San Diego FC Concludes Inaugural Season with 3-1 Loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Western Conference Final
MLS San Diego FC

San Diego FC Concludes Inaugural Season with 3-1 Loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Western Conference Final

Published on November 30, 2025 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Diego FC News Release


SAN DIEGO - San Diego FC (SDFC) concluded its inaugural Major League Soccer season on Saturday night with a 3-1 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final. The match was played before the Club's fourth consecutive postseason sellout, with 32,502 in attendance at Snapdragon Stadium.

Vancouver opened the scoring eight minutes into the match through forward Brian White. Three minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead when a shot by Ali Ahmed deflected off a defender and then off goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega before crossing the goal line. White added his second of the night late in the first half, redirecting an Ahmed pass off his chest from close range to extend the lead to 3-0.

SDFC responded in the 60th minute when Hirving "Chucky" Lozano converted a right-footed strike to narrow the deficit to 3-1. SDFC continued to apply pressure throughout the second half in search of additional goals but was reduced to 10 men following a straight red card issued to Sisniega in the 79th minute.

San Diego concludes its inaugural MLS campaign as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, registering 19 regular-season victories and setting a new league record for most points (63) by an expansion club. With the achievement, SDFC also secured qualification for the 2025-26 Concacaf Champions Cup and became only the second expansion team in MLS history to advance to a Conference Final, joining the 1998 Chicago Fire.

Goal Scoring plays:

VAN - 0-1 - Brian White (Andres Cubas and Ali Ahmed), 8th minute: White slid on a ball and sent it in with his right foot past SDFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega to open the scoring. White scored off a pass Andres Cubas from left to right after SDFC could not clear the ball from the box.

VAN - 0-2 - Pablo Sisniega (Own Goal), 11th minute: Vancouver extended its lead after an own goal by SDFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega. Vancouver's Ali Ahmed sent a shot that deflected off defender Manu Duah and then hit off Sisniega's back and into goal.VAN - 0-3 - Brian White (Ali Ahmed and Andres Cubas), 45+: White added his second of the night by scoring with his chest while standing near the goal line off a cross by Ahmed from left to right.SD - 1-3 - Hirving "Chucky" Lozano (Jeppe Tverskov), 60th minute: Lozano received a pass from Tverskov on the run and curled a right-footed shot from just outside the box past goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, cutting the Vancouver lead to 3-1.

Postgame Notes:

With tonight's loss against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, San Diego FC finished its participation in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs and concluded its inaugural MLS season.

Tonight's loss is also only the Club's 11th defeat in all MLS Competitions (19-9-6 in regular season).

Tonight's result was the first time SDFC lost to Vancouver Whitecaps this season (won June 25 at BC Place and tied July 19 at Snapdragon Stadium).

SDFC has a combined 20-9-4 record against Western Conference teams in the regular season and post season.

SDFC is 1-1-1 all-time against Vancouver Whitecaps across all MLS Competitions.

Designated Player Hirving "Chucky" Lozano scored his second Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs goal after coming on as a substitute at the start of the second half.

Lozano finished the postseason with three goal contributions (2 goals, 1 assist).

Lozano has a combined 11 regular and postseason goals and a combined 11 assists for a total of 22 goal contributions in MLS.

SDFC captain Jeppe Tverskov earned his second career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs assist during Lozano's goal. He has a combined 15 regular season and postseason assists in MLS.

Designated Player Anders Dreyer now has a combined 39 regular and postseason starts.

Only Dreyer and Onni Valakari have played in all of SDFC's regular season (34) and postseason (5) matches this season.

Defender Manu Duah started in five consecutive Audi MLS Cup Playoffs matches and made his 18th MLS start and 19th appearance for SDFC. He has a total of 23 appearances with the Club across all competitions, including three 2025 Leagues Cup matches.

Marcus Ingvartsen came on as a substitute for Onni Valakari in the 71st minute. He returned from injury on Oct. 18 against Portland in the Club's MLS Regular Season finale.

Goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega made his third Audi MLS Cup Playoffs start for SDFC and his fifth MLS postseason appearance in his career.

Sisniega's own goal in the first half was the second SDFC own goal against Vancouver this season. SDFC had an own goal in the team's last meeting, a 1-1 draw at Snapdragon Stadium on July 9.

