San Diego FC was one of the best teams in MLS last season, and CF Montréal was one of the worst. And if the results of Saturday’s season-opening match between the two is any indication, the two franchises will be in those same spots again this season.
SDFC opened its second season as an MLS franchise by devastating, dominating and then defeating Montréal 5-0 at Snapdragon Stadium, picking up right where the team left off during its historic inaugural season last year.
It was the first-ever meeting between the two sides. Two of San Diego’s goals came in the first half and the other three in the second, and each was scored by a different player.
The fireworks literally and figuratively began during just the 14th minute of the game, when center back Christopher McVey scored via a header from the center of the box to the net’s middle-left zone. Teammate Anders Dreyer was credited with the assist.
San Diego’s other early goal came seconds before the end of the half. With just a few moments left during stoppage time, left wing Amahl Pellegrino nailed a right-footed shot from the center of the goal to the net’s right-central zone.
“If you are hungry and focused, you will benefit,” Pellegrino, who’s one of the older players on the team at 35, said during the post-match press conference.
Things further deteriorated for the Canadian team after halftime. During the 50th minute, Montréal center back Tomas Aviles was red-carded for rough play and ejected. His club, already down two goals, was forced to continue one man short the rest of the way.
San Diego (1-0-0) almost immediately took advantage. Four minutes after Aviles was sent off, central midfielder Onni Valakari drilled a right-footed shot from the center of the goal into the bottom left corner of the net to make the score 3-0.
Then, during the 59th minute, Marcus Ingvartsen boomed a left-footed shot from the center of the goal to the upper-left portion of the net, making the score 4-0. Dreyer picked up his second assist of the game on the play.
The loudest cheers of the night may have come during the 85th minute, when SDFC striker Bryan Zamble made it 5-0. Zamble, a five-foot-five, 18-year-old Ivory Coast native just signed with the team three days earlier and was making his MLS debut. He has a guaranteed contract for the 2026 season, with options for future years.
SDFC’s ability to keep a clean sheet for the match was particularly surprising due to the fact that its first and second options to play goalkeeper were both unavailable. The team had to rely on young third-stringer Duran Ferree, a San Diego native and SDFC’s first-ever signing, to protect the back of the net.
“Nineteen years old, amazing,” head coach Mikey Varas said of Ferree during the post-match press conference. “Very proud of him.”
He added, of the victory, “Overall, very happy for the group, but this is just one step in a very long journey.”
Previous starter CJ do Santos hasn’t played since suffering a broken bone in his face during a playoff match against the Portland Timbers on Nov. 1. His backup, Pablo Sisniega started the remainder of the playoffs, but was suspended for this match due to a red card and ejection that he received with about 11 minutes to go during San Diego FC’s loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference final.
Sisniega is expected back for SDFC’s next game, against St. Louis City SC on March 1 at Snapdragon. St. Louis, which played to a 1-1 draw against Charlotte to open the season on Saturday, finished 13th in the 15-team Western Conference last season with a record of 8 wins, 8 draws and 18 losses.
Notes: This is the last season San Diego FC will play a spring-to-winter schedule. Starting in 2027, the MLS regular season will begin in July and run through the following April. To bridge the seven-month gap between the 2026 and 2027-28 regular seasons, the league will play a 14-game transitional season from February to May of next year.
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