SDFC Forward Marcus Ingvartsen had a brace with goals in each half
SAN DIEGO (Saturday, May 2, 2026) – San Diego FC (SDFC) played to a 2-2 draw against Western Conference rival LAFC at Snapdragon Stadium. Forward Marcus Ingvartsen scored in each half, opening the scoring in the 7th minute with a header to the bottom left corner off an assist from Anders Dreyer, giving SDFC a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
In the second half, Ingvartsen doubled the lead in the 71st minute with a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the lower left corner, assisted by Dreyer and Oscar Verhoeven. LAFC responded 11 minutes later (82’), cutting the deficit in half with a goal from forward Denis Bouanga, who finished a left-footed shot to the bottom left corner past SDFC goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos.
After nine minutes of stoppage time were added, Dos Santos was forced to exit in the 98th minute following a collision inside the box with LAFC forward Denis Bouanga, with Duran Ferree coming on in relief. LAFC continued to press and found the equalizer late, as defender Ryan Hollingshead scored from inside the six-yard box off a headed pass from Mathieu Choinière to make it 2-2.
Up next, SDFC travels to face the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, May 9 at Lumen Field, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. PT in another Western Conference matchup. The Club returns to Snapdragon Stadium on Wednesday, March 13 to face Austin FC, presented by Harmony Academy at National University.
Goal Scoring Plays: SD– 1-0 – Marcus Ingvartsen (Anders Dreyer), 7th minute: SDFC got on the scoresheet first from a corner kick inside the first ten minutes. Anders Dreyer played an outswinging ball to Marcus Ingvartsen at the near post just inside the six-yard box, who headed the ball into the lower left corner of the net.
SD – 2-0 – Marcus Ingvartsen (Anders Dreyer, Oscar Verhoeven), 71st minute: Oscar Verhoeven played in Anders Dreyer who dribbles at the LAFC defender into the box, finds Ingvartsen in the center who touches onto his right foot and into the bottom left corner past Lloris.
LAFC – 2-1 – Denis Bouanga (Heung Min Son, Mathieu Choinière), 82nd minute: LAFC got on the board in the 82nd minute when Denis Bouanga received a through ball in the box from substitute Heung Min Son and finished with his left foot into the bottom right corner, beating CJ Dos Santos.
LAFC – 2-2 – Ryan Holingshead (Mathieu Choinière), 90 +14th minute: LAFC drew level on the night when Hollingshead sent in a left-footed shot from inside the six-yard box after taking a loose ball off a deflection on a play that began on a corner kick from substitute forward David Martinez.
Postgame Notes:
- With tonight’s 2-2 draw against LAFC, SDFC earned MLS Regular Season points for the first time since March 22, in a 2-2 tie against Real Salt Lake.
- SDFC now has a 3-5-3 2026 MLS Regular Season record with 12 points.
- SDFC is 19-12-7 all-time against Western Conference teams in MLS Regular Season play.
- SDFC now holds a 22-14-9 all-time MLS Regular Season record.
- SDFC is now 2-1 all-time against LAFC in the regular season.
- SDFC is 2-2-2 at home in the 2026 MLS Regular Season.
- SDFC completed 605 passes compared to LAFC’s 476 tonight.
- SDFC out possessed LAFC 52-percent to 48-percent tonight.
- SDFC is now 5-7-3 across all competitions in 2026 (MLS Regular Season 3-5-3, Concacaf Champions Cup 2-2).
- SDFC has gone without a win in its last nine matches across all competitions. Its last win came against Deportivo Toluca F.C. (March 11) in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
- Forward Marcus Ingvartsen scored his seventh and eighth goals of the MLS season tonight in the seventh and 71st minute of play. He now has 10 goals for the Club across all competitions.
- Ingvartsen’s goals are goals number 104 and 105 in Club history.
- Winger Anders Dreyer provided assists in each of Ingvartsen’s goals tonight. He now has 11 goal contributions (5 goals, 6 assists). Dreyer also has six goals this year across all competitions, including a goal in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
- Dreyer now has 58 goal contributions for the Club (29 goals, 29 assists).
- Winger David Vazquez made his fifth start this season, making his 21st career appearance with SDFC across all competitions.
- Onni Valakari and Dreyer are the only players to play in all 45 of SDFC’s Regular Season and five post-season matches for a total of 50 MLS career appearances each.
