San Diego FC can no longer win Major League Soccer’s Supporters’ Shield.
Thanks to Anders Dreyer, Luca de la Torre and Amahl Pellegrino, their chances of winning the Western Conference are still very much alive.
Dreyer scored in the 89th minute, Pellegrino tacked on a goal in the final seconds of stoppage time and visiting SDFC beat the Houston Dynamo 4-2 on Saturday night to stay on top of the Western Conference with one regular-season match remaining. Had SDFC (18-9-6) lost, Minnesota United – 3-0 winners over Sporting Kansas City – would have overtaken them in the standings.
Philadelphia Union’s 1-0 win over New York City FC at Subaru Park earlier Saturday clinched the Supporters’ Shield, given annually to the MLS team with the best regular-season record.
San Diego and Houston combined to score four goals in the final five minutes of regulation plus stoppage time.
The match was tied 1-1 in the 85th when Dreyer found Willy Kumado streaking down the right side of the field; Kumado crossed a pass to Pellegrino, who one-touched it to de la Torre inside the goal box. De la Torre, the San Diego native, punched it in for the lead.
After Houston’s Sergio Santos tied the match in the 87th minute, SDFC produced more heroics.
Dreyer collected a pass just in front of Houston goalie Jonathan Bond in the 89th minute. SDFC’s star drew the goalie toward him and tapped a pass to Pellegrino. Pellegrino passed immediately back to Dreyer, and the MLS MVP candidate gave the visitors a lead that held. The goal was Dreyer’s second of the match; he scored on a penalty kick in the 53rd minute.
Pellegrino, acquired last month from the San Jose Earthquakes, replaced star Hirving “Chucky” Lozano after halftime and scored his first SDFC goal on a breakaway in the closing seconds.
Houston (9-15-9) is eliminated from the playoffs.
Notable
SDFC’s 18 wins and 60 points are MLS records for an expansion team.
• SDFC lost defender Christopher McVey in the 75th minute due to an apparent head injury. He was replaced by Alex Mighten. McVey is one of just three SDFC players to start more than 30 matches this season.
Originally Published: October 4, 2025 at 8:27 PM PDT