Goalkeeper Duran Ferree made his MLS debut when he came on as a substitute for Amahl Pellegrino in the 80th minute as a result of Sisniega's ejection.

SDFC had 554 passes completed compared to Vancouver's 469.

SDFC out-possessed Vancouver 51 to 49 percent.

Match Information

Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Final

No. 1 San Diego FC vs. No. 2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 - Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, Calif.)

Scoring Summary:

VAN (0-1) - Brian White (Assisted by Andres Cubas and Ali Ahmed) 8'

VAN (0-2) - Pablo Sisniega (Own Goal) 11'

VAN (0-3) - Brian White (Assisted by Ali Ahmed and Andres Cubas), 45+2

SD (1-3) - Hirving "Chucky" Lozano (Assisted by Jeppe Tverskov), 60'

Misconduct Summary:

VAN - Edier Ocampo (caution, 5')

SD - Onni Valakari (caution, 27')

SD - Manu Duah (caution, 66')

SD - Hirving Lozano (caution, 75')

SD - Pablo Sisniega (ejection, 79')

Lineups:

SAN DIEGO FC: GK Pablo Sisniega; D Luca Bombino, D Christopher McVey, D Manu Duah, D Ian Pilcher (Franco Negri, 46'); M Onni Valakari (Marcus Ingvartsen, 71'), M Jeppe Tverskov -C-, M Aníbal Godoy (Luca De La Torre, 46'); F Amahl Pellegrino (Duran Ferree, 80'), F Corey Baird (Hirving "Chucky" Lozano, 46'), F Anders Dreyer.

Substitutes Not Used: D Paddy McNair, D Pedro Soma, M David Vazquez, F Alex Mighten

TOTAL SHOTS: 6; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 16; OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES; 4

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: GK Yoheii Takaoka, D Mathias Laborda, D Ralph Priso, D Edier Ocampo (Giuseppe Bovalina, 88'), D Tate Johnson, M Emmanuel Sabbi (Kenji Cabrera, 74'), M Thomas Müller -C- (Ryan Gauld, 61'), M Sebastian Berhalter, M Andres Cubas (Jeevan Badwal, 89'), M Ali Ahmed (Jayden Nelson, 89'), F Brian White.

Substitutes Not Used: GK Isaac Boehmer, D Joedrick Pupe, M Jean-Claude Ngando, F Rayan Elloumi

TOTAL SHOTS: 6; SHOTS ON GOAL: 8; FOULS: 22; OFFSIDES 4; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: X3

Referee: Joe Dickerson

Assistant Referees: Ryan Graves, Logan Brown

Fourth Official: Chris Penso

VAR: Edvin Jurisevic

AVAR: TJ Zablocki

Weather: 61-degrees, clear

Attendance: 32,502

SDFC HEAD COACH MIKEY VARAS

On tonight's result:

"I think details are for later, but it clearly wasn't our best night. They had a very good night. They won the game. It was probably that the guys didn't give up, came out and down 0-3 you get to decide if you are in that moment. These guys came out, kept fighting, got the one three, with a red card and make it two, three, and I think that we all believed we were going to make it three, three until the final whistle."

On the fans support tonight and what the message was to the team at halftime:

"Yeah, I mean, the fans were the best tonight. They showed up. They were great. They pushed us along, even at a hard moment. Yeah, halftime was a similar statement life's asking them is down 0-3, who are we, lets decide who we are. It's easy to be who you want to be when things are good, true measures when life kicks you in the teeth."

On what the message was for the team after the match:

"The message was, we got to just take this head on and know that it wasn't our best night, and that they had a good night. And it starts with me. First and foremost, I'm always the first to be proud that the group kept fighting and tried everything possible to show that relentless mentality and belief that we could, we could get the 3-3, really believed it all the way till the end. That I know that this hurts, but nobody can take away this season that these guys did. Nobody can ever take that away from them. And I think they made a city, made the whole region dream. We were one step away from MLS Cup, and 12 months ago, we were all introducing ourselves. And then ultimately, this hurts really bad right now, and it's not time for details. It really isn't. It's not time for details. But what we can all agree on is that each and every one of us is going to carry this bit with us. We're going to carry it with us and use it, use it as motivation to come back even stronger."

