SAN DIEGO -- San Diego FC fans have yet to experience a victory at Snapdragon Stadium after the team tied 1-1 against Columbus Crew.
There were multiple opportunities in the second half to win the game for San Diego, especially with Columbus down to 10 men after a red card was shown to Maite Amundsen in the 61st minute after he yanked down Anders Dreyer on a breakaway.
Eight minutes after the red card, there was excitement when San Diego's Luca De La Torre sent a ball from a corner kick that midfielder Onni Valakari nailed in with his head. That is the first goal in San Diego FC history at Snapdragon.
Onni Valakari scores the first home goal in @sandiegofc history! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YyfcsKNsFa
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 16, 2025
The crowd erupted with cheers as it felt like the tide was turning— it did.
San Diego had 45% of the possession in the first half and 52% in the second half. They took four shots in the first half to 17 in the second half.
The missed opportunities late in the game cost them, but Mikey Varas and his club seem to be still experiencing the growing pains.
Last week against Real Salt Lake, it materialized when they pushed forward, tied 1-1, and got 90-plus-minute goals from Dreyer and Marcus Ingvartsen.
That is futbol, though; sometimes, it comes together for a big win and other times, it ends in a tie.
Varas's team has shown grit and aggression in the first four matches of the season. They press the opposing team and cause them to make mistakes while playing tough defense, only allowing two goals in four matches.
This game deserved a better result than a tie, especially with how San Diego turned up the heat in the second half. They kept testing Columbus with the long ball, with their center backs sending deep passes, which kept pressuring Columbus' defense.
Dreyer, who has three goals this season, kept frustrating Columbus with his movement and ability to get behind the defense. He seems to be the most consistent player in San Diego, especially with Hirving "Chucky" Lozano nursing a hamstring injury that is being called "week-to-week." This could mean he could be back in two weeks when they play LAFC or two months.
It is the same injury Lozano consistently suffered when he played at Napoli and PSV. Varas said they would be smart and do what was best for Lozano's long-term health.
Some players have stepped up in his absence, like Dreyer and Tomás Ángel, who consistently find space and make passes.
The positive after the tie is that San Diego hasn't lost a game in the MLS. They are 2-0-2 and have eight points in second place in the Western Conference.
The bad is that they have not won a game at home yet and have left four points on the pitch. If they win those two games, they will be tied with Vancouver for the lead spot, but it is year one.
San Diego needs to learn to take control of certain situations, like being a man up and taking advantage of it to win a game. Again, they are only four games into their expansion, and they are in second place. Saturday should be a learning experience that will be ingrained in their minds moving forward, so the result will be different next time.
They travel to Austin, Texas, to take on Austin FC on Sunday, March 23rd, at 1 p.m. Pacific.
Extra time
• The inaugural match at Snapdragon Stadium had celebrities like boxer Ryan Garcia, former Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman and Manny Machdo. On Saturday night, numerous San Diego Padres players flew from Arizona (where they have spring training) to Snapdragon to watch the game. It was Joe Musgrove, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Michael King, and many others.
