SAN DIEGO — San Diego FC had to wait a bit longer this time to capitalize on a shocking defensive gaffe by the Los Angeles Galaxy, through a full 90 minutes and another four of stoppage time, but its patience was rewarded in the closing moments Saturday afternoon at Snapdragon Stadium.
The result was a dramatic 2-1 San Diego win on Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s 95th-minute goal that showed, in a matter of seconds, why an expansion team sits in second place in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference and why the defending champion is — gulp — still winless through 15 games.
When they met Feb. 23 at Dignity Health Sports Park in SDFC’s inaugural match, it was Galaxy goalkeeper Novak Mićović whose horrific pass to the wrong team in the 52nd minute set up the first goal in club history en route to its first victory.
On Saturday before a near-capacity crowd, the Galaxy waited until the fifth of a projected five minutes of second-half stoppage time to descend to a new level of ignominy.
Colombian center back Emiro Garces tried to clear a ball with no real pressure and, instead of controlling it or safely booting it toward the opposite goal with only about 60 seconds left in a 1-1 game, it somehow spun off his shin backward and across the field … directly into the path of San Diego midfielder Anders Dreyer steaming down the right side.
Dreyer crossed to Lozano, who headed it past the stunned Mićović at the back post for his fifth goal of the season.
“Everybody should take note of this moment in time,” San Diego coach Mikey Varas said. “It’s a big moment for the club. These are moments that clubs are built on. These are moments nobody will forget, that will inspire an entire region and make the club real.”
It was followed, though, by a moment they’d no doubt like to forget.
The teams left the field a couple of minutes later, but the animosity between rival fans continued in the stands with wild scenes of fighting that elicited a sizeable police response. An hour after the final whistle, a police helicopter was still circling above the stadium ordering people through a speaker to promptly exit the parking lot.
It is the second time this season that a game against an L.A. team at Snapdragon Stadium has turned violent. Videos posted on social media after a 3-2 win against LAFC on March 29 show a free-for-all in the parking lot.
Varas opened his postgame news conference by referencing “an incident” without providing details, saying only: “Our club values are very clear. There is no place for violence in this sport. This is the beautiful game. It’s supposed to be enjoyed.”
San Diego fans were seated behind the north goal. Galaxy supporters were in the far upper corner, surrounded by yellow-jacketed security guards in the aisle separating them from regular fan sections.
But after most fans filed out of the stadium, some San Diego supporters appeared to approach the visitors’ section, and multiple fistfights erupted — some dangerously close to the railing above the lower bowl. Galaxy fans broke through the security line and joined in.
More than a dozen police cars arrived to restore order, along with a helicopter. There were no immediate reports of arrests or injuries.
It dampened an otherwise sunny day for a team that is on pace to become the most successful expansion team in MLS regular-season history, averaging 1.8 points per game (the record is 1.75).
The Galaxy took a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute on Diego Fagundez’s curling strike from the left side. San Diego’s Luca de la Torre equalized seconds later, capping a memorable week.
He was asked to join the U.S. men’s national team for a pair of upcoming friendlies ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup next month. He got married. He celebrated his 27th birthday Friday.
“Now today, a goal and a win,” said de la Torre, who grew up in San Diego. “It’s probably all downhill from here, but at the moment I’m really happy.”
The victory part wasn’t secure until much later, with a second half largely devoid of scoring chances seemingly spiraling toward a 1-1 draw.
Then two things happened that have come to define the most bewildering season in the proud history of the six-time MLS champions.
The first was what Galaxy coach Greg Vanney called “a low-percentage pass in a priority moment of the game,” a diagonal ball from midfielder Isaiah Parente toward winger Gabriel Pec instead of taking the space in front of him, allowing the attack to coalesce and killing the clock.
San Diego defender Luca Bombino cleared the ball high across midfield, where Garces was positioned to handle it.
“Emiro is kind of sauntering up, trying to catch his breath, I don’t know, but he wasn’t engaged and focused on the ball,” Vanney said of the mistake that Dreyer pounced on. “It just becomes a series of events of bad decisions, not prepared. And then the snowball just rolls down and builds momentum, and they find the back of our net.
“It’s a maturity thing, it’s an engagement thing. They’ve done so much work for 92, 93 minutes to allow that situation be the one that costs us a solid result on the road. Instead, we give it away at the end. It’s disappointing.”
Dreyer, who has two goals and an assist against the Galaxy this season, sniffed out the opportunity and was off to the races. Lozano flew down the opposite wing unmarked.
“The first thing was just try to connect with the ball,” Lozano said of Dreyer’s perfectly weighted cross. “I connected with my head. I was calm and didn’t rush it.”
Added Varas: “One thing we talk about a lot here and that we have convictions for is being relentless. I understand that Garces makes a mistake, but it’s not on him. It’s also a combination of how we went after the game. We went after the game for 95 minutes.
“We still have our two wingers and our (striker) that high chasing the game at the end of the game. Easily those guys could go back and just say, ‘Let’s take the one point.’ We created our destiny by pushing the game, and I’m really proud of the guys for that.”
