The Danish striker brought his season tally to seven goals, but LAFC mounted a furious comeback to split the points on the waning minutes
Jesus Garcia, Contributor
San Diego FC’s 2026 struggles continued as their winless streak was extended to nine with a 2-2 draw against LAFC Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium. After holding a 2-0 lead 82 minutes in, the visitors rallied for two late goals, including a 104th minute goal by LAFC winger Ryan Hollingshead.
The scoring started early, as SDFC forward Marcus Ingvartsen scored a header inside the box on a cross by Anders Dreyer in the seventh minute to give the home team the early lead.
“Good first and early corner, we talked about that there could be early opportunities on their first post area,” Ingvartsen said. “It was a perfect ball … I was completely free getting in there, so very good start and in this moment, it gave us a lot of confidence.”
The rest of the first half saw minimal action, with SDFC dominating possession and the middle of the pitch thanks to the presence of Anibal Godoy. Godoy played all 90 minutes for just the second time this season due to captain Jesse Tverskov suffering an injury in last week’s game against Portland.
“For Anibal to step up, in terms of putting his stamp on the team from the leadership perspective, I think he did a great job,” Varas said. “Ultimately, I think it’s a great opportunity for the team to show this next man up mentality.”
The Danish striker would double SDFC’s lead in the 71st minute, as his compatriot Dreyer assisted him for the second time. LAFC was forced into a turnover in the middle of the pitch, which gave Dreyer enough space on the right side to drive into the box. After placing a great ball to Ingvartsen, the striker put it past a diving Hugo Lloris to send the San Diego crowd in a frenzy.
“Two nice goals personally to get them in [but] I think as a team we played 80 very strong minutes,” Ingvartsen said.
That of course, is referring to the collapse that aided LAFC’s comeback to rescue a draw. With ten minutes left prior to stoppage time, SDFC looked like they would end their winning drought. After all, LAFC’s 60th minute substitution move to bring in superstar Heung-Min Son had generated more chances, but nothing that posed a serious threat to goalkeeper Carlos Dos Santos.
But in the 82nd minute, Son got just enough space in the left center side of the pitch to assist Denis Bouanga on a ball that made its way past SDFC defender Christopher McVey and into the penalty box. Bouanga then had enough room to place a ball past the near post of a helpless Dos Santos to cut the deficit in half.
“I would say the first 80 minutes were really good,” Varas said. “We’re up 2-0 and I think we’re in complete control of the game. The boys showed a really great step in the right direction to who we want to be.”
Things went from bad to worse for the home side in stoppage time, as goalkeeper Carlos Dos Santos had to be substituted out of the game with a facial injury and a bloody nose. It was just another insult to injury for the Cape Verde international, as this was his first game back from an injury suffered last November.
LAFC took advantage of the added time after Dos Santos’ departure. With the clock at over 103 minutes, LAFC set up a corner for one last ditch effort. A header by Mathieu Chionière made its way right into Hollingshead’s feet, who put the ball past the recently subbed-in goalkeeper Duran Ferree to prevent SDFC from walking away with the three points.
“This is a brutal business and we were a little bit off the razor thin margins in terms of winning the game,” Varas said. “But what I would say [is that] it’s a really important step to get us building some momentum in the right direction.”
With three home matches in a row this month, SDFC will fancy their chances at snapping the skid prior to the World Cup break. But first, they will look to avoid extending the winless streak to double digits when they take on the Seattle Sounders on May 9.
“We’re going to look in the mirror in terms of really pushing ourselves to be able to finish a little bit stronger,” Varas said. “But I think the guys left everything out on the pitch and they played with a lot of heart and passion.”