SAN DIEGO -- San Diego FC hit an attacking wall on Wednesday night, falling 1-0 at Snapdragon Stadium against Toronto FC as they drop consecutive losses at home, with the race for the top spot in the West coming down to a Saturday showdown.
Unlucky night. pic.twitter.com/eh1S3h108I
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) July 17, 2025
The Western Conference leaders, San Diego FC, returned home for their midweek MLS fixture against visiting Toronto FC on Wednesday night.
The homeside looked to continue where they left off last Saturday, leaving Soldier Field collecting the three points, with forward Anders Dreyer’s first-half brace sealing the 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire as San Diego FC maintained their top position in the West.
Toronto FC, on the other hand, coming into this matchday as the 14th-place side in the Eastern Conference, drew 1-1 at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, against Atlanta United, after conceding an 11-minute second-half added-time goal from the penalty spot.
Coming into the matchday on 42 points with a thirteen-win, six-loss, and three-draw record, San Diego FC held a slim two-point advantage over the second-place Vancouver Whitecaps.
Having fallen 4-3 last time out at Snapdragon Stadium against the Houston Dynamo on July 5, the Chrome and Azul looked to get back into their usual winning ways at home, having only tasted two defeats on their ground through eleven home games.
A shorthanded San Diego was in for a challenge against Toronto, having lost its second top scorer on the season in forward Milan Iloski and defender Jasper Löffelsend throughout the week to loan and contract terminations.
Despite the large possession spells for San Diego FC, Toronto struck first from the penalty spot, with forward Theo Corbeanu earning and finishing the attempt in the 20-minute for his fifth goal of the league season.
The given penalty came from Theo Corbeanu’s dribble and run inside the box being stopped by a trip from San Diego FC defender Franco Negri as Corbeanu fell to the ground in the 17-minute.
The original call on the field was no foul, as it appeared Corbeanu was searching for the whistle. But after a Video Review, referee Alyssa Pennington called the play back for a penalty with Negri being given a yellow card for his tripping infringement.
Theo Corbeanu stepped up and placed his penalty attempt into the top right corner of the goal, sending San Diego FC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega the wrong way for the 1-0 lead.
Bullseye 🎯🏹 pic.twitter.com/yZJvNfir9q
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) July 17, 2025
An underwhelming attacking half for the homeside, as San Diego didn’t register a single shot or shot on target despite holding a 67%-33% advantage in ball possession for the first 45-minute period.
No love between the two clubs in their first meeting, with the first half seeing a total of 18 fouls committed and three yellow cards handed out.
From the locker rooms for the second half, San Diego FC came out more offensively determined to get a grip of the match, recording their first shot within three minutes of the second half start whistle.
San Diego FC continued to search for the equalizing goal, with subbed on Designated Player and Mexican International Chucky Lozano getting his squad's first shot on target with an outside the box right-footed shot in the 71-minute, as Toronto FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson caught the attempt comfortably.
What felt to be San Diego’s last goal-threatening opportunity saw the most controversial point of the match, with Chucky Lozano’s inside the box shot appearing to be blocked by Toronto FC midfielder Alonso Coello's left arm in the 86-minute.
After a lengthy and crowded referee pause, the Video Review didn’t view Coello to be using his arm in an unnatural position, as the call stood at no handball resulting in no penalty awarded.
“I don’t even know what to say to be honest,” San Diego FC defender Christopher McVey said on the potential and controversial handball decision. “I felt in the moment like it was also (a handball), but then again, we can’t affect what the decision the ref is making, so we just have to focus on what we can focus on, we can’t really affect how they are reffing that.”
With Toronto FC maintaining their defensive shape and discipline throughout the two halves, they were able to hold on for a winning result as San Diego FC were held scoreless in their 1-0 defeat.
The loss on Wednesday night hands San Diego FC back-to-back losses at Snapdragon Stadium, with their last victory at home coming in a 2-0 win over Austin FC on May 31.
At the post-match press conference, San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas discussed the offensive struggles, match officiating, and looking forward after the loss to Toronto FC.
“We lost, so we're all disappointed, and we know that we didn't play our best. We weren't so sharp on the ball, and we know we're a lot better than that as a team, and we know also that we always face an opponent here who's going to give their best, who are really hungry, based on where we're at, everybody's very motivated.”
“I think I could sit here and talk about officiating. I could talk about all the things that went against us tonight, or that we feel went against us, but at the end of the day, we weren't good enough tonight, we know that.”
“All of us know that we could play better than that, and now it's an opportunity to bounce back in three days. We can't dwell on this for too long. It's about being upset tonight and then showing up tomorrow, healing a bit, and turning the page quickly.”
San Diego dropped its first of their six-game homestand, with the first three matches being MLS fixtures and the remaining three being Phase One matches of the Leagues Cup, as San Diego FC hosts three Liga MX clubs at Snapdragon Stadium.
San Diego FC remains in first place in the Western Conference on 42 points with their record now reading thirteen wins, seven losses, and three draws in the league season, although their top position lead is down to a single point as the Whitecaps trail right behind the Chrome and Azul with a match in hand.
“We got a team coming here who's going to be looking for points, like every other team does. So, we'll be ready to go on Saturday,” Mikey Varas said on the upcoming match with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
This upcoming Saturday, Snapdragon Stadium sees a battle for the top spot in the MLS Western Conference, with second-place Vancouver Whitecaps visiting San Diego FC on July 19 for the reverse fixture that will determine first place, kicking off at 7:30 p.m.
In their first meeting, San Diego FC escaped BC Place on June 25, getting a statement 5-3 victory over the then-first-place Whitecaps as the club earned its first-ever international victory and first win in Canada.