San Diego FC (SDFC) went on the road and remained unbeaten through nine matches. This victory over the Houston Dynamo was a memorable one, as San Diego finally secured the most wins and points for an expansion team in MLS history.

The last time SDFC faced Houston, the total score was seven goals, with the Dynamo sealing a victory by scoring the final two goals late in the match. This time, it was San Diego’s turn to deliver late-game heroics, scoring three goals very late in the match for a 4-2 victory.

First Half Action: Houston Strikes First

To start the match, SDFC’s ball movement was excellent. The ball flowed effectively from the backline to the midfield and into the final third—the kind of style SDFC aims to play every game. SDFC’s plan was working until the 14th minute when Houston decided to high press and put pressure on goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos near his own goal. Dos Santos passed the ball wide to the near side to Aiden Harangi, who was also under pressure. Harangi passed it short to Anders Dreyer, who got the ball away quickly, but it was intercepted by Junior Urso. Urso dribbled the ball to the center of the field and passed it wide to Griffin Dorsey. As Dorsey received the ball, he was fouled by Franco Negri just a few yards outside the penalty area, resulting in a free kick.

On the free kick, Ondrej Lingr kicked the ball toward the goal, where it was deflected off of Chris McVey’s head. The ball went back to Dorsey in the central area of the pitch. Dorsey then sent a pass centrally into the penalty area, where it was deflected again, this time by Anibal Godoy’s head. The ball traveled toward the far-side post, where Lingr retrieved it and kicked it toward the six-yard box. Felipe Vieira was able to slide and kick the ball into the back of the net for the opening goal.

For SDFC, that goal was a breakdown in coverage, as Houston overloaded the far post with more players than San Diego had on that side. This was Vieira’s fourth goal of the season. By the end of the half, San Diego FC had 69% possession and 11 shots (two on target). Houston had 31% possession and seven shots (two on target). SDFC had six corner kicks, with the final one ending after a short pass to Manu Duah with Duah sending a pass wide and out of play. The first half ended with Houston leading 1-0.

Second Half: A Late-Game Surge

The second half began with two substitutions for SDFC: Amahal Pellegrino came on for Chucky Lozano, and Ian Pilcher subbed in for Franco Negri. Pellegrino’s presence was immediately felt. In the 48th minute, a Houston corner kick was headed out toward the near side. Godoy retrieved the ball and passed it to Pellegrino. Pellegrino passed the ball across the pitch to Anders Dreyer, who dribbled it into Houston’s half. Dreyer then passed the ball to Harangi, who was running toward the penalty area. Harangi passed the ball into the six-yard box to Pellegrino, who was pushed by a defender and went down right on the line. No foul was called initially, but after a VAR review, SDFC was awarded a penalty kick. Anders Dreyer took the penalty, shooting the ball with intent to the goalkeeper’s left, past the diving Jonathan Bond, to level the score at one.

The Late Goals

With the score tied and less than 15 minutes remaining in regulation, there was hope for SDFC. On the Chromainacs podcast this week, we had noted that in seven of Houston’s last 10 matches, they had conceded four times in the final 15 minutes of regulation plus stoppage time. San Diego FC had plenty of time to score and win. A crucial substitution occurred in the 84th minute when Luca De La Torre came in for Anibal Godoy. A minute later, the ball went back to Dos Santos, who passed it to Ian Pilcher. Pilcher dribbled a few yards, passed to De La Torre, who then passed back to Onni Valakari. Valakari passed the ball centrally at midfield to Dreyer, who then sent it out to Willy Kumado on the far side. Kumado passed the ball centrally into the penalty area, where Pellegrino kneed it out to De La Torre, who kicked it into the back of the net for SDFC’s second goal. That was Pellegrino’s first assist with San Diego and De La Torre’s fifth goal of the season.

The lead was short-lived. In the 87th minute, Chris McVey mishandled a pass and was dispossessed by Lawerence Ennali. Sergio Santos retrieved the ball, dribbled into the penalty area, got a shot off, and scored Houston’s second goal, leveling the score at two. This was the second time in the match that poor play by McVey led to an opponent’s shot, with Ennali also having taken the ball away in the 62nd minute. Houston remained aggressive in their pursuit of a third goal, needing more than a point to stay alive in their playoff race. However, after a goal kick, Houston faced a high press from San Diego. Alex Mighten deflected a pass, which ended up with Luca De La Torre inside the Houston penalty area. De La Torre passed the ball back to Anders Dreyer. With the keeper coming toward him, Dreyer passed the ball to his left to Pellegrino, who was also inside the box. Pellegrino remained patient before making the correct choice: passing the ball back to Dreyer, who was running toward the goal and was able to take the shot and score. This was a brace for Anders Dreyer, bringing his season totals to 17 goals and 33 goal contributions. It was also Dreyer’s fourth brace of the season and Pellegrino’s second assist of the match.

Just for good measure, San Diego ended the match with one more goal. After a goal kick by Dos Santos, the ball was headed around midfield until Jeppe Tverskov gained possession. Tverskov kicked the ball to Pellegrino, who was heading toward the penalty area with a defender on him. Pellegrino beat the defender, took a shot to the goalkeeper’s left, and put the ball in the net for the final goal. Pellegrino, who came in at halftime, contributed three goals in the half. He had 13 touches in the attacking third and led the team with five touches in the penalty area. Having Pellegrino come off the bench might be the ideal rotation for San Diego FC moving forward.

Record-Breaking Season

With the win, San Diego has 18 wins and 60 points, both records for any first-year MLS team. Earning more than 60 points in any season is a significant achievement. For comparison, in 2023, St. Louis topped the conference with 17 wins and 56 points, and in 2021, the Colorado Rapids led the conference with 61 points. This season, it will take more than 60 points to keep the top spot in the Western Conference. With one match remaining, San Diego could potentially end the season with 63 points.

Speaking of the final match, it won’t happen for another two weeks as San Diego will take a break while International play resumes. This is a great time to rest players. Five players have been called up for international play: Anders Dreyer, Anibal Godoy, Paddy McNair, Chucky Lozano, and David Vasquez. Additionally, Duran Ferree, Pedro Soma, and Luca Bombino are already playing in the U20 World Cup and may miss the final match against the Portland Timbers.