Another Late Blow: SDFC Held by LAFC in Dramatic Finish

A raucous and tense atmosphere welcomed fans to Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday when San Diego FC faced off against Los Angeles Football Club. Last year, SDFC were victories in both meetings, LAFC entered this match looking for revenge and an opportunity to take advantage of SDFC's recent bad form.

SDFC fans were met with some good news at the time the starting XI was released. Defender Luca Bombino made his return into the starting lineup. The San Diego left back was clearly missed when an injury kept him out of action in the last few matches.

Amahl Pellegrino started on the left wing alongside Marcus Ingvartsen and Anders Dreyer. Pellegrino served a one-match suspension for a red card.

Jeppe Tverskov remained out of the lineup due to a muscle injury he sustained in the last match. Anibal Godoy took over captain duties in the midfield. Alongside him – David Vazquez on the right and Onni Valakari on the left.

One of the more unexpected changes came in goal, where Duran Ferree was replaced by CJ Dos Santos.

Dos Santos had been sidelined after suffering a serious facial injury late last season, which cost him his starting spot. While Ferree produced several impressive saves, his inexperience showed at times—most notably when he was caught out of position and misplayed a clearance.

Ahead of the match, LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos told reporters that Mikey Varas shouldn’t be overly concerned, noting that his side planned to rest several starters with a midweek second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup against Toluca looming.

That prediction held up—many of the players who started against Toluca last Wednesday were either on the bench or left out of the matchday roster entirely. Still, given LAFC’s depth, it hardly felt like a weakened side; when the lineup dropped, it was clear this would be anything but an easy matchup.

The Frontera had a message for the many traveling LAFC fans prior to kickoff and they did it in visual fashion.

First Half

San Diego FC got off to a fast start, something they were so good at in the beginning of the season when they were seeing success. This time it was Ingvartsen who got up in front of goal and headed home a Dreyer corner kick in the 8th minute of the first half.

After 30 minutes, SDFC looked poised. Godoy looked comfortable running through and controlling the midfield. The team worked as a unit – passing and moving together, reminiscent something of last year. San Diego controlled the majority of possession and therefore, the game. Still, there was plenty of time remaining. SDFC's patience and focus was sure to be tested.

The first half finished with the hosts leading 1-0. SDFC out possessed LAFC 65%-35% and outshot them 6-1. Manu Duah and Chris McVey played well together in the center, making it difficult for LAFC to get anything going offensively.

Second Half

Marc Dos Santos went to his bench early, bringing on the young phoenom David Martinez into the attack as well as regular starting midfielder, Marco Delgado. The moves sent a clear message to San Diego – LAFC weren't going down without a fight.

Not too long after, Dos Santos went to his secret weapon. Son Heung-Min entered the match in the 60th minute to a mix of loud cheers from the traveling fans and boos from the home side.

Varas followed suit. LAFC started pressing a little harder and keeping more possession of the ball. Ian Pilcher came on for Bombino and Pellegrino made way for Lewis Morgan.

The Danish connection struck again in the 71st minute. Dreyer received the ball on the right side of the danger area and sent in a low cross into the middle of the box where Ingvartsen took a touch and finished into the left corner of the net to make it 2-0.

LAFC made things interesting in a controversial way. Son was awarded a free kick in the danger area. His shot was deflected by Godoy, who was part of the wall. Godoy was then asked to leave the field per protocol, much to his dismay. Playing a man down, SDFC gave up a run on the left side of the field. Son slipped a pass into Bouanga, who beat Dos Santos on the near post with a low shot to make it 2-1.

LAFC pressed with numbers. At times, it felt like anytime an SDFC player had the ball, two to three LAFC players challenged him. Varas subbed on defender Wilson Eisner for attacker, Ingvartsen, in an attempt to see the last 5 minutes of stoppage time out and get the three points.

The final minutes of the match were played with extreme intensity from both teams. Goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos just couldn't catch a break in the final minutes of the match, Bouanga broke free into a one-on-one situation. Dos Santos made a wonderful save but Bouanga unintentionally kneed him in the head which had Dos Santos down for an extended period. Eventually, Ferree came on to finish the match.

As the match drew to a close, LAFC found the break they needed. David Martinez sent in a cross and David Hollingshead found the ball ping-ponging in front of him. In a diving attempt, Hollingshead kicked it into the back of the net to break San Diego fans' hearts and level the match 2-2. For the second match in a row, SDFC dropped points in stoppage time.

Even though this wasn't the result SDFC wanted, overall, they played with intention. They got back to playing their style in a way it's supposed to be played. This game can be cruel sometimes; a bounce can go your way or against you.

For a crowd of 28,559 – it was a reminder. This team can, and will, turn their form around and get back to winning ways. Maybe sooner rather than later.