Sisniega Shines as San Diego FC Eliminate Pumas

As the sun set in Mexico City, Estadio Olimpico Universitario beamed under the bright stadium lights. San Diego FC traveled across the border in hopes of finishing the job against host Pumas UNAM as they looked to advance into the round of 16. For the hosts, Tuesday night posed a daunting challenge—overturn a three-goal deficit after falling 4–1 in San Diego the week before.

Starting XI

SDFC head coach Mikey Varas did not change the starting XI from the first leg, further showing confidence in the group that delivered in San Diego.

Pedro Soma and Wilson Eisner once again earned the manager’s trust, stepping into the lineup for a second straight match. Midfielder Bryce Duke was on the bench for the first time since officially signing with SDFC on Monday, Feb. 9th.

Pumas head coach Efrain Juarez called for an attack-minded 4-4-2 formation, much different than last week's 5-4-1 defensive approach.

First Half

Pumas made their intentions clear in the first 15 minutes of the match. The Mexican side controlled the beginning stages by holding possession and creating dangerous opportunities.

In their one big opportunity, SDFC got forward when Amahl Pellegrino got on the end of a pass from Anders Dreyer and cut to the right of his defender before taking a shot that went off the left post of Keylor Navas' goal.

SDFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega made a couple of excellent saves in the first 30 minutes, first denying Uriel Antuna from the right side of the box and then stopping Juninho’s one-on-one effort from the left.

As Pumas pressured with numbers, desperate for a goal, they were leaving themselves vulnerable in the back. SDFC pounced on the opportunity a few times but couldn't take advantage.

Pellegrino again found himself in on goal in the 35th minute, collecting a misplaced header from a Pumas defender. He was able to get a shot off from a very tight angle on the left only for Navas to get a finger on the ball and force it to go off the post again.

After an exciting 45 minutes, the score remained 0-0.

Second Half

In the 47th minute, Pumas' chances to advance grew closer as they opened the scoring and made it 1-0. Ex-Vancouver Whitecap, Pedro Vite whipped in a cross from a free kick that didn't touch anyone and got past a hesitant Sisniega.

San Diego FC simply did not look comfortable. For the first time in a long time, the Chrome-and-Azul were outshot and outpossessed while trailing 1-0.

Sensing the urgency of the moment, Pumas head coach Juárez turned to star midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, who was returning from injury and unlikely to be at full fitness. But with their backs against the wall, Pumas had little choice but to take the risk.

Varas made his first changes in the 63rd minute, hoping to spark the offense. Alex Mighten came in for Marcus Ingvartsen and David Vazquez for Soma. Both substitutes proved to be the difference last Tuesday when they each got on the score sheet.

The game slowed down a lot for SDFC with 15 minutes to go. With the altitude clearly getting to the players, Varas decided to bring on Kieran Sargent and Onni Valakari while replacing Amahl Pellegrino and Anibal Godoy, respectively. Valakari was absent from the first leg in San Diego due to apparently picking up a small injury during training.

Sisniega’s standout form remained evident after the break as he continued to come up with crucial stops. In the 80th minute, he produced a full-stretch diving save on Guillermo Martínez’s header, parrying the effort onto the inside of the right post.

Five minutes of extra time was given at the end of the match and Pumas needed to make up a two-goal difference. Anders Dreyer had the opportunity to put the game to rest when a loose ball found him through on goal, one-on-one with Navas but the SDFC star player took a heavy touch which forced him wide.

The final whistle blew and San Diego had done enough to move past Pumas and into the round of 16, winning 4-2 on aggregate. SDFC will now host Liga MX’s Toluca in the first leg of the Round of 16 on Wednesday, March 11 at Snapdragon Stadium, before traveling to Toluca for the second leg on Wednesday, March 18 at Estadio Nemesio Díez. Times and broadcast details for both matches will be announced at a later date.

Next up for SDFC is the home opener on February 21st against CF Montreal as they open their 2026 MLS campaign.