Written by San Diego FC Dmitry
March 18th, 2025
“His daddy was a pistol! He’s a son of a gun!” – That was the call on the broadcast as Valakari leveled 1-1 off of a corner kick in the 69th minute that sent the 30,018 attendance at Snapdragon stadium into eruption. That reference was based on Onni’s father, Simo, who was a long-time professional player in Finland, the UK, and the US. When asked about how it felt to score the first home goal, Onni smirked and said “it’s always nice to help the team”. His face quickly turned serious after as he alluded to the fact that the team’s overall mood in the locker room is “disappointment”. It is obvious that SDFC felt like it was 2 points lost. Thank you once again for taking the time to read the post-match analysis on the SDFC Nation blog. Let’s get into it.
SDFC Lineup
Many people were shocked when we learned that Negri and Loffelsend were not starting as Mikey Varas decided to go with Bombino and Kumado instead. When asked about this decision, Varas said “When guys are in the good to elite range, you’ll never be moved from the lineup. If you’re in the above average to below average, there is a good chance your spot will be given an opportunity for someone else to take it”. That being said, I personally do not think that the change was made due to Negri and Loffelsend being average, I think this was a tactical move based on the game plan that the coaching staff put together and the miles being put on the aforementioned players’ legs through the first 3 games.
Luca Bambino proved himself on the pitch last game when he was subbed in and held his own while looking calm and patient when the pressure was on. He made key stops and never stopped running, a key element to the outside defender position that this style of play demands – constant runs up and down the field to assist with the attack when the team is attacking and defend in the back when the team is on its heels.
I thought Willy Kumado deserved the start over Loffelsend, personally. Willy’s plus over Jasper is that he provides faster speed, more danger in the attack. His minus though, is his ability to defend tough and tackle like Loffelsend does. All that being said, both Luca and Willy did a great job on Saturday and held strong. They were both eventually subbed out for Loffelsend and Negri but it did not prove to change much of the momentum of the game.
The top 6 remained the same. Marcus Ingvartsen went down with what seemed to be a hip injury towards the end of the first half and subbed off for the eventual goal scorer, Valakari. It remains to be seen as to how severe his injury is and if he will miss any time. The team will do scans and therapy this week and we should get an update on Thursday during the media availability.
Our midfield was very solid, once again as Luca de la Torre, Tverskov and Godoy commanded the possession. I was especially impressed with Tverskov’s energy as he never stopped running and was a part of what seemed like every attack and every defensive stand, showcasing his stamina and fitness.
Ingvartsen failed to impress in the first half and Tomas Angel was held in check by the Columbus defense. Both players will surely try shake off this performance and get after it next week. As for Dreyer, he once again had a few golden opportunities to score but one goal was disallowed and the other two were straight at the keeper. We will need to find a way to capitalize on these opportunities and put games away in the future.
Gameplay
It was clear that we faced a team Mikey Varas called “best possession team in the league” when Columbus started dominating possession in the first half. They were playing a meticulous passing game and kept the ball moving from the back to the front, something they’re known for. As frustrating as it was for your typical SDFC fan to watch the Crew hold on to the ball , I must say it was quite impressive. SDFC struggled to get anything going without being able to hold possession for long so we settled on long-ball passes that sometimes got through. Long balls are typically not the best way to play, as you tend to give up prized possession too easy but it was working as some passes got through.
Columbus struck first as Arfsen got on the end of a low cross from the first-time starter, young defender DeJuan Jones who got into the box and was able to sneak a ball through to the penalty spot where Arfsen slotted it home to the opposite post. It was a good run by Arfsen that was not closely trailed by Tverskov, which allowed him to get his foot on in. In the end, it was a well-designed play that worked perfectly against our defense, who was crowded in the box.
