In an exciting match at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego FC emerged victorious over Los Angeles FC with a 3-2 win, marked by an impressive first-half performance. Defender Christopher McVey opened the scoring for San Diego, capitalizing on an assist from Anders Dreyer in the 21st minute. This marked McVey’s first goal of the season, having scored once last year for D.C. United and once during his two-season stint with Inter Miami.
The home side doubled their lead in the 34th minute courtesy of first-year midfielder Onni Valakari, who netted his second goal of the season. Just six minutes later, San Diego widened the gap to 3-0 when Alex Mighten, a 22-year-old rookie, notched his debut goal. Valakari, contributing an assist—his third of the season—alongside defender Jasper Löffelsend, who recorded his first assist, played key roles in setting up Mighten’s goal.
LAFC showed resilience by narrowing the deficit before halftime. Rookie defender Artem Smolyakov scored unassisted in the 43rd minute, followed by Cengiz Ünder’s goal during the fifth minute of stoppage time. The 27-year-old Ünder, in just his third appearance, received an assist from Mark Delgado, who notched his second assist of the current season and the 40th of his extensive 315-match career.
San Diego’s defense was bolstered by goalkeeper CJ dos Santos, who made two crucial saves to seal the team’s first home win under the guidance of head coach Mikey Varas. LAFC’s Hugo Lloris also played a crucial role by saving three shots during the match.
LAFC faced a disadvantage when midfielder Igor Jesus was sent off in the 53rd minute due to receiving a second yellow card, which left them a man down. Despite their previous record of winning all six initial encounters against expansion teams, LAFC fell short against San Diego, whose coach, Steve Cherundolo, hails from the city.
Looking ahead, San Diego FC will prepare to host the Seattle Sounders next Saturday, while LAFC will travel to face the Houston Dynamo on the same day.