Opposition scouting report: San Diego FC

San Diego FC are currently mired in an eight-game winless run in which they’ve collected just three points. But this is still largely the same team that looked dominant both last year and in the early stages of this season. To help us make sense of that, we asked Dmitry Ansimov of SDFC Nation to provide this scouting report:

Notable injuries

Jeppe Tverskov, the heart of SDFC midfield is most likely out until after the World Cup due to a leg injury he suffered on April 25 in a 1–0 loss to the Portland Timbers. Goalkeeper CJ Santos has also been ruled out after a collisionwith.

Team form

The team has been in dismal form. Winless in their last seven and having lost five straight, they finally got a point at home when they tied LAFC's rotated squad due to their CCC matchup against Toluca. However, SDFC was leading 2–0 and squandered points on a last-minute equalizer at home. Ever since the loss at Toluca, SDFC has not been the same. Toluca exemplified a gameplan that worked well to break down the SDFC high-possession, play-out-of-the-back style and MLS teams followed. Head coach Mikey Varas refuses to change tactics and lives and dies by his 4–3–3 system which makes the team very predictable. SDFC has squandered decisive late goals in back-to-back matches.

Key players

The key players to watch for are Marcus Ingvartsen, who’s found his form this season at the 9. After being out most of last season, Ingvartsen is leading the team in goals scored (7). He’s been clinical in the air and on the ground. The other player to watch for is Anders Dreyer. Dreyer is having a good season again, leading the team in goals+assists (10). Last season's league MVP candidate is not quite where he was last year, but remains the pillar in SDFC's attack. Defensively — Manu Duah and Luca Bombino. Duah (CB) just got his first call-up to the Ghana national team and has been fantastic this season. SDFC has seen the difference of when he’s on and when he’s off the field (due to the couple of red cards he’s received this season due to sloppy challenges). Luca Bombino patrols the LB position where he’s been extremely effective. Breaking into the team last year, Bombino has been a regular starter for SDFC since. He’s dealt with an injury that forced him out of two matches – when he came back last match, SDFC looked much better on defense, further clarifying how important he is to the team.]

One thing opposing fans should know

If San Diego wants to get a result, they’ll need to be far more clinical in the final third and far more composed in the closing moments of the match. Possession alone won’t be enough; turning control into goals is the next step. More than anything, this match is about mentality. SDFC has shown they can go toe-to-toe with top teams, but now they need to prove they can finish the job—especially away from home in a tough environment like Seattle. If they can build on the positives from the LAFC performance, stay disciplined defensively, and avoid the late-game lapses that have cost them points, this could be the moment their season finally turns back in the right direction.