SDFC Suffers Home Defeat to RSL
San Diego lose at home for the first time, 3-1 to Real Salt Lake
Here's a breakdown of the goals:
45+1 minute: Willy Kumado's pass was intercepted by Diego Luna, who advanced into the penalty area and scored. Luna's shot went between Chris McVey and Jeppe Tverskov, giving RSL a 1-0 lead.
45+5 minute: Chucky Lozano scored for SDFC on a penalty kick, tying the game 1-1.
54th minute: Diego Luna scored his second goal on a penalty, awarded after a handball in the penalty area by Jeppe Tverskov. RSL regained the lead at 2-1.
66th minute: Sam Junqua scored for RSL on a loose ball just outside the box, with Jeppe Tverskov failing to clear the ball effectively. This extended RSL's lead to 3-1.
Lineup Changes
Head coach Mikey Varas made several changes to SDFC's starting lineup:
In the backline, Luca Bambino and Willy Kumado replaced Franco Negri and Jasper Loffelsend.
Onni Valakari started in place of the injured Marcus Ingvartsen.
Chucky Lozano, who missed the first game against Real Salt Lake due to injury, started this match instead of Tomas Angel.
This game marked the second time the backline combination of Willy Kumado, Chris McVey, Paddy McNair, and Luca Bambino was used. The previous instance was against the Columbus Crew, where Mohamed Farsi assisted Maximillian Arfsten for a goal on Willy Kumado's side of the pitch. While the decision to start Luca Bambino for Franco Negri was understandable, the substitution of Jasper Loffelsend for Willy Kumado was questionable. Jasper Loffelsend ranks second on the team in Tackles Won with 12, behind Jeppe Tverskov's 16. Loffelsend also has the third-highest number of Tackles + Interceptions on the team with 26, despite not being a consistent starter.
Defensive Concerns
SDFC's defense has been a significant concern through 10 matches. The team ranks 22nd in the league in Tackles Won, 29th in shots blocked (20), and 29th in passes blocked (52). While some of these statistics can be attributed to SDFC's possession-based, high-pressing style of play, which sees them holding the second-highest possession percentage in the league (58.1%), the opposition's 41.9% possession raises questions. SDFC is last in clearances with 151 and has committed the 6th most errors leading to a shot on goal (8). An error happened in Saturday’s match on Willy’s pass back was intercepted by Diego Luna. Luna would shoot and score for the first goal of the match. This defense does show some promise in challenges, ranking 5th with the fewest lost challenges (57), just behind the Columbus Crew (56).
Jeppe’s Performance
Jeppe Tverskov's performance in this match was notably poor. Defensively, it was abysmal. His defensive efforts, or lack thereof, had some involvement in the three goals by Real Salt Lake. On the offensive side, despite having 85 touches in the previous match against RSL, Tverskov's involvement was significantly reduced in this game with only 56 touches. The majority of his touches (32) occurred in the midfield, compared to 47 in the previous RSL match. Overall, Tverskov has the second-most touches on the team with 865. The number of passes he received also decreased from 51 in the previous match to 34 in this game. Tverskov has the second-most passes received on the team with 639. In this match, Tverskov struggled to make effective plays when he had possession. His carries were down from 37 in the first match against RSL to 16. He often opted for immediate passes. In the midfield, Tverskov is a key link that can place passes downfield to Chucky and Dreyer. Real Salt Lake effectively shut down passes through the center, forcing SDFC to favor passes down the left side. RSL's defensive effort included 14 blocked passes and shots and 32 clearances, compared to 8 blocked passes and shots and 21 clearances in their previous encounter.
Up Next: FC Dallas
San Diego FC will face FC Dallas on Saturday, May 3rd. FC Dallas is coming off an exciting 4-3 comeback victory against Inter Miami, a game in which Inter Miami was without Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez. With this win, FC Dallas moved ahead of San Diego FC into 6th place in the standings, leaving San Diego in 7th.