Collective sigh. While it is never pleasant to discuss a loss—not just because they are downers to write about, but because of the explanation of what it could mean—it is important to provide information to help understand the situation. On Wednesday night, San Diego FC traveled to Mexico to face Toluca on their home turf. Situated at over 8,000 feet in elevation, the elements were always going to be a factor. San Diego entered the match with a 3-2 aggregate lead and needed either an outright win or a draw to advance. Neither happened, as Toluca secured an impressive 4-0 victory.
The Match
Toluca dominated from the start, boasting a 69% possession rate and 14 shots in the first half while completing 90% of their passes. The opening goal resulted from a blunder by young goalkeeper Duran Ferree, who attempted to force a pass into an area crowded with red Toluca shirts. Toluca easily pounced on the error to take the lead. San Diego had trouble creating chances or even stringing passes together, finishing the half with a 69% pass completion rate. SDFC displayed a noticeably heavy first touch and could not get the passes together to move the ball into the final third. Amahal Pellegrino recorded the only shot of the first half, which missed wide.
In the second half, holding both the lead and the aggregate tiebreaker, Toluca did not mind that San Diego had the ball. While San Diego’s possession rose to 56%, they managed only four shots with none on target. Meanwhile, Toluca continued to push ahead, scoring three goals in the second half and totaling 13 shots. The final stats showed a dominant 27 shots for Toluca with 12 on target, compared to just five shots and zero on target for San Diego. It was an embarrassing display for the attack-minded side of San Diego.
Toluca clearly wanted to embarrass this team after the 3-2 defeat the previous week, a match San Diego finished with only nine men on the pitch. The match looked like grown men going against teenagers, and it was not just a matter of size. The skill level of the Toluca players was on a different level with effortless dribbling and quick one-touch passing. Combined with the high altitude, it was a combination for disaster for an away team coming from sea level. San Diego can take this match as another learning lesson and should see the team on the other side as everything they should strive for. Becoming world-beaters in both MLS and CONCACAF is something San Diego can achieve in a few years, but the club needs to keep developing younger players and attract top talent.
Reflections
Afterwards, captain Jeppe Tverskov spoke with SDFC broadcaster and from Section 1904 Darren Smith and sounded frustrated with the result (Jeppe’s interview starts at 11:23). Tverskov noted “We need to be adjustable for games and tactics and we need to get … stuff in we can use … also for MLS and League’s Cup”. His comments may infer that the team could use some help. San Diego’s bench was thin following red cards to Marcus Ingvartsen and Manu Duah in the previous match. Of the players who came off the bench—Osvald Søe, David Vazquez, Wilson Eisner, Alex Mighten, and Anisse Saidi—only Eisner and Mighten are over the age of 21. Mikey Varas did not have great options to choose from off the bench when San Diego needed to turn the match around and stop the bleeding.
Hopefully, this match serves as a learning lesson for the front office, as depth is needed to potentially make a run in the playoffs and the Leagues Cup. The summer transfer window will be a great opportunity to bring on veteran players and players from other leagues to bolster the roster. San Diego may also potentially get back MLS veteran Andres Reyes in the second half of the year.
The one positive to take away is that there is still room for improvement for the second-year team and a chance to see where San Diego stacks up against the best in Mexico. The Champions Cup is the best competition CONCACAF has to offer, and it is a privilege to play in it. Many MLS teams have been around a long time and have never qualified, so for San Diego to play in it in their second year was amazing.
San Diego needs to shake off this tournament loss and get ready for league play. Real Salt Lake is next on Sunday afternoon. Last season, the teams played twice; the first match away was a 3-1 winner for San Diego with goals from Franco Negri, Anders Dreyer, and Marcus Ingvartsen. However, when playing RSL at home, Real Salt Lake won 3-1 with goals from Diego Luna and Sam Junqua. RSL narrowly made the playoffs last year but were eliminated in the Wild Card match by Portland Timbers.
Matchday Preview: Real Salt Lake
Over the off-season, Real Salt Lake retooled their roster to ensure a better chance at making a deep playoff run. They looked toward their own academy by adding Diego Rocio on a homegrown contract and further strengthened the squad by signing Sergi Solans from the MLS Super Draft. RSL also heavily invested in international talent, completing transfers for Lukas Engel from Middlesbrough, Stijn Spierings from Brøndby IF, Morgan Guilavogui from RC Lens, and Juan Manuel Sanabria from Atlético San Luis. So far, this revamped group has been on an impressive run; despite an initial 1-0 loss to Vancouver, they have secured three straight victories and currently occupy 6th place in the standings.
This is a very attack-minded team that prioritizes getting on the ball and shooting as often as possible. Currently, RSL ranks third in the league for total shots with 60. However, efficiency remains an area for improvement, as only 19 of those 60 shots have been on target, which ties them for 9th in the league. Their shot-on-target percentage of 31.7% actually sits 26th in the league, suggesting they are a volume-shooting side that relies on creating a high number of opportunities to eventually break through.
One of the primary threats I am watching is the 18-year-old wunderkind, Zavier Gozo. He is already knocking on the door for a senior US Men’s National Team call-up and has shown he can perform against SDFC. In his first start of the 2025 season against San Diego last April—a match RSL won—Gozo recorded 39 touches, completed 10 of 11 passes, and registered a shot on target. He is an incredibly well-rounded player who doesn’t just contribute offensively; in that same match, he recorded six tackles, two recoveries, and three clearances. He is a nightmare on the counter-attack because he can tackle, dribble, and shoot without needing to rely on a pass. Statistically, he is fourth in the league in progressive carries with 28, tied for third in final third take-ons with 11, and has already provided seven key passes.
The other major attacking threat is their newest acquisition, Morgan Guilavogui. He arrives from RC Lens in Ligue 1, where he scored one goal in this current season. He also brings experience from the Bundesliga with St. Pauli, where he managed seven goals and four assists last season, and from a prolific stint at Paris FC in Ligue 2 where he tallied 32 goals and 10 assists across all competitions. I see Guilavogui as an older version of Gozo but stationed on the left side. Like Gozo, he is a counter-attacking threat who likes to tackle and is never afraid to shoot. Both players currently share the team lead with 11 shots each. Guilavogui is particularly dangerous in his movement, leading the team with 5.21 shots per 90 minutes and recording 33 progressive receptions, nine of which have been inside the opposition’s penalty area.
San Diego will have their hands full with an attack-focused Real Salt Lake team, especially with Diego Luna returning from a knee injury. Luna played over 20 minutes in last week’s win over Austin FC. Meanwhile, San Diego will have six players going away to play for their national teams: Anders Dreyer, Onni Valakari, Anisse Saidi, Anibal Godoy, David Vazquez, and Luca Bombino. This could mean the team needs some rotation to keep players fresh. It is a difficult task as Real Salt Lake looks for their fourth win in a row.
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