Recap: SDFC Drop Points in Late, Game-Tying Goal in Seattle

Seattle, WA – San Diego FC earned a point in Seattle on Saturday night when they tied the Sounders 1-1. San Diego had the lead until the 80th minute, when Danny Musovski leveled for the home side off of a corner kick.

In Case You Missed It

• What happened: San Diego FC came out strong in the first half, looking like their old selves. The passing was crisp and the runs off the ball were productive enough to create five total shots, 3 on target. Seattle pressed high but SDFC were able to pass around them and create space in the attack, something they've struggled with recently. Marcus Ingvartsen scored in the 18th minute to take the lead. The second half was completely different. Sounders controlled most of the half and got a goal in the 80th minute to tie the match.
• What we learned: While SDFC did look a little improved overall, the finishing of the match still looms over the team as the biggest current issue. If SDFC played the second half like they did the first, the result would almost certainly look different. This tie once again felt like a loss with SDFC giving up a late goal after being in the driver seat for the first 45 minutes.
• Big picture: SDFC are currently sitting in 12th place in the Western Conference with a record of 3-5-4. They remain winless since early March, failing to earn three points in their last nine matches in all competitions. The sophomore slump is very real at this point and while the team form has been trending upward, it seems SDFC have a lot of things they need to figure out. The Chucky Lozano drama hangs over like a dark cloud while they play with only one DP in a league that depends on those roster spots. The coaching staff will need to do a better job in preparing the team to finish games strong and not take the foot off the gas until the very end.

Key moments

• 18' | Anibal Godoy finds Onni Valakari in the center right outside of the box, Valakari slides a perfectly weighted pass into the run of Marcus Ingvartsen, who finishes with a shot into the left bottom corner. SDFC take the lead 1-0.

• 22' | David Vazquez floats a cross into the head of Amahl Pellegrino who makes a wonderful strike on goal only to be saved by a diving stop of Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas.
• 24' | Sounders give the ball away in their own half with a bad pass, Pellegrino intercepts and picks out Ingvartsen on the run. Ingvartsen shoots on goal and forces another strong save out of Thomas.
• 30' | Jesus Ferreira picks out Seattle striker Jordan Morris with a through ball that sends Morris one on one with Duran Ferree. Morris finishes his chance but the goal is taken away due to a slight offside.
• 78' | Jordan Morris finds a pass from Ferreira in the box, he turns and dumps a little pass off into the run of Danny Musovski who fires a shot from close range off the San Diego post.
• 79' | Albert Rusnak passes it ahead to Musovski who finds himself one v one with Duran Ferree. Musovski hits a shot that is kick-saved by Ferree.
• 80' | Rusnak takes a corner kick that ends up ping-ponging inside the six yard box and Musovski gets his foot on it to level the score 1-1.
• 81' | Valakari floats a cross intot he danger area and Ingvartsen gets his head on it only to skim the far goal post.
• 90+5' | Alex Mighten breaks through the left side of the box in desperate moments of the game. He crosses the ball from the end line into the foot of Anders Dreyer who smacks a shot on goal only to be saved by Thomas. The rebound falls to Ingvartsen who puts it over the bar from the six yard line as the last moment of the match.

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Standout performers

• Anibal Godoy captained the team once again. Godoy got control of the midfield and kept it for the majority of the game. Most of SDFC's attack was through him. Not only did Godoy win the midfield battle, he also played a key role on defense, transitioning very well.
• Marcus Ingvartsen continued his scoring streak as he builds his team-high goal tally on the season to eight. Ingvartsen could have been the hero of the match had he converted the last minute chance but sometimes, in this game, things just don't go your way.
• Luca Bombino was excellent for 87 minutes. Bombino made eight significant defensive contributions while also playing a big role in the offense. Head coach Mikey Varas excepts his wing backs to work extremely hard, moving up and down the flank to paly both offensive and defensive – Bombino is up for the challenge and he continues to be a key contributor to this squad.

Lineup notes

Head coach Mikey Varas went with the same lineup he started against LAFC last weekend. The only exception was in the goalkeeper position where Duran Ferree took over for CJ Dos Santos, who had to miss this match due to another facial injury he received last week.

What it means

In the last four matches, SDFC have given up five decisive goals past the 80th minute. This is no longer just a trend – it's a real concern. The coaching staff has to do a better job of preparing the team to go a full 90 minutes with extreme focus and careful play in the back. SDFC continues to drop points in the last 10-15 minutes of the match, if they can clean this part up, they can start trending back into the playoff picture.

Up next

SDFC returns back to mid-week action when they host Austin FC, who are currently in 13th place with a record of 3-4-4, at Snapdragon Stadium on Wednesday night. It's a quick turnaround that will give fans a good idea of how the team is able to respond to a hard, action-packed match played in Seattle.

Stats

Possession: SD 53% – 47% SEA
Shots: SD 15– 26 SEA
Shots on goal: SD 5 – 5 SEA
Penalty kicks: SD 0 – 0 SEA
Goals: SD 1–1 SEA
Expected goals: SD 1.86– 2.53 SEA
Total Passes: SD 622 – 529 SEA
Fouls: SD 8–9 SEA
Yellow cards: SD 2 – 3 SEA
Red cards: SD 0 – 0 SEA
Announced attendance: 31,528

Highlights