- Goalkeeper CJ Dos Santos returned to the Starting XI tonight. It was Dos Santos' first MLS Regular Season action of the season. Dos Santos last played Nov. 1, 2025 against Portland Timbers in the 2025 MLS Playoffs Round One Game 2 of a Western Conference series.
- Dos Santos left late in the match with an injury. Duran Ferree replaced Dos Santos eight minutes into stoppage time (90’+8’)
- Defender Wilson Eisner made his fourth appearance this season when he came on as a substitute for Ingvartsen in the 89th minute.
- Forward Amahl Pellegrino was back to action in the Starting XI after serving a red card suspension last week against Houston Dynamo.
Match Information
2026 MLS Regular Season
San Diego FC vs. Los Angeles FC
Saturday, May 2, 2026 – Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, Calif.)
Scoring Summary:
SD (1-0) – Marcus Ingvartsen (Assisted by Anders Dreyer, 7’)
SD (2-0) -- Marcus Ingvartsen, (Assisted by Anders Dreyer, Oscar Verhoeven, 71’)
LAFC (2-1) -- Denis Bouanga, 82’
LAFC (2-2) -- Ryan Hollingshead, 90 +14’
Misconduct Summary:
SD – David Vazquez (caution, 15’)
LAFC – Kenneth Nielsen (caution, 59’)
SD – Ian Pilcher (caution, 73’)
SD – Aníbal Godoy (caution, 78’)
LAFC – Denis Bouanga (caution, 90’)
Lineups:
SAN DIEGO FC: GK CJ Dos Santos (GK Duran Ferree, 90 +8’); D Luca Bombino (D Ian Pilcher, 67’), D Manu Duah, D Christopher McVey, D Oscar Verhoeven; M Onni Valakari, M David Vazquez (M Alejandro Alvarado Jr., 83’), M Aníbal Godoy –C–; F Amahl Pellegrino (F Lewis Morgan, 67’), F Marcus Ingvartsen (D Wilson Eisner, 89’), F Anders Dreyer
Substitutes Not Used: M Bryce Duke, M Pedro Soma, F Alex Mighten, F Bryan Zamblé
TOTAL SHOTS: 7; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2; FOULS: 12; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 3
LOS ANGELES FC: GK Hugo Lloris –C–; D Eddie Segura, D Kenneth Nielsen (D Artem Smoliakov, 90 +9’), D Nkosi Tafari; M Ryan Hollingshead, M Jude Terry (M Mark Delgado, 45’), M Stephen Eustaquio (M Mathieu Choiniere, 79’), M Ryan Raposo (F Heung Min Son, 60’); F Denis Bouanga, F Jeremy Ebobisse (F Tyler Boyd, 72’), F Nathan Ordaz (F David Martinez, 45’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Thomas Hasal, D Sergi Palencia, D Ryan Porteous
TOTAL SHOTS: 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; FOULS: 18; OFFSIDES 2; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 0
Referee: Filip Dujic
Assistant Referees: Felisha Mariscal, Walt Heatherly
Fourth Official: Ekaterina (Katja) Koroleva
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
AVAR: Robert Schaap
Weather: 67-degrees, Partly Cloudy
Attendance: 28,459
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
SDFC HEAD COACH MIKEY VARAS
On tonight’s performance and the changes made in the 80th minute:
“I will say that the first 80 minutes we were really good. I think we were pretty much where we’ve been at when we’ve been at our best. And we weren't able to get the third goal, but we’re up 2-0 and I think we’re in control the game and the boys showed a great step in the right direction to who we want to be. And then things get a little bit difficult for us around that 80th minute. Of course, there's a bunch of things that happen in this game that are outside of our control, that have to do with referring decisions, and we end up getting scored on. And then, of course, we have the situation with CJ having to come out and then we concede a goal late. Of course, we're going to look in the mirror in terms of really pushing ourselves to be able to finish a little bit stronger. But I think the guys left everything out on the pitch, played with a lot of heart, a lot of passion. Think we showed a lot of quality tonight and the only change that happened tactically was we thought, when [Aníbal Godoy] had to come out just because of the profiles of the players we have, we decided to go with five at the back, just to make sure that, we could provide a little bit of assistance with the balls in behind. And overall, I think we did a pretty good job. This is a brutal business and we were a little bit...we got the wrong side of the razor thin margins in terms of winning the game. What I would say it's a really important step. It's a very worthwhile point right now to get us building some momentum in the right direction against a very good team.”