SDFC found themselves down early, for the second game in a row. Russell-Rowe then got in behind our defense from a overhead ball that allowed him to take a rocket of a shot from a tight angle that CJ Dos Santos was able to save fairly easy. San Diego had their best chance to put one away in the 38th minute when Darlington Nagbe was robbed by Tverskov and a through ball was sent into the box for Dreyer to run onto. Anders found himself one on one with the keeper at a tight angle but the shot was saved by Patrick Schulte. You can almost see Anders’ thoughts running through his head as he hesitated to make the decision to pass or not. Ultimately he should have passed it back to Tverskov who was running into the box wide open.
Paddy McNair then sent the 30,018 Snapdragon crowd into a frenzy when he got on the end of a cross and put it into the net. Replay showed he was slightly offside so the goal was called back and the score remained 0-1.
In the 53rd minute, Tomas Angel intercepted a pass from the Columbus defender and slotted a ball through to Dreyer who once again found himself one-on-one with the keeper. He dribbled around Schulte and smashed it home for what seemed to be the tying goal but was once again disallowed as VAR showed him slightly leaning his body past the last line of the CLB defense. You could almost feel the tension rising in the stadium as the crowd was ready to erupt after 2 disallowed goals.
San Diego’s chance came after a long ball got through to Dreyer for another 1-1 chance but he was pulled down from behind by Columbus’ center defender Malte Amundsen. The Danish international was sent off with a straight red and the Crew found themselves down a man with 30 minutes left in the match. Angel rifled the free kick into the wall and Dreyer followed up with a low shot that was comfortably saved by Schulte, who was kept busy throughout the entire match.
History Made
The moment that the entire SDFC fanbase was so anxiously waiting for finally came in the 68th minute as SDFC were able to break through. Luca de la Torre served up a wonderfully placed corner kick that Onni Valakari got his head on and re-directed it into the far post to become the first ever San Diego player to score a goal at home.
After Columbus went down a man, it was all SDFC with the possession and the Crew found themselves defending the entire second half. SDFC outshot CLB 17-7 and had a total of 10 corner kicks vs Crew’s 1. Mikey Varas tried to switch up the offense with a jolt of energy by bringing on Alex Mighten, who is a spark plug due to his incredible speed and ball control. Mighten was able to break through on a long pass but in the end the shot was deflected out of bounds. It will be interesting to watch how Varas decides to use Mighten after he impressed in the short amount of time he was given. It is clear that the ex-Nottingham Forest player is a threat to any defense. I cannot wait to watch him get more minutes.
Missed Opportunity
The team felt it was a missed opportunity to secure all 3 points after the onslaught of chances to get a game-winning goal. Columbus did a good job breaking down the tight formation that SDFC plays by moving the ball fast and using the wingers in order to widen SDFC’s formation and create space through the middle, which is how they were able to create the build-up to their eventual goal. Varas has to address that in film sessions as teams are surely going to try to do the same against us in the near future.
Overall, the team showed their hunger and willingness to work hard for 90+ minutes. The creativity up front is noticeably getting better as SDFC is creating more chances to score and get in behind the defense. We are still searching for the “clutch-ness” from our forwards to put away opportunities that HAVE to be seized. With the injury to Ingvartsen and Chucky, we find ourselves in a bit of a limbo when it comes to the stability of our strikers. I am hoping that Mighten gets a chance to play as a center forward in lieu of Ingvartsen to give us that spark we are so desperately seeking on offense.
Tidbits
SDFC moved up to no.5 in the most recent MLS power rankings and have definitely put the national audience on notice after beating last-years’ champs away and tying against one of the toughest clubs in the league.
The future for this club is bright and I cannot wait to see how the team responds next game on the road for Sunday Night Soccer.
Varas will have to get creative with the lineup as Anibal Godoy and Paddy McNair will be off representing their countries in International matches. We will get a better look at how the team is progressing and what the coaching staff is looking to do to fill the gaps of injured and nationally-called up players.
SDFC had the second-most attendance crowd for Matchday 4 at 30,018. Only team that had more is Atlanta at 42,884.
Stay tuned for a special preview of SDFC vs ATX this Friday! Until then, thanks for checking in and don’t forget to subscribe to the email list so you never miss a freshly dropped article. Thanks as always for your support and LFGSDFC!!!
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