Dreyer’s brace fuels San Diego FC over Chicago Fire, 2-1

San Diego FC’s trip to the Windy City saw them defeat the Chicago Fire, 2-1, as All-Star forward Anders Dreyer’s first-half brace was enough to keep the club's top spot in the MLS Western Conference.  

After a grueling 4-3 stoppage time home loss last Saturday against the Houston Dynamo, San Diego FC headed to Soldier Field for their Saturday night battle against the Chicago Fire. 

A pressure-filled first meeting between these two clubs, as San Diego FC needed the victory to stay in stride in their top of the west race, with Chicago looking to improve on their underwhelming two-win home total.

As for recent form, the Chicago Fire were coming off a 3-1 U.S. Open Cup quarter-final defeat at the hands of Minnesota United on Tuesday, with their last MLS matchday seeing them fall 2-1 at TQL Stadium against FC Cincinnati on July 5. 

The most significant change in San Diego FC's starting XI was 30-year-old goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega getting the nod in between the sticks, with first-choice goalkeeper CJ dos Santos out with a nose injury from last Saturday’s collision with Houston Dynamo’s Ezequiel Ponce. 

It didn’t take long for Pablo Sisniega to be called to action, as a playing out from the back turnover saw Chicago midfielder Brian Gutiérrez gain possession in an attacking area and fire a shot from right outside the box in the fourth minute.

Off his line, Sisniega tracked back and made the diving one-handed save, slapping Gutiérrez’s shot over the crossbar, as San Diego FC avoided the very early conceding opener. 

At the other end, San Diego FC took full advantage of their first threatening opportunity, with All-Star forward Anders Dreyer netting in his tenth goal of the MLS campaign for the 1-0 lead at the eight-minute mark. 

After San Diego FC defender Luca Bombino was played in behind in a left-wing position around the penalty area, Bombino centered a ground pass through the box that ran past multiple players, finding Dreyer at the far post, as he controlled the pass and fired a left-footed guided shot into the right side of the goal. 

Although the majority of the first half saw the two clubs in end-to-end play, leading to counterattacks and advantage plays, many of the chances and shots were left off target as the first half wound down for an apparent 1-0 finish.

But San Diego FC weren’t done in the first period, as their two MLS All-Star forwards, Chucky Lozano and Anders Dreyer, connected in the 45+3-minute for San Diego’s second goal of the night in the closing minutes of the half. 

Starting from a deep throughball pass by Luca Bombino into the attacking third and into space for darting forward, Chucky Lozano, he squared up a pass for Anders Dreyer at the far post once again, lifting his first-time finish into the top right corner of the net for the 2-0 lead.

Dreyer’s brace tacked on his eleventh goal of the MLS season, with Lozano earning his ninth assist on the year. 

The second half saw even more open play from the two squads, with the Chicago Fire pressing for a goal of their own to get them right back into the match. 

Around the midway point of the second half, a slipped-in pass for Chicago forward Hugo Cuypers saw him one-on-one with Pablo Sisniega, coming out of position to make a play.

Sisniega read the dribble well and met Cuypers' heavy touch with a ground diving tackle at the top of the penalty box, as the San Diego backline dealt and cleared the ball out of the dangerous area, keeping the match at 2-0 at the 70-minute mark. 

Pablo Sisniega's biggest save of the night came in the 84-minute, coming from a whipped-in corner kick, with Hugo Cuypers in front of goal once again. He sent a blazing header for the center of the goal, as Sisniega reacted quickly, pushing the shot off frame with Chicago unable to get on the scoresheet. 

Only three minutes later, Chicago got a goal back, this time with Cuypers not being denied his twelfth goal of the MLS season.   

After multiple goal-denying plays by Sisniega, Hugo Cuypers won his battle in the 87-minute, as a far post corner kick cross found Cuypers unmarked, he swung a right-footed volley shot into the near side of the goal with Sisniega unable to keep the attempt out as the match stood at 2-1 with added time still to play.

The closing minutes saw San Diego FC drop players behind the ball with the Chicago Fire in desperate search of the equalizer. 

San Diego FC were able to see out the victory as they avoided the late Chicago comeback, taking the 2-1 Saturday night win at Soldier Field off the back of a first-half brace by Anders Dreyer. 

“It was a very difficult challenge, but I think the whole team stepped up to the challenge,” San Diego FC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega said on the match and his first start for the club. “For me personally, I was obviously very happy to get to start.”

“Obviously, comes in bad circumstances because you never wish an injury upon a teammate," Pablo Sisniega said. "CJ (Dos Santos) had the injury, but like I said, I'm happy that I got a chance to play, and I'm happy that the team got the win." 

The three added points to San Diego FC’s MLS tally ensure they finished Saturday at the top of the Western Conference, improving their league record to thirteen wins, six losses and three draws with a total of 42 points. 

San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas spoke at the post-match press conference on the bounce-back victory over the Chicago Fire and his squad's intensity and effort levels throughout the match. 

“I think the attitude of the group is just so unified, it's so united. And I think that's the main thing, that we don't let little hiccups become a big deal, we look in the mirror, and then we are ready to move on. And these guys gave everything tonight.”

“They ran so hard for the entire game against a team that was also playing with a ton of intensity and initiative, and that's what happens at the highest level.”

“These guys were able to suffer together in the moments that they needed to suffer, but they also had tremendous quality in the night, making some fantastic build-ups and some fantastic presses.” 

After the matchday, San Diego FC holds a two-point lead over the second-place Minnesota United FC and a four-point advantage over the Vancouver Whitecaps, which still hold a match in hand. 

A quick turnaround for San Diego FC, as they host a midweek MLS Wednesday night throwdown with Toronto FC at Snapdragon Stadium on July 16. Kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Following a lengthy June road trip and last Saturday’s loss at the hands of the Houston Dynamo, San Diego FC hopes to claim its first home victory since its May 31 win over Austin FC.