Table of Contents
What San Diego FC did on Wednesday night in the CONCACAF Champions Cup is extraordinary. To beat the reigning, back-to-back Liga MX champs while down to ten men for the majority of the game (later down to nine men) is something for the history books.
There is zero doubt that San Diego players gave it all they had in order to keep up with the pace Toluca was putting on them with an extra man advantage. Now, those players will focus on recovering as much as possible to be match fit to play in Texas against a strong opponent in FC Dallas.
Match Information
Teams: San Diego FC vs DC Dallas
Referees: Ricardo Montero Araya (Ref), Brooke Mayo (AR1), Walt Heatherly (AR2), Greg Dopka (4th), Kevin Terry Jr (VAR), Craig Lowry (AVAR)
Odds: SD (+145), Draw (+250), DAL(+155)
Date: March 14th, 2026
Time: 5:30pm, Toyota Stadium, Dallas, Texas
TV: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV (Free)
Radio: AM 760
Radio Commentary: Adrian Garcia Marquez, Darren Smith
Forecast: 81º/64º. 78º at kickoff. Partly cloudy. 17 mph winds. 0% chance of rain. 65% humidity.
Head-to-Head
SDFC Wins: 2
SDFC Goals: 8
Draws: 0
DAL Wins: 0
DAL Goals: 2
Last Meeting: SDFC 3-2 DAL (6/28/2025)
FC Dallas
The Numbers
2026 Goal Leaders: Petar Musa (2)
2026 Assist Leaders: Osaze Urhoghide (1) | Bernard Kamungo (1) | Logan Farrington (1)
Last Match: DAL 0-1 LAFC
FC Dallas Overview
The Texas side enters this match with a record of 1-1-1. FC Dallas looks a little different this year than last, especially in the attack. The team's No. 10 player, Lucho Acosta, was sold to Brazilian side, Fluminense, on a multi-million-dollar deal. FC Dallas decided against signing a player to fill the DP spot, and instead opted to get Joaquin Valiente, a 24-year-old Uruguayan who posted nine goal contributions for Ecuadorian side, Barcelona, last year and should make this team better.
Still, the Dallas attack remains dangerous with a very talented duo of Petar Musa, who led the team in goals last year (19) and Logan Farrington. The 23-year-old Farrington stands at 6'2, is really good in the air, and tough to mark inside the danger area.
Under head coach Eric Quill, FC Dallas has embraced a clear identity: defend first and punish teams in transition. Dallas prefers to stay compact, frustrate opponents, and wait for the right moment to break forward with pace.
That approach plays directly into the strengths of striker Petar Musa, who's dangerous in any system, but he is especially lethal when running at a backline in transition. If San Diego commits too many numbers forward, Dallas has the speed and athleticism across the field to quickly turn defense into a scoring chance.
For San Diego FC, patience will be key. Dallas is comfortable sitting deep and making matches ugly — but if the game opens up, they are more than capable of striking on the counter.
San Diego FC
The Numbers
2026 Goal Leaders: Marcus Ingvartsen (2) | Anders Dreyer (2)
2026 Assist Leaders: Anders Dreyer (3)
Last Match: SDFC 1-0 SKC
San Diego FC Overview
It's hard to predict what Mikey Varas does with the starting XI on a week-to-week basis. Coming off of an intense match at home where his players had to work overtime due to being shorthanded and having another game in Toluca at 8,000 feet elevation three days after their trip to Dallas will prove to be a big challenge.
Nevertheless, Varas expects hard work and intensity week in and week out from his squad. It's one of the reasons why SDFC have been so successful in their young history. Guys are going to have to suffer and they're going to have to find a way, mentally and physically, to put in strong performances on short rest.
FC Dallas will be ok with allowing San Diego to keep possession, almost as if they're trying to suck the numbers into their defensive half. The aim will be to dispossess and catch SDFC on the counterattack. If SDFC goes down by a goal, fans can expect FC Dallas to become ultra defensive and try to see out the match.
There isn't much surprise to Varas' tactics ahead of Saturday's showdown. After all, the team identity is strong – and it's kept them undefeated in their MLS journey thus far in 2026.
SDFC will have to be aware of Dalas' wingbacks who like to stretch the field to create space in the middle for Farrington and Musa. Bombino and whoever Varas chooses to start in the right back position will need to work overtime as the transition will prove to be crucial due to FCD's intent to counterattack.
Fans can expect a bigger squad to be used in the Saturday game and head of the Wednesday CCC match. Varas spoke often on squad depth, using the term – 'Making the Squad Big'. The coming stretch will test both San Diego’s tactical discipline and the depth Varas has emphasized since day one.
