San Diego FC has officially clinched a playoff spot after a 0-0 draw against the Portland Timbers. While the match itself did not determine their fate, their playoff qualification was secured on Saturday due to other teams’ results: a draw by FC Dallas, and losses by both Austin FC and Real Salt Lake. This makes San Diego FC the first team to clinch one of the nine available playoff spots in the 2025 season.

This is a historic and momentous occasion for the first-year club. San Diego FC also became the fastest expansion team ever to clinch a playoff spot. From here on out, their focus is on placing well in the Western Conference standings. While no expansion team has ever won the Supporters Shield in their inaugural year, San Diego will control much of their destiny as they close out the season with matches against teams just below them in the standings. Their final regular season matches are against LAFC, Minnesota, San Jose, Houston, and Portland. We now know that San Diego FC will still be playing matches in late October, with hopes of reaching the MLS Cup in November.

Match Recap

The match on Saturday night was a 0-0 draw, with both teams sharing the points. Corey Baird, who was acquired from FC Cincinnati, made his first appearance for the club. In the first half, it looked like San Diego had returned to its classic style of play. The team had a clear possession advantage with 71% of the ball, compared to Portland’s 29%. San Diego had six total shots with one on target, while Portland had three total shots, also with one on target. San Diego had two big missed opportunities to score in the first half. In the 16th minute, Anders Dreyer delivered a pass to Chucky Lozano, who appeared to score, but the goal was disallowed due to Dreyer being offside. It happened again in the 31st minute when Dreyer finished a great run with a shot for a goal, but after a VAR review, it was also determined that he was offside. Overall, San Diego had a clear possession and shot advantage in the first half.

The second half was a much more even contest. San Diego maintained its possession advantage with 58% of the ball to Portland’s 42%. However, Portland had more shots (seven with two on target) compared to San Diego’s six shots, none of which were on target. The teams were also much closer in touches in the opposition’s box, with San Diego having 10 and Portland having eight, a significant change from the first half where Portland had zero and San Diego had 14. San Diego’s offense seemed to lose some of its cohesion, especially after Corey Baird left the match with an injury in the 42nd minute. David Vazquez took his place, but the offense struggled to get going with him up front. Portland’s offense also couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. At the end of the match, goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos earned his ninth clean sheet of the season. San Diego FC will face the Timbers again on Decision Day.

Corey Baird’s Debut

We saw some good things from Corey Baird in his 41-minute debut. He had 15 touches, completed 70% of his passes (7 out of 10), and had six progressive receptions. Defensively, Baird had one block and one clearance. We were able to see Baird’s elite passing ability on display, as two of his passes to Anders Dreyer created potential scoring opportunities. The first video below, you will see an excellent back heel pass from Baird right in Dreyer’s path. That ball placement allows Dreyer to get a shot off but right to the goalkeeper. The second video below shows a quick touch of the ball from Baird to Dreyer, who was offside. Still a great pass, nonetheless. When Baird is healthy again, he could be a key factor up front, providing crucial passes to both Anders Dreyer and Chucky Lozano. It was great to see some rapport building in this first match, and hopefully, we’ll see more of it for the rest of the season.

A Last-Minute Addition: Amahl Pellegrino

As the transfer window closed, the club said goodbye to Hamady Diop, who was waived from the roster. The team welcomed new forward Amahl Pellegrino, who was acquired from the San Jose Earthquakes for $300,000 in general allocation money, with San Jose covering a portion of his salary budget charge. Pellegrino, a 35-year-old forward, first arrived in MLS last season and scored nine goals and had three assists during his time with San Jose. His playing time this season was drastically cut in favor of other forwards, including Josef Martinez. However, Pellegrino is a Norwegian legend, having amassed over 97 goals and 36 assists with clubs like Bodø/Glimt and Kristiansund. He has over 154 career goal contributions. San Diego FC is looking for someone who can put the ball in the back of the net, and Pellegrino could be a scoring threat in the right system.