SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego FC will try to bounce back from a rare home loss this weekend when they head to Chicago to face Chicago Fire FC.
Everything has been going well for SDFC so far this season. They're at the top of the standings and ranked number one in the MLS power rankings, leaving some jaded San Diego sports fans wondering if it can really be this easy.
Last weekend's match against the Houston Dynamo at Snapdragon Stadium suggested it might not be. SDFC appeared poised for another signature win when Onni Valakari deflected a shot from All-Star Anders Dreyer to break a 2-2 tie in the second half.
But disaster struck late in the game when Houston re-tied the score at 3 on a penalty kick goal by Ezequiel Ponce. Then, during stoppage time, a defensive mistake set up Ponce for the winning goal, sending SDFC to just its second home loss in franchise history.
Despite the setback, coach Mikey Varas says his team isn't about to change its offensive-minded approach.
"We believe in scoring goals, going after the game and what can happen at times is that you might lose a lead because you take that risk, but it also means that you probably have the spriit to come fighting back from a deficit," Varas said.
SDFC defender Paddy McNair remains confident about the team's position.
"We started the season well, had a little dip for a couple of weeks, which I'm sure was expected, and we bounced back from that and we're sitting at the top of the league at the minute. It's a good position to be," McNair said.
The challenge now is to keep one loss from turning into a two-game losing streak when SDFC visits Chicago Fire FC on Saturday. After that, SDFC returns to Snapdragon Stadium for three straight home matches, beginning on Wednesday night against Toronto FC.
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