San Diego FC traveled cross-country to play in Florida for the first time ever. The journey spans over 2,000 miles and passes through three different time zones. Beyond those travel obstacles, SDFC had to face a hot and humid Saturday night in Florida, which is far from ideal playing weather. On top of that, their opponent, Orlando City SC, brought out Antoine Griezmann—the all-time top goal scorer for Atlético Madrid. Saturday night was always going to be a challenge for the chrome y azul, and it was simply a matter of how SDFC would attempt to overcome it.
First Half
Early in this match Orlando pushed forward and created a fourth-minute chance through Justin Ellis, whose initial shot was blocked by Ian Murphy before Ellis gathered the rebound and fired well wide to the right. A few minutes later, Daryl Dike tried to exploit a one-on-one matchup against Manu Duah. Dike initially got ahead, but Duah recovered well as Dike slowed to set his feet, leading to Dike tumbling down inside the penalty area as San Diego FC recovered the ball. A minute later on the far side, Elias Achouri was picked, leaving Antoine Griezmann with open space outside the box. Griezmann struck a targeted shot right outside the penalty area, forcing goalkeeper CJ dos Santos to dive to his right for the save. Orlando kept the pressure high, making things look difficult for San Diego from the start.
In the 22nd minute, San Diego found a weakness to exploit. With the ball being passed around at midfield, Gabriel Pirani picked up possession and spotted an unmarked Anders Dreyer on the near wing. Pirani lofted a perfectly placed pass over the top of the backline to Dreyer, who struck a shot toward the near post that went right into the hands of Maxime Crépeau for the save. A few minutes later, following a foul on Orlando’s Eduard Atuesta, Orlando demonstrated how to execute that exact same pattern. The free kick was taken deep in Orlando’s end, and Crépeau opted to launch the ball to midfield. Orlando controlled the ball, played it back, and easily maneuvered out of SDFC’s high press. As the ball moved back toward midfield, Robin Jansson held possession and played a ball over the top toward Daryl Dike. Dike collected it inside the penalty area and laid off a short pass to Ellis. Ellis then pushed the ball a couple of yards forward to Griezmann, who settled it and struck a right-footed shot past a diving Dos Santos for the opening goal.
This marked Griezmann’s eighth goal contribution in as many league matches since joining MLS over the summer. From San Diego FC’s perspective, the primary breakdown was leaving the pitch’s most dangerous player completely unmarked as he entered the box. Aníbal Godoy, directly behind Griezmann, was slow to react and focused on the ball at the feet of Dike and Ellis. Manu Duah was also slow to react; once Griezmann entered the box, he became Duah’s responsibility, and Duah should have closed down space much faster to prevent a comfortable shot attempt. Regardless, Orlando took a 1-0 lead.
Following the 28th-minute goal, little action occurred before halftime. The high temperatures even necessitated a hydration break during the evening match. At the break, San Diego held 55% possession and had attempted three shots with one on target, but had managed just seven touches inside the opposition’s box. San Diego struggled to bridge the link between the midfield and the attack, completing zero through balls in the opening half. They turned to crosses instead, matching Orlando with eight attempts, but connected on only 25% of them—meaning just two crosses were successful.
Second Half
In the second half, manager Mikey Varas sought to make adjustments around the hour mark. Needing more offensive production, he inserted Dagur Dan Thórhallsson at right back for Oscar Verhoeven. Chris McVey replaced Ian Murphy, and Amahl Pellegrino came on for Alejandro Alvarado. This shifted Onni Valakari down from the number nine position into a midfield role, leaving the front three as Achouri, Dreyer, and Pellegrino. Moving Valakari to midfield re-energized the team, allowing them to advance the ball much faster than earlier in the match.
Despite the needed offensive push, San Diego FC still relied on their defense and a bit of luck to remain close. In the 72nd minute, Orlando generated a clear counter-attack opportunity when Martín Ojeda received a pass at midfield, dribbled to the edge of the penalty area, and played a through ball to Iván Angulo. CJ Dos Santos dived for the ball, but Angulo dribbled past him. However, a heavy touch caused the ball to drift away from Angulo. Under pressure from a closing Sargeant, Angulo managed a soft attempt toward the goal, but Sargeant blocked the ball on the line to prevent it from crossing. Chris McVey retrieved the loose ball and dribbled out of danger, saving SDFC from a two-goal deficit on an open net.
More luck arrived in the 88th minute when Griezmann delivered a corner kick into the penalty box. Amidst the chaos, the ball deflected out to Wilder Cartagena, who hit a shot off the crossbar that bounced downward onto the goalline. Manu Duah cleared it away, and replay indicated the ball did not fully cross the line, keeping the score at 1-0.
Nine minutes of stoppage time were added, and San Diego FC pushed forward to salvage a point. Their first stoppage-time chance came when Anders Dreyer struck a shot off the far post. Shortly after, Achouri received the ball on the near side and sent a cross toward Bryce Duke—who had just entered the match—and Amahl Pellegrino, though neither could reach the delivery. SDFC’s final opportunity occurred when Achouri was tripped right outside the penalty area. Achouri took the resulting free kick himself, launching a quality shot toward the crossbar that Crépeau leaped to save. The match concluded with a 1-0 victory for Orlando.