On his message to the team in the locker room postgame:
“I believe in every single one of those people in that room, and I believe in our fans tremendously. I believe in our style of play, the effort that we're putting forward. And it feels like a loss because of how it unfolds at the end of the game, but it's not a loss. It's one point. It's one point where we haven't gained points in the last five and we gained a point against a very good team, and we played a lot of good football, and this is the closest we've been getting back to our best. So the message is, is that now we have to build on this momentum and start stringing performances, and ideally 90 plus minutes of those first 80 minutes together. Opportunity for guys to step up and really challenge themselves individually on how they can really help impact the result and it's just about accumulating points in these last four games, because we will reset, reload, and we'll be really ready to attack the second half of the season. So right now, it's a very valuable point, and we're going to keep making steps forward.”
On keeping morale during tough times like this:
“I think that's a great question. Ultimately, if your culture is strong, it doesn't depend on one person. We all lift each other up. And the ambition we have is to have a culture where these are the moments it's built for, you know? It's built for gaining resiliency. It's having the ability to be honestly, self-reflective and put our hands up if we don't feel like it's good enough and at the same time, still believe that we have plenty of quality and that we can have a great game, a great season, great seasons and so ultimately, what I do is just remind them who we are, and who we play for.”
SDFC MIDFIELDER ANÍBAL GODOY
On having to exit the field after the taking a hit during the free kick and watching his side concede the first goal:
“I think it’s difficult to say, I don’t know what I said because I don’t know too much about this rule. You know, the referee, I think I speak with the referee. I feel great, you know, and I don't want to go out. And after the referee start to put pressure, you know, to me, like I have to go out, you know. And I see other plays sometimes in different game, when that happened, the player stayed on the field, you know, I don't know. I don't know what happened with the referee right now, against us, you know. But this is what it is, you know, we have to control what we can control. You know, we cannot control this small thing and we try to keep working every single day right now, until we have a four, four game less before the break. You know, for the World Cup, I think we have to be working.”
On the team’s performance tonight:
“Yeah, I think today, the first 80 minutes, I think we're doing really well. I think is one of the best game we play so far this year. I am really proud of the team. I think we can control the game a little bit more in the end. But, you know, I think we play against also a really good team. LAFC has really good player, really good individual player. And sometimes you have to suffer, you know, a little bit. But I don't know if the game have to finish with nine minutes, you know, because I don't feel during the game you have so many crazy stuff, you know? I don't know why the referee gives nine minutes. I think it's too much. We have the problem with CJ, but that's it. I think, you know, when that probably happened, we have already played five minutes, you know, for extra time. You know this is what it is, you know?”
SDFC FORWARD MARCUS INGVARTSEN
On scoring two goals tonight:
“Yeah, good first and early corner. We talked about there could be some opportunities on the first post area. So, I think it was a perfect ball, perfect execution in the box, blocking for each other. I was completely free getting in there. So, very good start. And also, of course, at this moment, it gave us a lot of confidence, starting to play our game really well, and controlling everything. Very nice to get the second goal, also. From open play, we create that chance get it to two on zero. So yeah, two nice goals. Nice personally, to put them in also. And I think as a team, we played at least 80 very strong minutes, we can take what it is.”
On what it was like watching the rest of the match after being subbed out:
“I think when they score, their 2-1 goal, of course, they get a bit of energy out of that. I still think we were in good shape, but then they start to put more pressure, I also think we get a little bit too passive at the end, not coming high enough. The goal is also they have a throw in, in the corner, where we could be more barbarous, so I think we are. We're getting a little bit passive, but yeah, all in all, that second goal is also very frustrating.”
On what he thinks is the missing piece to SDFC securing three points at the moment:
“Yeah, I think Portland first half was strong, we looked like ourselves. Second half wasn’t as good. Today, we play again, as I say, I think we play at least 80 very good minutes and controlling the game looking like ourselves. So right now it's all some game management at the end. Haven't been in a good streak and yeah, some extra cleverness we need to have in those situation late in the game, and then again, coming into 16 minutes of actual time, or whatever they score in this corner. So that's extremely frustrating. I think we did a very good job, again, missing some aggressiveness at the end. But all in all, we look we look like ourselves also.”
