San Diego FC announced their presence when they blanked the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy in their MLS debut on Feb. 22.
Three months later, host San Diego will attempt to knock off the reeling Galaxy again when the teams meet on Saturday afternoon.
The 2-0 victory over the Galaxy at Carson, Calif., set the tone for the expansion franchise’s strong start. It also was the first sign of the Galaxy’s ongoing collapse as the club’s 14-match winless start rates as the worst in MLS history.
San Diego (7-4-3, 24 points) resides third in the Western Conference and is unbeaten over its last four matches, outscoring opponents 9-1 while going 3-0-1. San Diego played visiting Sporting Kansas City to a scoreless draw last weekend.
Los Angeles (0-10-4, 4 points) is at least riding some momentum into the rematch after playing Los Angeles FC to a 2-2 home tie in last weekend’s El Trafico clash.
Marco Rues scored both goals, one in the sixth minute and the tying boot in the 87th minute.
Galaxy coach Greg Vanney, who recently had his contract extended through the 2028 season, knows the team needs to start accumulating points but he isn’t spending much time thinking about postseason aspirations.
“Look, honestly, it’s for us to win the first game and win the second game, win the third game,” he said. “Those are the things I’m focused on. … I honestly don’t look at the standings because it doesn’t make any sense. I know where we are and I know what our points look like.”
San Diego controlled play while outclassing the Galaxy in the season opener. Anders Dreyer scored both goals — one in the 52nd minute and the other in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.
Dreyer, 26, has been a force for San Diego. He leads the club with six goals and is tied for the team lead with six assists.
The Denmark-born Dreyer was acquired from Anderlecht of the Belgian Pro League in January and has found it a joy to be part of a totally new club.
“When you go to a club, normally there is a history, there is a way to do stuff,” Dreyer said. “But here, it is brand new, and we as players here, we’re the first ones who put on that San Diego shirt, and we have to start to build a culture here in San Diego in how the things are done. So that’s a nice, nice experience.”
Dreyer has meshed well with Chucky Lozano, the Mexico national team player who has four goals and six assists.
–Field Level Media
