Match Recap: SDFC Beats St. Louis City SC 2-0 in Dominating Fashion

The theme of the night was San Diego Sports night. San Diego FC paid homage to the old Chargers, Padres, and even the skateboarding legend, Tony Hawk.

It's been exactly 365 days since St. Louis City SC took on San Diego FC at Snapdragon Stadium. March 1st, 2025 went down in San Diego history as the inaugural home match where SDFC played to a 0-0 draw against St. Louis City SC.

Starting Lineups

SDFC was hoping to keep the momentum going as they took down CF Montreal 5-0 in the last match. Head coach Mikey Varas didn't change much in the starting lineup, although there was one big surprise. Duran Ferree earned his second consecutive start between the posts after an impressive outing vs Montreal last Saturday.

Keiran Sargent was another notable name in the lineup as he made his second consecutive start in the left back position. 18-year-old Right to Dream sensation, Bryan Zamble was on the bench along with newcomers Osvald Soe and Bryce Duke. Fully healthy Oscar Verhoeven and Ian Pilcher backed up Kieran Sargent.

St. Louis City SC were missing one of their top players in Marcel Hartel as the German midfielder is anticipating the arrival of his child and didn't make the trip to San Diego.

First Half

San Diego FC got off to a fast start. Their first attack of the match led to a goal in the third minute as Onni Valakari dribbled through the middle and picked out Marcus Ingvartsen who quickly laid it off for Anders Dreyer. A one-time touch shot curled into the far post and SDFC were off and running.

Earlier in the week, Varas told the media he expected St. Louis to play in a mid-to-low block, allowing SDFC to keep possession and try to exploit the counterattacks. The first 25 minutes of the match proved to be the opposite. St. Louis attacked the ball with numbers, refusing to play patient defense.

For the second straight week, SDFC moved with a clear rhythm and purpose. Quick one-touch combinations and sharp pass-and-move sequences highlighted a growing chemistry across the pitch. The ball moved faster, the timing was cleaner, and the off-ball runs carried far more intent—signs of a group beginning to truly click. The first half came to an end with SDFC leading 1-0.

Second Half

Mikey Varas made no changes in the lineup to start the second half. In the 54th minute, Marcus Ingvartsen doubled the lead, continuing a growing trend of fast starts after the break. For the second straight week, SDFC found the net within the opening 15 minutes of both halves. Anders Dreyer threaded a clever through ball into space, and Ingvartsen finished calmly, slipping his effort past Roman Bürki to make it 2–0.

Varas addressed the fast starts in the post-match conference saying, "Wanting to play with initiative and always going after the game to score goals."

Pedro Soma replaced Anibal Godoy in the 64th minute, Varas choosing to rest his veteran midfielder.

SDFC kept the unrelenting pressure going, choosing to go after more goals instead of taking the safer approach. They kept sending balls into the danger area, often coming close to extending their lead.

The substitutions finally came in the 78th minute. Bryce Duke made his SDFC debut replacing Valakari. Ingvartsen made way for Alex Mighten. The crowd favorite, Bryan Zamble got to see game action in the 87th minute replacing Amahl Pellegrino, who was relatively quiet tonight.

Anders Dreyer became the second fastest player in MLS history to reach 20 goals/20 assists, only behind Lionel Messi.

The match ended with a score of 2-0 as Duran Ferree earned his second shutout in a row. SDFC won in dominating fashion, for the second week in a row. Next, they'll travel to Kansas City on March 7th.

Match Highlights