David Vazquez, Luca Bombino headline San Diego FC’s gritty showing against Toluca

SAN DIEGO — San Diego FC keeps finding ways to win. After a nightmare start against Deportivo Toluca F.C. in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the resilient squad prevailed Wednesday night with a 3-2 victory at Snapdragon Stadium.

The match turned chaotic early. Just 12 minutes in, forward Marcus Ingvartsen was shown a red card after an accidental kick struck Toluca’s Marcel Ruíz in the face inside the penalty area. Jesús Gallardo converted the penalty, putting San Diego behind both on the scoreboard and in numbers.

For most teams, that scenario would signal a long night—but not for San Diego.

Facing the reigning Liga MX champions, SDFC stayed organized and composed despite Toluca dictating the early tempo through possession, aggressive pressing, and physical play.

San Diego had to find solutions on the fly. Head coach Mikey Varas said postgame that they wanted to stay brave against the press and adjusted the backline positioning to maintain their buildup following the ejection.

Luca Bombino, 19, delivered an exceptional performance yesterday, playing a key role in all three goals. He’s a star in the making, and we’ll see how long the club can retain him. Bombino has excelled in the demanding left-back/right-back position and has earned Varas' trust.

“He’s taking tremendous steps,” Varas said about Bombino’s growth. “He's also showing the maturity to be able to play on the right side, play on the left side, and basically do whatever we ask of him to help the team win.”

His possession win in the attacking third generated instant offense. Bombino immediately sent a through pass to a sprinting Amahl Pellegrino on the left wing, and completed a nifty pass to David Vazquez, whose left-footed shot equalized the game in the 32nd minute.

The decision to start Vazquez on the big stage paid off. He filled the void in the midfield with veteran Aníbal Godoy, who was unavailable due to yellow card accumulation.

Vazquez only appeared in four matches last season since joining the team, logging 177 minutes. He was one of the four goal scorers in San Diego’s opening Champions Cup match against Pumas UNAM.

In the post-game press conference, Varas said the 20-year-old midfielder had provided the team with “a spark” off the bench in San Diego’s previous match against Sporting Kansas City and had impressed in training.

Just one minute into the second half, Vazquez scored again, giving his team the lead. Bombino found a narrow opening inside the crowded box and delivered the pass to the Los Angeles native, who finished with a left-footed shot into the net.

Vazquez said he felt confident and was thankful for the opportunity—“It was a tough battle, especially with the red card early on, but the guys just kept pushing.”

He’s one of the many young SDFC contributors and has made the case for more playing time. In fact, the starting lineup against Toluca consisted of five players under the age of 20: Vazquez, Manu Duah, Oscar Verhoeven, Bombino, and goalkeeper Duran Ferree.

Varas praised center backs Duah and Christopher McVey for handling the pressure. “We already challenge them a lot in terms of being in man-on-man situations a lot, but today was a much bigger challenge against very, very good players, and I think they did well,” he said.

Anders Dreyer delivered once again for SDFC, scoring the third goal eight minutes into the second half. Bombino climbed the left wing before pulling the ball back to Dreyer, who unleashed a beautiful strike from 18 yards away. The star Danish forward has seven goal contributions (three goals and four assists) across all competitions in 2026.

As the match reached its final moments, Duah received his second yellow card for a handball inside the penalty area, leaving San Diego with nine players in the final 13 minutes. Ferree guessed incorrectly, and Helio Nune converted the kick.

Despite not stopping either penalty kick, Ferree had a strong performance in his Champions Cup debut with three saves. Toluca controlled much of the match statistically, finishing with 65.8% possession and 20 shots compared to San Diego’s eight.

Toluca now trails San Diego by one goal as they head back to Mexico for the second leg matchup on Wednesday, March 18.

San Diego will be without both Duah and Ingvartsen for the second leg after their red cards. They will have to adapt without two key players and play at high altitude.

“The ball moves differently, and obviously it can affect your running, but it's just a mental challenge that we need to be ready for,” Varas said about playing in that environment. 

Last month, San Diego traveled to Mexico City to face the Pumas. Goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega made nine saves in that match as SDFC advanced with a 4–2 aggregate victory. Having that recent experience will benefit SDFC.

Before returning to Champions Cup play, San Diego travels to face FC Dallas on Saturday, March 14. Dallas enters the match with one win, one loss, and one draw through three MLS games, while San Diego remains unbeaten in league play. We will see how Chrome and Azul perform on the short turnaround.