Preview | San Diego FC vs. LAFC – 2026 MLS Season

| Snapdragon Stadium – San Diego, CA

In an MLS common-season match that falls in the course of LAFC’s two-leg collection within the Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinals, the Black & Gold travels south to San Diego for a southern California derby contest towards San Diego FC.

LAFC is coming off a rousing 2-1 dwelling victory over reigning Liga MX champions Toluca Wednesday evening at BMO Stadium within the first leg of their Champions Cup Semifinal. Now the Black & Gold seeks to assemble common-season factors in San Diego whereas saving their power for the second leg towards Toluca on Wednesday. LAFC additionally seeks its first victory over its southern MLS neighbor.

San Diego FC defeated LAFC twice final yr throughout their epic run to a primary-place end within the Western Conference of their debut season. Head coach Mikey Varas’ aspect went 19W-9L-6D in 2025, with a +23 objective differential (64 GF, 41 GA). But this season has been totally different, due largely to accidents. San Diego is presently watched in an eight-sport winless streak throughout all competitions, together with 5 straight losses in MLS play. Through ten matchdays Varas’ group sits in eleventh place with a league report of 3W-5L-2D, a 2W-2L-1D mark at dwelling, and a objective differential of zero (17GF, 17GA).

LAFC (6W-2L-2D, third within the West) has additionally scored 17 targets, however has conceded solely six, for the third-greatest objective differential within the Western Conference (+11).

The Black & Gold’s success has come regardless of a congested schedule, together with seven Concacaf video games to date. The membership is within the midst of a difficult stretch of 13 matches in 44 days – one match each 3.38 days – together with two lengthy journeys to southern Mexico, plus flights to Oregon and Minnesota.

The All-Star degree play of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and the Black & Gold’s general protection, have been its basis. “When things change, you as a coach have to work with the strengths you have in the team,” head coach Marc Dos Santos stated after Wednesday’s first-leg win over Toluca. “And that’s what we’re trying to do. I think to have a very strong defensive base and then slowly grow offensively is going to give you a chance to win trophies.”

“Before we even get to the [second] Toluca match we still have this game in San Diego coming up first,” Dos Santos added, “which is going to be a tough one. And so tomorrow, we’re heading back to training. There are no days off; “We’re going to try to focus on preparing for San Diego first, and then we’ll look at what we need to do for Toluca.”

With a flight to Mexico looming, and the excessive-stakes match towards the Red Devils simply 4 days after this San Diego journey, Dos Santos has been clear that he’ll give gamers in his second-alternative eleven a possibility on Saturday evening. Wearing a broad smile Dos Santos stated:

“To the San Diego coach—Mikey [Varas]if you happen to be listening right now, I’m telling you right now, Mike, don’t worry—we will be rotating the squad, because we need to give everyone some rest. We have to be fully prepared for Toluca, because the physical demands of playing in Toluca are extreme. But at the same time, I have faith in this group. I’m confident that the players who get called upon will be full of energy. They want to play. “They want to provide themselves.”

One participant who will probably see motion is San Diego native Jude Terry (above), the 17-yr-previous midfielder and LAFC Academy product who grew up in close by Chula Vista. An everyday captain for the USA’s U-17 group, Terry has shone when given the chance for LAFC this yr, contributing energetic minutes within the middle of the pitch and a curling objective from distance towards Portland on April 11.

“He’s 17 years old,” Dos Santos stated. “He plays in a midfield where we have Mathieu Choinière, Marky Delgado, Stephen Eustáquio, [Timmy] Tillman—we have a lot of players with experience there. But I think that Jude in the right moment with the right progression is going to keep growing with the club. When a player is 17 years old, it’s important that we’re careful with how we progress with him, but it’s for sure a player that we’ve been liking a lot… With the long season we have ahead, I’m sure we’re going to see more of him.”

Anders Dreyer, the 2025 MLS Newcomer of the Year, tallied 19 targets and 19 assists final season and would have completed first within the league’s MVP voting if not for a participant named Messi. The Danish worldwide (above, with Denis Bouanga) has maintained that type in 2026, with a membership-greatest 9 objective contributions (5g/4a).

Fellow Danish attacker Marcus Ingvartsen has hit for 5g/2a. Veteran midfielder Anibal Godoy, who will probably captain Panama at this summer time’s World Cup, should assist choose up the slack for injured midfielder Jeppe Tverskov, the metronome who led MLS in touches and accomplished passes final yr and led each classes once more this yr earlier than leaving final weekend’s Portland match with a decrease physique damage.

SDFC is winless in league play (0W-5L-1D) because it was eradicated from Concacaf Champions Cup by Toluca on March 18.

Its depth items convey their A-video games. In addition to Terry, ahead Nathan Ordaz (8g/7a in all comps final yr), U22 defender Artem Smoliakov (three assists in ’25), 19-yr-previous Academy product Matt Evans (scored a free-kick objective final weekend for LAFC2), and 21-yr-previous goalkeeper Cabral Carter (made his MLS debut April 11) are among the many gamers who may see motion on Saturday, together with defender Ryan Hollingshead, the 2022 MLS Cup champion who lately signed a contract extension and has offered management all through this season’s first three months.

By most accounts, that is the deepest squad in membership historical past. That declare could be supported with a powerful efficiency in SD.

Also of word: star ahead Denis Bouanga is properly-rested after sitting out the primary leg towards Toluca. Bouanga (4g/4a in MLS this yr, 9 targets in all comps) “is the type of player that needs rhythm so definitely needs some minutes against San Diego,” Dos Santos stated.

Its private reserve seize the second. The damage gods have been unkind to SDFC, to say the least. In addition to dropping the irreplaceable Tverskov, former LAFC gamers Luca Bombino (defender) and Pablo Sisniega (goalkeeper) are additionally coping with bodily points. The end result: for the primary time in SDFC historical past the membership has gone seven common-season matches and not using a win.

Like Dos Santos, Varas will fill his lineup with gamers desirous to show themselves. They’ll be part of Dreyer, the explosive, artistic Danish worldwide who turns 28 on Saturday and would love to present the house followers a birthday reward.

Desperate to discover a fingerhold to allow them to climb out of their winless skid and regain management of their season, SDFC is aware of {that a} win over the Concacaf Semifinalists from up the highway would offer precisely that.