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San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas was apologetic after the 3-2 home defeat to San Jose on Wednesday night.
"I just want to apologize to the fans, to Frontera, to everybody who follows the club, because it's really not a good performance and we're at the business end of things, where we need to give much stronger performances than that. And that's 100% on me, and I take it, hold my hand up," said the SDFC gaffer.
While the current state of the team is not all on Varas, the coaching staff has to make adjustments to ensure the team is ready and focused before each match. Last night, it was evident that SDFC weren't ready for the quick start of San Jose.
The earthquakes pressed hard and fast from the starting whistle, catching San Diego on its heels and being rewarded for it.
Tsakiris Troubles
A major part of San Jose’s success was Niko Tsakiris, who SDFC simply struggled to contain throughout the first half. The 20-year-old midfielder was involved in all three of San Jose’s goals, scoring the opener himself before setting up Preston Judd and Ousseni Bouda.
Tsakiris’ first goal came just three minutes in. Beau Leroux found him with a ball over the top, and Tsakiris cut inside before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. Nine minutes later, he was at it again, playing Judd through on goal for San Jose’s second.
His biggest impact, however, came on the third goal. Tsakiris delivered a dangerous cross into the box that Bouda headed home in the 35th minute.
Three goals, three different ways of hurting SDFC, and Tsakiris was directly involved in every one.
Too Little, Too Late
San Diego eventually settled into the match, but by then the damage was done. The Earthquakes had built a 3-0 lead before Anders Dreyer gave SDFC some life just before halftime.
Dreyer's ninth goal of the season came in the 42nd minute after Onni Valakari got a slight touch on an Elias Achouri cross, allowing Dreyer to smash a left-footed half-volley off the post and in.
But SDFC never quite found the rhythm needed to complete the comeback.
The team actually controlled much of the ball, finishing with 55% possession and 541 passes compared to San Jose's 461. The problem was that the possession came after the Earthquakes had already established control of the match.
As captain Jeppe Tverskov pointed out afterward, the opening 15-20 minutes were particularly damaging.
“I think especially the first 15-20 minutes kills the game, or at least makes us climb a mountain that's too big.”
The second half brought some positive moments, including the SDFC debut of Cédric Bakambu. The new striker entered in the 68th minute and eventually scored his first MLS goal from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
But SDFC also had to deal with another setback when CJ Dos Santos was sent off in the 81st minute after receiving his second yellow card. Duran Ferree came on to finish the match in goal.
Despite being down a man, SDFC continued to push and nearly found the equalizer. Bakambu's penalty brought the deficit to one, but there wasn't enough time left to complete the comeback.
Where Does The Team Go From Here?
The loss snaps SDFC's five-match home winning streak and drops the club to 8-10-6 with 30 points. More importantly, it continues a frustrating pattern that Varas acknowledged after the match: SDFC has shown it can play at a playoff level, but it has struggled to do so consistently.
“We got to decide who we are,” Varas said. “Because we've seen two faces to the team this year.”
There isn't much time to dwell on the loss. Philadelphia comes to Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, giving SDFC an immediate opportunity to respond.
After a night where San Jose exposed SDFC's lack of concentration early and Tsakiris repeatedly found ways through the defense, the response may tell a lot about which version of San Diego FC shows up for the final stretch of the season.
Philadelphia Union and a Familiar Homecoming
San Diego FC will look to bounce back Sunday when the Philadelphia Union visit Snapdragon Stadium, just four days after SDFC's disappointing 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes.
With 30 points now, the club is left clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. With Real Salt Lake, Minnesota United and LA Galaxy all just one point behind, every match has taken on added importance.
Philadelphia arrives in much better form. The Union have gone nine games unbeaten (7W-0L-2D) since the World Cup break and moved from the bottom of the Eastern Conference into the playoff picture.
A Homecoming for Milan Iloski
Sunday's match will also feature a familiar face returning to Snapdragon Stadium.
Milan Iloski, who spent the first two seasons of his MLS career with San Diego FC, will make his return to the club where he scored some of the biggest goals in SDFC's inaugural campaign.
Iloski has been one of Philadelphia's most productive attackers this season, leading the Union with 12 goals and six assists for 18 total goal contributions. That makes his return particularly dangerous for an SDFC defense that conceded three times to San Jose on Wednesday.
Iloski won't be the only Union attacker SDFC needs to worry about. Sixteen-year-old Cavan Sullivan has emerged as one of the league's most exciting young players, recording 4 goals and 10 assists in league play this season.
SDFC Looking for a Response
After Wednesday's slow start against San Jose, SDFC needs a much sharper performance from the opening whistle.
Anders Dreyer remains the focal point of the attack with 20 MLS goal contributions (9G, 11A), while Elias Achouri and new signing Cédric Bakambu could form a new-look attacking trio.
Philadelphia's nine-game unbeaten run makes this one of the tougher tests of SDFC's playoff push — but with the Union coming to Snapdragon, San Diego has an immediate opportunity to respond to Wednesday's defeat.
And with Milan Iloski back in San Diego, there will be plenty of extra intrigue surrounding the matchup.
