SANDY, UTAH — San Diego FC ventured away from its Southern California comfort zone for the first time Saturday night, braving the elements (temperatures dropped to 36 degrees) and the altitude (4,450 feet above sea level) against Real Salt Lake.
At least it wasn’t snowing here like it did two nights earlier — or last year, when Salt Lake beat LAFC during a snow storm.
Coming into the match, San Diego FC coach Mikey Varas said the team’s approach would be the same as against the LA Galaxy and St. Louis SC in the season’s — and franchise’s — first two outings.
“Nothing changes for us,” Varas promised. “We focus on our people, our performance, our principles. We’re going to go there to go after the game. We’re going to be brave on the ball. We’re going to be relentless, we’re going to press and we’re going to play our game.”
And so they did.
SDFC shocked Real Salt Lake in a 3-1 win before a near-capacity crowd at 20,213-seat America First Field, claiming the victory with goals by striker Anders Dreyer and forward Marcus Ingvartsen during seven minutes of extra time.
“What we loved about it is 1-1, I think a lot of teams could say, ‘OK, we’re satisfied with that,’” Varas said. “We talked about wanting to go after the game, continue to stay with initiative. The boys showed that they wanted the 2-1, but they also showed they wanted 3-1. That’s something we’re trying to develop within the group, and they’re buying in.”
Dreyer relished the moment after his goal, putting a hand to his ear as he teased the crowd.
“They whistle a lot when I had to take the corners (earlier in the game),” Dreyer said. “In my mind, I was telling myself: ‘When I score, I will run out and see if they will do it again.’
“That’s football. It’s emotions. That’s how it is when you play away, and that’s how it should be. It’s a small mind game in the game. For me as a football player that’s something I like. It gives me energy to do better.”
SDFC (2-0-1) was one of three MLS teams that had not allowed a goal in the season’s first two games.
The scoreless streak ended 17 minutes into the match, when Salt Lake striker Ariath Piol took a pass from midfielder Dominik Marczuk inside the box. The ball evaded SDFC’s Paddy McNair and Piol put it past goalkeeper CJ dos Santos into the left corner of the net.
Piol was whistled for offsides four minutes earlier, but more than made up for it right in front of the supporters incessently banging drums on the stadium’s south side.
The goal seemed to spark Salt Lake, which peppered dos Santos with five more shots over the next 14 minutes. Three attempts were off the mark; the goalkeeper saved two others, buying time for SDFC to regroup.
“We talk a lot about impacting the flow of the game,” Varas said. “Sometimes the flow of the game can go against you. You’ve got to have composure in those moments. Stick to our principles. Stick to our style of play. Keep positive. Keep believing.”
Just when it appeared RSL (1-2) was headed for a 1-0 halftime lead, SDFC evened the score on Franco Negri’s header past Salt Lake goalkeeper Rafael Cabral in the 43rd minute.
Tomás Ángel, subbing for injured forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, assisted on the goal, setting up Negri in the center of the box.
Among the many chants shouted by the RSL supporters is this one after an opponent scores:
“We don’t care. We don’t care. We don’t care at all. RSL until I die. So we don’t care at all.”
Salt Lake fans may act like they have a care-not attitude, but Negri’s ball into the back of the net suggested otherwise.
“They found the first goal, so, for us, it was a bit of a struggle,” Negri said through a translator. “Good thing that we found the goal before the end of the half. It gave us some breathing room. The game was very much back and forth. The second half we were able to convert the opportunities that we had. …
“It gives the team a lot of confidence. It was a complicated match from the beginning at altitude. We were able to capture the result and it gives us a great push in our mentality going into the next match (Saturday against Columbus) because we know it’s not going to be an easy match at home.”
Supporters’ voices rose as one in the 69th minute when Salt Lake midfielder Diogo Goncalves broke free in the center of the box, but was wide right with his shot. Two minutes later, teammate Forster Ajago had a similar opportunity, but dos Santos dove to his right to make the save.
Ajago had two other shots in the closing minutes of regulation that required dos Santos to make saves.
“CJ was a monster today,” said Varas, adding, “He put the cape on tonight. He was a fireman for us because he takes two or three big, big, big chances away from them.”
