San Diego FC Match Recap: Verhoeven Impresses, Varas Adjusts in 0-0 Draw with Sporting KC

On a rare, rainy evening in San Diego – Snapdragon Stadium filled with 25 thousand fans to watch SDFC go for their fourth win in a row against a struggling Sporting Kansas City team.

San Diego tenaciously came out of the gate moving bodies forward, trying to break through the Kansas City defense. After only a few minutes, it was clear that Sporting’s intentions were not to go for the win as they consistently dropped five-to-six players on defense.

Let’s dive into the details and break down why San Diego struggled to crack Sporting Kansas City’s defense, resulting in a frustrating draw.

Oscar Verhoeven Shines in First Starting Role

Head coach Mikey Varas is no stranger of rewarding young players with playing time if they prove themselves on the training ground. Choosing to keep his regular starters in after two quick back-to-back games, he made one very surprising change. After getting a couple of substitutions, young Oscar Verhoeven earned his first starting 11 role.

The 18-year-old played a strong 70 minutes, winning 100% of his tackles and producing an 80% passing accuracy. Most of all, it’s worth noting that Verhoeven looked comfortable in his role. He showed an understanding of the team’s system, moving up into the attack as a right wing-back and getting back to defending when needed.

Due to the team’s grueling week, playing three games, it presented a perfect opportunity for a player like Oscar to showcase himself against a team who present a lesser threat than many others, due to their recent form. Bombino and Willy put in a tremendous amount of effort in a position that demands a lot of running up and down the flank. Oscar took his opportunity to prove to Mikey Varas that he will be ready when called upon.

We Had the Ball, They Had the Wall

Overall, San Diego FC controlled 65% possession. While they are a great possession team, it was clear that Kansas City were allowing them to keep possession while sitting back patiently and defending from their half. Also feeling the fatigue, the 13th place (Western Division Standings) Sporting KC side made it clear that their intent was to get a point on the road in their third game of the week.

Taking a look at the passing map, Kansas City only had one successful pass into the box as compared to San Diego’s nine. While that may be a testament to the San Diego defense, it’s more of a combination of good defense and lack of an attacking mindset from the opponent.

SDFC favored the right side of the pitch, constantly sending balls into Mighten and Dreyer with hopes of the speedy playmakers to showcase their magic and create dangerous opportunities. Perhaps San Diego’s best chance came in the 66th minute when Verhoeven sent a ball over the top into Dreyer. The Dane tried to touch it past the SKC goalkeeper, but Pulskamp did an amazing job standing tall and preventing the goal. Luca de la Torre followed up with a shot from the rebound, but it was blocked. Pulskamp received Man of the Match honors after making three crucial saves.

Varas Makes Key Tactical Calls Amid Midfield Fatigue

While Kansas City officially lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, their shape often shifted into a 5-3-2 or even a 6-3-1 at times – making it exceptionally difficult for San Diego to find scoring opportunities. Many fans wondered how the team would do after short recovery periods throughout the three-game week. Luca de la Torre and Anibal Godoy played a decent game but showed signs of fatigue. Varas noticed and subbed out Godoy for Valakari in the 60th minute.

As 70th minute approached, Varas took an aggressive offensive approach and subbed out Luca de la Torre for Milan Ilosky. When asked about why he played Ilosky in a midfielder and not the usual striker role, Varas told the media that the coaching staff liked the way the three forwards were playing. Instead, he chose to add a striker to the trio while mentioning that de la Torre “had not been sharp in the final pass”, a sign of fatigue – surely.

Exceeding Expectations: SDFC’s Inaugural Season Rolls On

While this may not have been the result fans and players wanted, there is little room to panic. San Diego faced their first ever three game stretch in a week and came away with seven out of a possible nine points. They are currently sitting in third place in the Western Division, within striking distance of Vancouver, who holds the crown.

With three games out from the official half-way mark in the season, SDFC are:

• Tied for 2nd in Clean Sheets
• 2nd in possession %
• Tied for 3rd in goals scored
• 5th in xG (expected goals per game)

With Improving Form, SDFC Prepares for Galaxy Clash

It is fair to say that not many expected such a start from a brand-new team. The 2025 Inaugural season continues on Saturday, when the Los Angeles Galaxy come into a packed Snapdragon Stadium to try to earn their first win of the season. Yes, you read that right – their first win in 15 games. This upcoming match will prove to be another tough challenge because despite their record, the Galaxy are never a push-over. That game preview is coming up later in the week so stay tuned!

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