San Diego FC's winning streak came to a halt with a 1-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders last week, but there's little time for dwelling. The team hosts visiting Austin FC this Saturday looking for a comeback win and to remain second in the Western Conference standings.
Having gotten off to a good start to the season with the league's top-scoring offense, San Diego heads into the match looking to return to form against a team in poor form. The loss to the Sounders ended a run of five games unbroken but did not change the team's standing in the standings.
With 27 points, SDFC has a slim lead over Vancouver Whitecaps and maintains the top home record among Western teams with 18 points amassed at Snapdragon. Austin enters the match battling a seven-match winless skid and is in desperate need of points to keep from falling lower out of playoff reach, where the team is 10th with 20.
Early warning sign or isolated loss?
It was a frustrating match against Seattle. The guest goalie Stefan Frei made seven saves and gave the home team the slim win. San Diego had not been held scoreless for any game in the past five games. The efforts of the team's golden dynamic duo, Chucky Lozano and Anders Dreyer, were the driving force for the team from the start of the campaign. Five goals and six assists were scored and achieved by Lozano. Six goals and seven assists were achieved by Dreyer.
Home is where the narrative is varied. San Diego has lost only once this year at Snapdragon Stadium. Three of the five home victories the team has racked up have come by two or more goals. The venue, therefore, is primed for a comeback. And being back to winning ways is what divides champions from pretenders in a crowded scheduling league.
Austin spent lavishly but has not delivered
Austin FC returned for the 2025 campaign with lofty aspirations. Well more than $30 million has been spent in the two windows to add creative attacking options like Osman Bukari, Brandon Vázquez, and Myrto Uzuni. On paper, the front line theoretically is the conference's best. Practically, the three-man up front has contributed six goals and three assists in 16 games. The team has produced just 11 total goals, the worst offense in the conference this year. The crisis of scoring is reflected in the results. Nico Estévez's team has not won in seven matches. Much effort is made but without strength in scoring.