SDFC players celebrate goal by Onni Valakari (second from left) in the first match of playoffs. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego.com)
San Diego FC earned its first ever playoff win Sunday night with a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers, continuing an inaugural season in which it has defied predictions and expectations to become one of Major League Soccer’s best teams.
A sellout crowd of over 30,000 fans filled Snapdragon Stadium to see the top seed in the Western Conference take the first game in the best-of-three series. SDFC moves to the next round with one more win.
The scoring began in the 23rd minute, when San Diego midfielder Onni Valakari connected with a left-footed shot from in front of the goal to the net’s central bottom zone.
SDFC struck again in the 30th minute when the team’s leading scorer and league MVP candidate Anders Dryer hit a header to make the score 2-0.
Portland did not lay down. Timbers left wing Kristoffer Velde scored during the 36th minute to keep the match in reach. But SDFC went into the half with a 2-1 lead that wound up being the final margin of victory.
In the 66th minute, Timbers left back Jimer Fory was shown the yellow card for the second time and was ejected with nearly 25 minutes remaining. The ejection also means he’ll also be unavailable for the second match in the series, Saturday in Portland.
San Diego dominated statistically in both halves, with 63% ball possession in the initial 45 minutes and nine shot attempts – five on goal – compared to three shots for Portland, all of which were on goal.
San Diego controlled possession for a whopping 71% of the match, and took a total of 15 shots, eight of which were on goal. Portland had just five shot attempts throughout the match.
SDFC player Luca Bombino celebrates a goal by Andres Dreyer (right) in the first match of the playoffs. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
Portland remains winless against SDFC in three matches this season. SDFC won 4-0 on Oct. 18 in Portland and the clubs played to a scoreless draw on Aug. 23 in San Diego.
“The team came out with tremendous focus,” SDFC head coach Mikey Varas said. “All in all, I think it was a really good game. This is a good first step. But this is just one step in the journey.”
“To play so well when it really mattered, it means a lot to us,” midfielder Luca de la Torre, a San Diego native, said during the post-match press conference. “Tonight was a festival of football.”
Not in the lineup for the match was SDFC star forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, who according to recent reports, faced disciplinary action after getting into a verbal altercation in the locker room after he was pulled at halftime during a road match against the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 4.
Lozano also didn’t play against the Timbers on Oct. 18, making this the second consecutive contest that he was not listed as a starter or substitute. On Friday, he posted an apology on social media regarding the locker room incident.
“I didn’t react in the right way and I’ve already taken responsibility, addressed it and moved forward,” the statement read.
Lozano has nine goals and 10 assists across 27 appearances for SDFC this season, second only in goal contributions to Dreyer, who has 19 goals and 18 assists.
“We said that we would take it day by day, week by week,” Varas said of the Lozano situation. “We’ve already communicated to him that as long as there’s no setback, he’ll be back next week.”
“I think Chucky is a top player and he’s important for us,” Dreyer said in the post-match press conference. “Hopefully, he’s back soon.”
SDFC travels to Portland for Game 2 of the series on Nov. 1 at Providence Park in Portland. If the series is tied after that, the deciding match would take place Nov. 9 at Snapdragon Stadium, with the winner advancing to the Western Conference semifinals, which kick off the weekend before Thanksgiving.
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