San Diego FC was looking for a win to stay in the playoff hunt on Saturday night. Their opponents were the Colorado Rapids, who were hoping to stay hot after the World Cup break having won four of their last five matches. Though the Rapids do not have the best away record, that presented San Diego with an opportunity to secure a crucial three points at home.
San Diego deployed their best starting XI of 2026. New left winger Elias Achouri made his first start for San Diego FC alongside Onni Valakari up front and Anders Dreyer on the right wing. The midfield featured Gabriel Pirani, Jeppe Tverskov, and Aníbal Godoy. The backline was a familiar unit previously seen at LAFC, with Luca Bombino, Ian Murphy, Manu Duah, and Oscar Verhoeven all starting. This was likely the most optimal lineup San Diego FC fans have seen all season. Marcus Ingvartsen, the team’s top scorer with 11 goals this season, began on the bench. Head Coach Mikey Varas was likely offering Ingvartsen some rest, given how dramatically his workload has increased this year.
Colorado kicked off to start the match. When San Diego regained possession a minute later, the Rapids immediately implemented a high press, attempting to force an errant pass or a mistake in the defensive third. However, playing through pressure is something San Diego trains for constantly, and SDFC similarly presses high when the Rapids control possession in their back third to force turnovers and generate scoring opportunities. Early in the match, neither side created a major scoring threat. Dante Sealy missed high over the crossbar in the 10th minute , and the next attempt came when Hamzat Ojediran sent a long-range shot directly to Ian Murphy, who cleared it away safely.
San Diego then created their first big opportunity in the 26th minute. With Colorado pressing high, San Diego played out from the backline rapidly. Quick footwork and a key pass from Tverskov moved the ball cleanly from the midfield into the final third. Dreyer received the pass near midfield and found an unmarked Godoy. Godoy drove into the box near the six-yard line, where he was met by goalkeeper Nicholas Hansen. Hansen dived for the ball as Godoy went down without getting a shot off.
The Rapids recovered possession and played the ball forward. This time, San Diego held their line and permitted the opposition’s backline to advance toward midfield. Valakari instructed Godoy to fill the space behind him on the right while Valakari stepped up to press center back Rob Holding. Holding passed to Reggie Cannon on his right, initiating a sequence of passes between the two defenders. Cannon played the ball wide to Sealy, who quickly returned it under pressure from Bombino. Sealy misjudged the speed of the pass, forcing Cannon to retreat a few yards to control it. With Achouri closing in quickly behind him, Cannon attempted a hasty pass back to Holding inside their own penalty area. Holding took a bad touch and let the ball go through him allowing Valakari to pounce on the loose ball. Valakari struck quickly past Hansen into the back of the net to make it 1-0. The goal was Valakari’s fourth of the year, matching his goal total from last season. Having recorded 11 goal contributions last season, Valakari now sits at seven and remains well on track to eclipse last year’s total.
Just a minute after the restart, San Diego maintained the pressure. Bombino unleashed a rocket from outside the penalty area that stung the palms of the keeper. It was a great effort by Bombino and a fine save by Hansen to keep it out. A couple of minutes later, Achouri received a transition pass from Verhoeven and dashed into the box. As Achouri took his shot, he was pushed to the ground by Loïc Williams, causing the effort to drift wide. Achouri appealed for a penalty, but the referee let play continue.
In the 35th minute, goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos opted for an unconventional choice. With the Rapids pressing high, Dos Santos launched a long ball directly toward midfield —a rare sight for a San Diego FC side that typically insists on playing out from the back. A Colorado player initially won the header, but Godoy battled hard to claim the second ball. Godoy then sent a pass down the near side to Achouri, who had temporarily swapped sides with Dreyer. Achouri dribbled down the line assessing options before playing it back to Verhoeven. Verhoeven found Godoy, who quickly turned it over to Tverskov. Tverskov immediately chipped a delicate pass over the backline for Achouri, who was making a run into the box. Williams attempted to head the ball away alongside Achouri, causing the ball to pop high into the air. Two Rapids defenders collided in a central attempt to clear it, leaving Achouri in a comfortable position to slot the ball past a diving Hansen. It marked Achouri’s first goal in Chrome and Azul. While Achouri finished the play brilliantly, Godoy’s duel victory at midfield and Tverskov’s precise pass over the top made it a standout team goal.
At the half, San Diego held 52% possession, registered four shots with three on target, and logged 10 touches inside the opposition’s box. Colorado had generated four total shots with zero on target and five touches in the box. Entering the match, the Rapids were 0-0-6 when trailing at halftime , meaning San Diego simply needed a composed defensive second half to secure all three points.
Colorado made a triple substitution to start the second half, bringing on Darren Yapi, Wayne Frederick, and Youssef Maziz for Sealy, Josh Atencio, and Ojediran. Much like the opening half, both teams traded possession end-to-end before a real chance emerged. Paxten Aaronson eventually worked his way into the box for a shot, but it went straight to Dos Santos for an easy save.
At the hour mark, the Rapids brought on Alex Harris for Georgi Minoungou. Shortly after, Bombino pulled off a massive defensive recovery on the near side to break up a dangerous Colorado transition. Bombino secured the loose ball and hit a long switch pass across the pitch to Dreyer. Dreyer controlled it, cut into the penalty area, and saw his shot blocked by a sliding tackle from Williams. San Diego then made their first substitutions, replacing goal scorers Valakari and Achouri with Ingvartsen and Amahl Pellegrino.
In the 71st minute, Colorado attempted to exploit an aerial matchup downfield, with Williams lofting a ball toward Rafael Navarro and Duah. Duah won the duel, and Godoy picked up the second ball. Godoy dribbled through pressure and released Dreyer on the far side. Dreyer picked out Pirani in the center of midfield. Pirani drove forward and fed Ingvartsen just outside the penalty area. Ingvartsen carried the ball into the box before laying it back to Pirani, who found space to place his shot just inside the near post. The goal put San Diego up 3-0 and marked Pirani’s second consecutive match with a goal. For Ingvartsen, it was his third assist of the season, his first assist since March 1st, and his first goal contribution since May 16th.
San Diego was in complete control of the match, needing only to manage the remaining minutes. However, tragedy struck in the 86th minute when Ingvartsen was forced off due to an injury. After clearing a long throw-in out of the penalty area, Ingvartsen appeared to pull his hamstring on the clearance. The Rapids managed a deflected shot on the follow-up play that went out for a corner, at which point Ingvartsen dropped to the grass and called for the medical staff. Lewis Morgan came on to replace him. Ingvartsen has dealt with lingering injuries all last season, and while hopefully this setback is not as severe as last year’s, he walked off the pitch gingerly, which could indicate an extended absence if severe.
San Diego closed out the 3-0 victory, moving up to 11th place in the Western Conference with 27 points. 18 of those points have been earned at home, where they hold a 5-3-3 record. With 13 matches remaining—six at home and seven away—San Diego remains firmly in the playoff conversation. Hypothetically, if San Diego were to win out at home and secure draws in their remaining away fixtures, they would gain another 25 points to finish the season with 52 points. While that projection represents an ideal path, the reality of the remaining schedule will bring a mix of wins, losses, and draws across all venues. To stay competitive in a tight playoff race, San Diego FC simply needs to keep stringing points together and sustain the high level of performance displayed against the Rapids for the rest of the campaign. San Diego was able to secure this victory by fielding their strongest XI and converting their big chances. Hopefully, we see more of that standard as they close out the year.
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