San Diego ended the match with 54% possession, seven total shots, two shots on target, and ten touches in the opponent’s box. The team struggled to establish connections between the midfield and the final third, ending with zero completed through balls and 17 total crosses. Orlando City won 37 ground duels compared to San Diego’s 32. Manu Duah frequently tracked back to rescue the defense, recording 10 defensive contributions, 12 recoveries, two clearances, and four interceptions. Duah played exceptionally well, reinforcing why he earned his recent contract extension.
However, Duah cannot handle everything alone. Centrally, San Diego lacked Jeppe Tverskov to help direct traffic and control the tempo in midfield. Tverskov served a one-match suspension on Saturday and is expected back in the lineup on Wednesday. It is worth noting the broader impact of red cards on SDFC this season. In 2026, San Diego has lost seven straight matches in which a player served a red card suspension. These suspensions have forced the team to play without key contributors like Chris McVey, Manu Duah, Anders Dreyer, Jeppe Tverskov, Luca Bombino, and Amahl Pellegrino. With 11 matches remaining in the season, San Diego cannot afford additional red cards while pushing for a playoff spot.
Matchday Preview: San Jose Earthquakes
San Diego faces a quick turnaround as they host the San Jose Earthquakes at home next. San Jose currently sits 6th in the Western Conference with 35 points and a +6 goal differential. They hold the second-best away record in MLS at 6-3-3 with a +6 goal differential on the road. However, since the World Cup break, they have looked vastly different from the squad San Diego faced back in April. The Earthquakes have gone winless since the break with a 0-3-5 record. After starting the season 9-1-0, they have gone 1-4-8 with a -13 goal differential, bringing them back down to earth.
When San Diego previously played San Jose during their hot start, Chris McVey missed the match due to a red card suspension, and Manu Duah was sent off during the game. San Jose cruised to a 3-0 home victory in that April meeting.
On the season, San Jose has scored 39 goals from a 42.43 xG, which ranks third in the league. The Earthquakes rank 5th in shots on target with 114. They excel on set pieces, scoring 10 set-piece goals (tied for 8th in MLS) and generating the 8th highest set-piece xG at 8.80. San Jose is also a dangerous counter-attacking side, having scored six goals on the break.
Where San Jose struggles is in their passing accuracy and build-up play. They rank 26th in successful pass percentage at 81.8% and 26th in pass completion into the final third at 69.3%. They rarely play back to reset; instead, they attack vertically, ranking 4th in the league by directing 36.1% of their passes forward. Once in the final third, San Jose relies heavily on service into the box, leading MLS with 85 successful crosses this season.
Defensively, San Jose employs an aggressive press. They are tied for the 4th-most pressed sequences in the league (258) and rank 7th in passes per defensive action (12.4). When they force a turnover, they strike immediately, ranking second in the league in both shots from turnovers (38) and goals from turnovers (7).
Their main defensive vulnerabilities lie in duels and potentially their primary goalkeeper. San Jose ranks 26th in ground duels won (48.5%) and 24th in aerial duels won (46%). Additionally, Daniel—the goalkeeper San Diego faced in April—was traded to FC Dallas during the summer transfer window. San Jose subsequently signed free agent Angus Gunn, previously of Nottingham Forest FC. Gunn’s metrics have been struggling: in eight appearances, he has conceded 19 goals, made 25 saves, registered a 56.8% save percentage, and posted a -2.4 goals added metric. There appears to be a some correlation between San Jose’s recent decline and their mid-season change in goalkeeper.
Key Players
Individually, Niko Tsakiris has impressed as San Jose’s new number 10 after Cristian Espinoza departed in the off-season. Tsakiris has worked to replace Espinoza’s production, recording three goals and five assists in all competitions this season. He scored twice against SDFC in April and recently provided an assist to Beau Leroux in the 8th minute of San Jose’s 1-1 draw against Austin FC on Saturday. Tsakiris serves as the central playmaker through whom play flows. His 32 successful crosses rank him in the 95th percentile among attacking midfielders, and he is a willing defender with 21 tackles on the year. After undergoing right groin surgery earlier this season and returning last month, Saturday marked his first goal contribution since May 2 against Toronto FC.
The other goal scorer from the April matchup, Preston Judd, remains an integral target up front. Judd has 11 goals and three assists on the season, ranking 9th in xG at 10.30. He is a prototypical shot-heavy striker, ranking 11th in the league in shots (63), shots on target (28), and Net Goals Added (5.39). While he was one of the league’s top performers in the first half of the season, his production has cooled significantly since the World Cup break. In that span, he has managed zero goals, one assist, and just two shots on target across seven matches while starting only four times. Despite his recent drop in shot frequency, San Diego cannot afford to overlook his capabilities or forget his impact from their previous meeting.
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