphia Union by a single point in the race for the Supporters’ Shield, the annual award given to the club with the most points accrued in the
regular season.
Although Saturday’s game ended in a draw, San Diego could have been up 2-0 if not for a couple of officials’ calls, both involving Anders Dreyer.
First, in the 16th minute, a goal by SDFC was overturned due to Dreyer being offside. Then, in the 31st minute, another goal by Dreyer was nullified by an offside call against him by the officials.
San Diego’s three latest player acquisitions, two of whom joined the club this week, all played, with two of them getting significant minutes.
Winger Corey Baird, an Escondido native who was acquired by San Diego from FC Cincinnati earlier this month, was in the starting lineup, replacing the injured Marcus Ingvartsen.
Having gained one point during the scoreless draw, the expansion side (16-7-5) now leads the Western Conference with 53 points, one spot ahead of Minnesota United FC (14-6-8, 50 points).
But his SDFC debut was marred during the 41st minute when he left the match due to an apparent hamstring injury.
Also, getting minutes, but as substitutes, were new center back Leo Duru and forward Amahl Pellegrino.
Duru, 20, is on loan from English Football League team Blackburn Rovers F.C. through June 2026 with a permanent purchase option.
“He’s a player we have been monitoring for many months and is a defender with exceptional physical attributes,” SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps said of Duru, who’s 5-foot-10” and weighs about 175 lbs. “We look forward to supporting his development and seeing him continue to grow in his professional journey.”
Duru came in during the 58th minute and played the remainder of the match.
Pellegrino, 35, was acquired from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for $300,000. He appeared in 13 matches (five starts) for the Earthquakes this season, tallying two goals and two assists. He came in during the 82nd minute, and played to the final whistle.
In the post-match press conference, San Diego head coach Mikey Varas said that although his squad is disappointed to emerge from the Portland match with no goals, it doesn’t take away from the team’s larger goal of learning and improving.
Team captain Jeppe Tverskov said that he and the team are confident regarding its chances in the postseason, but not necessarily pleased with the match.
“We’re happy to get in the playoffs, but right now the emotions are based on the game, so it’s mixed emotions,” Tverskov remarked.
“If we play the way we’ve done the whole season, I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to complete with the rest of the teams (in the playoffs),” he said.
Dreyer said that “qualifying for the playoffs is amazing and doing it so early is nice,” while also expressing disappointment in not getting a victory against the Timbers.
“Today, we wanted three points, but we didn’t get it,” he commented. “Every time we’re playing in front of these fans, we want to win.”
Saturday’s match was first-ever meeting between San Diego and Portland, which is fighting to make the playoffs. The Timbers now have a 10-9-8 record with 38 points, good for sixth place in the Western Conference table.
San Diego and Portland play again the final week of the regular season, on Oct. 18 in Portland. It’s a game that could make or break Portland’s shot at the playoffs, depending on how the rest of their season plays out.
Up next: On Aug. 31, SDFC faces Los Angeles FC on the road before returning to Snapdragon Stadium for a Sept. 13 game against Minnesota United FC and then a friendly against Liga MX’s Club Tijuana on Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day.
Notes: On Aug. 22, San Diego announced that it has waived defender Hamady Diop, 23. Diop, who made his season debut March 23, totaled 225 minutes played in seven appearances with the club.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
