The vibes at San Diego FC’s Snapdragon Stadium have been great in 2025, and they were even better for the expansion club’s first-ever MLS Cup playoff match. 

A week after thrashing the Portland Timbers 4–0 on Decision Day at Providence Park, the Oregon side dropped down the West Coast, only for the Chrome and Azul to hand them a 2–1 loss and send 32,500 fans into a frenzy. 

“First of all, it’s a sold-out Stadium and the atmosphere was amazing,” said San Diego native and U.S. men’s national team midfielder Luca de la Torre post-match. “I’m really proud of the group, the performance, the wind after we've been playing so well all season to do it when it really mattered. It means so much to us.”

San Diego opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a goal from Onni Valakari, and MLS MVP finalist Anders Dreyer added a second at the half-hour mark, before Portland’s Kristoffer Velde pulled one back in the 36th minute.

The hosts kept control, taking a methodical approach focused on securing the win while not faltering under the pressure of a postseason match for the first time. Meanwhile, the Timbers’ comeback efforts became hampered in the 66th minute after Jimer Fory picked up a red card. 

“The goal difference doesn't really matter,” added de la Torre. “It's just winning the game, seeing the game out. The red card definitely came at a good time and helped us close out the game.”

San Diego ended their commanding performance with 2.54 xG compared to Portland’s mere 0.85, while outshooting the visitors 15-5, backed by roars of the crowd whenever they jumped into an attacking phase. 

“I think it was a really good game. Of course, you play against a good team with good players who also fight for their lives, so there are moments that you have to withstand during the game, and I think the boys did that well,” head coach Mikey Varas said. “This is a good first step. This is playoff football, and this is just one step in the journey that is round one.”

Dreyer Takes the Lead

San Diego FC
Anders Dreyer brought his regular-season form into the first game of the postseason. | Chadd Cady-Imagn Images

Tipped as a finalist for both the MLS MVP and MLS Newcomer of the Year awards, Dreyer brought his elite play from the regular season into the playoffs. Not only did he score the eventual winning goal, but he had four shots and created three chances.

The Danish international’s reliability has become critical for San Diego, and came under even more of a spotlight as Hirving “Chucky” Lozano was left off the roster for the second straight game. Earlier in the week, The Athletic reported that a verbal altercation in the locker room was the reason Lozano was held out of Decision Day. 

Dreyer, though, played his 35th game in MLS competition and stood out once again, now having five goals in his last three matches. 

“It is important as a group that our strength is our commitment and the willingness to help each other on the pitch,” Dreyer said. “We are hard to beat and I'm happy that we finally won at home.”

Pride of the City

San Diego FC’s Snapdragon Stadiu
With 32,500 fans at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego FC had the biggest attendance of the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs so far. | San Diego FC

Throughout their first season in MLS, San Diego have ingrained themselves in the community, drawing substantial crowds to matches and opening a youth academy as part of the famed Right to Dream system. 

And as much as the general public have flocked to Snapdragon Stadium to support one of the most exciting teams in MLS, plenty of notable celebrities and athletes have also made their way to the ground. 

For Game 1, minority owner and San Diego Padres baseball star Manny Machado carried a large blue orb, dubbed “the flow,” ahead of kickoff as he did in the club’s first-ever game. Meanwhile, his Padres teammate, Jackson Merrill, got the crowd going, downing a beverage on the stadium’s big screen. 

All of it has added to the identity and culture San Diego have built in year one, buoyed by the success they’ve found on the pitch. Now they look to next Saturday’s Game 2, with hopes of closing out the series. Should they win, San Diego will book a home date against either Seattle Sounders FC or Minnesota United in the Western Conference semifinal. 

“It’s a tremendous honor to have the responsibility of representing San Diego as a community, as the head coach, making sure that we develop a team and individual players that are a reflection of the values of the community,” Varas said. “We talk a lot about being humble and hungry. And right now, as you said, the job is not done.”

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as San Diego Make More Expansion History With MLS Cup Playoff Win.