SDFC settles for 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake, winless streak grows to three

SAN DIEGO -- A late conceded goal for San Diego FC on Sunday night sees Kids Night at Snapdragon Stadium end in a single-point 2-2 draw against the visiting Real Salt Lake. 

SDFC were back at home for matchday five of the 2026 MLS regular season, hoping to get back on winning form after going winless through their last two games. 

Last time out in the MLS, a rotated SDFC squad was held to a point on the road last Saturday in Frisco, Texas, with FC Dallas forward Petar Musa recording a hat-trick to leave the match at a thrilling 3-3 tie, snapping SDFC’s league-winning streak to start the season. 

Most recently, SDFC suffered a 4-0 road defeat, 6-3 on aggregate, on Wednesday night in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 matchup with Toluca, which saw them exit the competition to the reigning Mexican champions. 

VAR was put to early use in this match, with a potential penalty check taking place following a coming together at the 5-minute mark between SDFC’s Manu Duah and RSL’s Zavier Gozo inside the penalty area. 

Referee of the match, Alexis Da Silva, stuck to the original decision on the field of no penalty with the contact not being sufficient to draw the early attempt from the spot. 

Real Salt Lake did end up scoring the opening goal of the match in the 17-minute, with a swung-in left-footed cross into the penalty box by defender Juan Sanabria, being put away into the bottom right corner by forward Sergi Solans to give the visitors the 1-0 lead. 

SDFC would have their chance to equalise the match in the 25-minute, with midfielder David Vazquez at the end of a wonderful passage of play, having a one-on-one shot within the penalty box. 

But the chance was denied by RSL goalkeeper and captain Rafael Cabral, making the one-handed save to keep the shot from hitting the back of the net, as Real Salt Lake maintained a slim one-goal lead. 

Only a couple of minutes later, SDFC added the tying goal to the scoresheet with forward Marcus Ingvartsen recording his fourth goal of the MLS season for the 1-1 score.

The scrappy goal came from a set piece in the 27-minute, bouncing and bobbling off multiple players, ending with a Marcus Ingvartsen touch, taking a deflection off RSL defender Philip Quinton and into the net. 

Real Salt Lake had a very late chance to take the lead heading into the halftime break.

RSL’s Solans was on the verge of a brace after getting his initial shot through the legs of SDFC goalkeeper Duran Ferree in the 45+7-minute, but his shot was clipped off the goalline by Manu Duah for a goal-saving play to keep the match 1-1 as the end-of-half whistle blew. 

From nowhere, SDFC pounced on a moment of unawareness from Real Salt Lake with a defensive-half long ball by midfielder and captain Jeppe Tverskov into the attacking third for darting forward Amahl Pellegrino. 

Pellegrino, with the heads-up run, brought down the pass and pulled it back for the unmarked star forward Anders Dreyer at the top of the penalty box. Dreyer did the rest with a slight chip shot over Cabral to give SDFC their first lead of the night in the 56-minute, 2-1. 

Dreyer tallied his third goal of the 2026 MLS season. 

In search of their own equaliser, Real Salt Lake broke through in the 85-minute with a cross going across the goal area, finding RSL forward Victor Olatunji alone at the back post for the finishing touch into the uncontested net to make the scoreboard read 2-2.

Real Salt Lake continued to show signs of threat in the closing minutes of the regular ninety, leading to a fouling break of a counterattack by SDFC defender Christopher McVey. 

McVey, already booked earlier in the game, was sent to the locker rooms early, seeing a second yellow and red card in the 89-miniute.

In back-to-back matches, McVey received a second yellow card and expulsion, with his Champions Cup game on Wednesday against Toluca ending similarly. 

After an eight-minute addition for injury time, the full-time whistle came at that 2-2 scoreline, with San Diego FC’s return to Snapdragon Stadium ending in a single-point draw. 

Despite having gone their last three matches in all competitions winless, SDFC continued their unbeaten record in league play this season with three wins and two draws through five games, sitting with 11 points gained in the MLS. 

Following the 2-2 draw against Real Salt Lake on Sunday night, San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas opened up at the post-game press conference on the disappointing result in a recent rough patch for his squad. 

“At this point, when you tie games that you know, when you play your best, you should win. You have to be disappointed.”

“I think we struggled a little bit because we weren't very sharp tonight, but that's no excuse. If you want to be a top team, you have to be ready to play 5 games in 16 days.”

“You gotta be able to go to altitude, suffer the way we did, come back, and then be able to turn it around and put another top performance. So that's what we aim for.”

“We aim to be a top club and we weren't good enough at that. And that's 100% my responsibility. At the end of the day, we're gonna take a long look in the mirror and we're gonna make sure that we improve from here.”

The MLS takes next weekend off due to upcoming World Cup Qualifiers and International Friendlies taking place, as SDFC’s next match will see them head upstate to face off against in-state rival San Jose Earthquakes on April 4, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at PayPal Park.