February 21, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego FC defender Luca Bombino (27) celebrates after the game against CF Montreal at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chadd Cady-Imagn Images For San Diego FC, Hirving Lozano is not a problem at all.
The club, which set MLS expansion club records for wins (19) and points (63) last year, had one of the most explosive 2026 season debuts in the entire league, beating Montreal 5-0 to take some serious momentum into Sunday’s game against St. Louis City SC.
Christopher McVey and Amahl Pellegrino scored in the first half, while Onni Valakari, Marcus Ingvartsen and 18-year-old Right to Dream Academy graduate Bryan Zamble all scored after the break as San Diego left its Canadian opponents in the dust.
Denmark international Anders Dreyer, who won MLS Rookie of the Year last year, had two assists to open his 2026 league account.
“Overall, I’m really pleased with this group,” coach Mikey Baras said. At the same time, this is just one step in the long journey we will go through this year.”
Pellegrino added two assists for San Diego, who have already advanced to the round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup. The club advanced against Pumas largely thanks to a 4-1 win in the first leg at the Snapdragon Stadium.
San Diego dominated possession (64.1%) and outscored Montreal in shots twice as many (12-6) and four times as many on goal (8-2) as its opponents.
“We continued to stick to our plan of how we could create space and attack,” Varas said.
The hot start comes without the help of Mexico international and San Diego Designated Player Lozano, who had nine goals and 10 assists last season but is no longer expected to have an impact on the team’s future plans.
The club reached the Western Conference finals in its debut season and still has that new car smell.
St. Louis experienced that a few seasons ago after a successful MLS debut. That hasn’t happened the past two seasons as the club has failed to make the postseason.
New coach Yoann Damet oversaw a dynamic home debut against Charlotte last week. St. Louis dominated possession and had an overwhelming advantage in shots, shots on goal and corner kicks, but ended up with a 1-1 draw.
Marcel Hartel gave St. Louis the lead in the 60th minute, taking a feed from Simon Becher and slotting it past Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina and into the bottom right corner.
“I think we should celebrate those little moments,” Damet said. “It’s a good sign that Cello (Hartel) is the top scorer this season. It’s good to see. I’m happy for him.”
Thirteen minutes later, Pep Biel equalized for Charlotte, giving St. Louis hope, but still not satisfied.
“Offensively, I thought the build-up was good and I thought we could create some chances,” Damet said. “Could we have made more? Are we in good territory? Those are the questions we need to answer. Again, it doesn’t stop. There’s always something to work on.”
–Field level media
