Red Alert: San Diego FC's winless streak and disciplinary issues continue

SAN DIEGO — San Diego FC has been seeing a lot of red this past month. They have struggled to get the desired result in their past five matches, and their spiral continues. The club has picked up six red cards this season, four of them coming in consecutive games.

Mikey Varas cannot pinpoint why the team continues to receive disciplinary calls.

“I can't explain exactly what's happening, other than I think we're receiving some harsh calls, and we're just in one of those situations where nothing's going our way, in that sense,” Varas said following their loss on Saturday night. “But at the end of the day, it's a tough moment that we're in and we all recognize it.”

It’s been a month-long problem for the club.

When San Diego hosted Toluca at Snapdragon Stadium during the Round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup, forward Marcus Ingvartsen was shown a red card 12 minutes into the match, which set up a penalty kick for the visiting team. The back-to-back Liga MX champions took an early lead and had an extra player.

Despite digging themselves into a hole, the Chrome and Azul shockingly responded with back-to-back goals from midfielder David Vazquez and star winger Anders Dreyer, who extended the lead in the 53rd minute. In the final moments, Manu Duah picked up a red card with a handball call, giving Toluca yet another penalty kick, and they scored to make it 3-2 before heading to Mexico. Duah and Ingvartsen missed the return leg. 

Things were looking up for the newest MLS expansion club, but a jam-packed schedule playing in two tournaments may have played a factor in its results.

Following their statement win against Toluca, Varas opted to rest several key starters in their MLS game in Dallas. The starting XI did not feature its best player (Dreyer), captain (Jeppe Tverskov), veteran center-back (Christopher McVey), starting left winger (Amahl Pellegrino), and No. 1 goalkeeper (Duran Ferree). Everyone but Ferree entered the game in the second half.

In the 51st minute, San Diego held a comfortable 3-1 lead, but that didn’t last long. FC Dallas added a goal moments later, and another one in five minutes of added time. They dropped two points just before the final whistle, and this snapped their three-game win streak in the league.

Believe it or not, March 14 was the last time the team finished a match with all 11 players.

Four days later, the experienced Toluca squad humbled San Diego. The environment at Nemesio Díez Stadium proved too much for SDFC, and they were shut out 4-0. Ferree kept his team in the match for most of the first half, but a mistake against a high press led to the first score in the 43rd minute. San Diego was out-matched, and their offense was nonexistent in Mexico. McVey was given his second yellow card and was sent off in the 85th minute. Toluca advanced on a 6-3 aggregate.

After being eliminated, the team's focus shifted entirely to league play. Their home match against Real Salt Lake marked the end of a demanding stretch, playing five games in 16 days. San Diego dropped points late in the match once again, as Victor Olatunji scored the equalizing goal in the 85th minute. McVey was ejected after receiving his second yellow card in the final minute of regulation and missed the next match in San Jose.

Varas acknowledged that fatigue resulted in some sloppiness in the details, and his players were not at their best against Salt Lake, but he did not see this as an excuse, as they hold themselves to a high standard.

San Diego, who was at the top of the table after three consecutive wins, suffered back-to-back draws in which they were minutes away from securing six points, but instead settled for two. They have not earned a point since.

Daniel and the San Jose Earthquakes secured a clean sheet against SDFC, with Preston Judd scoring two goals and Niko Tsakiris successfully converting a penalty after Duah received a straight red card.

The depth at the center-back position is underwhelming, and missing a starter for non-injury reasons is far from ideal. The team certainly could have benefited from keeping veteran defender Paddy McNair, who appeared in 25 matches last season; he was transferred to EFL side Hull City during the offseason.

SDFC has had to rely on 20-year-old Osvald Søe on multiple occasions. He’s made three starts and has appeared in six matches, logging 280 minutes. Søe has had some growing pains, but playing with one less player makes it more difficult. Also, in the Right to Dream style of play, it’s a very demanding position.

Ahead of its home match against Minnesota United FC, The Sporting Tribune asked Varas and Tverskov during training media availability at the Sharp HealthCare Performance Center about the recurring red card situation. Varas said that the team needs to travel better together and control the rhythm of the game, but also believes they’ve been receiving some tough calls. Tverskov said it's been frustrating, and “it needs to stop.”

Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

Seven minutes into the match against Minnesota, San Diego scored. Lewis Morgan delivered a perfect cross to Luca Bombino, who volleyed the ball into the net. It was an impressive strike from the 19-year-old left back. Minnesota’s Kyle Duncan header equalized the match moments later. In the 40th minute, Kelvin Yeboah scored from point-blank range.

One minute into the second half, McVey picked up his second yellow card and was sent off for the third time in 2026. San Diego has played in 11 games this calendar year. In its inaugural season, the club had four red cards across all competitions.

SDFC was unable to score the tying goal in the second half and lost 2-1.

“The center backs are usually the ones that are in the last line of confrontation, and in those interventions at the end of the day,” Varas said when asked about the CB depth and frequent red cards at the position. “I have full faith in the roster that we have right now. Of course, we're always looking to improve our depth and improve the level that we have. But as of right now, the depth is not the issue, it's more the circumstances.”

In their past five matches, they have suffered three losses and two draws—a very frustrating stretch, and perhaps a reality check for the young club. SDFC fans were spoiled in year one with the overwhelming success. Many of those supporters on social media are clamoring for the return of Mexican winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano.

While it is unlikely that the club will rekindle the relationship with their first-ever designated player, they could definitely use the juice on the left wing, especially given Amahl Pellegrino's injury. With the opposing team ultra-focused on Dreyer, the 2025 MLS Newcomer of the Year, San Diego’s attack needs another creator. When on the field together, Dreyer and Lozano were an exciting duo to watch and a problem for MLS backlines.

Lozano has accepted that he will not participate in the 2026 World Cup and seems content with training alone while receiving his annual salary of $7.6 million. Sporting Director and General Manager Tyler Heaps, as well as the coach, have made it clear that Chucky is not in their sporting plans. It’s hard to imagine they would change their mind as they enter MLS Matchday 8. 

In soccer, it is uncommon for teams to receive red cards in consecutive games. Who is to blame for this problem? The immediate assumption is often to hold the head coach responsible for the players’ lack of discipline. Varas feels the team has been subjected to unfair calls and nothing has gone their way in recent weeks.

While the system puts players in uncomfortable situations at times in transition, the players have to be held accountable as well. It’s the same system as the year prior, and this was never a concern. These individuals need to make smarter decisions on the pitch and not put their teammates at a disadvantage by picking up careless fouls.

“We are not at the point anymore where we can't talk about it like it needs to be addressed, for sure, because now it’s a big problem,” Tverskov said following their loss to Minnesota. “It cost us way too many points.”