On why Vancouver made it difficult for the team tonight:

"I think, yeah, they were just sharp on the night, you know, they didn't miss almost any passes, and they were very, very intense. They beat us to a lot of plays, and we looked a little bit slower than usual. And that's not on the players. My job to get them ready to play."

On what he wants people to remember about this season:

"I hope that everybody remembers that we went for it, we went for it with a clear identity, trying to be a reflection of the community, trying to make San Diego proud. We fought to last second in every match we were ever in, and that we always took accountability and never shied away from when we weren't good enough, I hope they also remember that we all just met each other 12 months ago, and that we put a tremendous foundation together to build something sustainable into the future."

On if he thought if young defensive line on a young roster was exposed tonight:

"No, because we play lots of high-level teams, including Vancouver twice. We play Vancouver at home with the youngest back line in MLS history. It's always a team thing when it doesn't go your way, the same way as when, when it does go your way. That includes me, as their leader."

On what is the standard moving forward:

"The standard is, is that we have a clear identity. We want to be a reflection of the community. We're brave to play. We go after every single game. We're relentless to press, and we have a fighting spirit about us. I think that that should be the standard that should be held every single day for the rest of the history of this club. And then, from a results perspective, I think you just, you just try to do your best every single day within that identity and you see what happens. I don't think expectations should be added to the backpack. It's more important to focus on what are the things we did really well this year, and how do we get better. And can we repeat those things because when we do that, you always give yourself a better chance."

SDFC FORWARD HIRVING "CHUCKY" LOZANO

On his goal tonight and what it meant to the team:

"The goal was something that would give us a chance at a comeback and that's kind of what we tried to do, do something different with the subs, especially when we're in a difficult moment. We're down 3-0. We tried our best. You know, the goal came in a really good moment the second half, where it allowed us to do a bit more. But this is football they play well. Played a very important team, a team that plays well. And, you know, this is football."

On how frustrating it was to come off the bench in the playoffs:

"No, it's a, you know, it's a decision for the coach and respect it. Want to play from the very beginning, but yeah, I came in in some games with little over many minutes, always trying to help out the team and always trying to better the match."

On the team's performance tonight:

"I think the first minutes, we struggled. They understood our game, and that impacted us. The first, minutes, after the first 10 to 15, minutes, we improved, and we saw a different team on our end. In the second half, we tried to score as many goals possible. We only came up with one, but I think my teammates did a great job and put a great effort behind this match. This is football."

On the support the fans showed him:

"I said from the beginning, we had a very important mission, and we had good things and plans for the city you know, for the fans to call on me, make me smile, wave at me. It's something that I want to give back, give back the love they give me. The supporters were great with us this season, for me especially, chanting my name even at warmups. Tonight, I was lucky enough to score the goal. It was special. And I thank them a lot. I say that our fans that support us and support mee take the opportunity, take the time to come out and cheer for us."

On how he looks back at the season after this ending:

"It was a great season for me and my teammates, the staff, the leadership. It was a very good season. We always definitely want to win and be champions. This time around, it wasn't for us, but everyone should walk away with their head high and very happy on the season that we made. Like I said today was unfortunate. This is football. This is the sport. It's normal, you win some and lose some."

SDFC MIDFIELDER JEPPE TVERSKOV

On difficulties in the first half:

"It was obviously a tough first half. Yeah, I feel like they were clever in the press. And they try to sneak on us a little bit and not go too early and wait for the perfect pass. And, yeah, it became so hectic and made it a very difficult start for us, going behind one and then 2-0 after 10-15 minutes, you know you have to climb a mountain also, because they are so good as they are. So yeah, it was kind of it was a tough start for us."

On tonight's result and the fans support:

"Yeah, that means a lot. Obviously, I think they could see also that we were very disappointed we haven't had a game like this almost throughout the whole season, especially, coming so bad from the start, as we did today. So yeah, I think they could feel us. We felt them, their support after the game. So that means a lot. But of course, it's tough right now."

On what it's meant to play for the club ad be the captain:

"Yeah, I think that's why it hurts so much as it does. It's been a fertile, fairytale season for all of us, all of us in the club, but also everybody around the club and order, stuff, everything, everything has been kind of magical, and you kind of see the see the end and dream. So, it means we've been doing a lot of things, right, but it's also 11 months, and then you're one step away from the goal. So, it's tough. I think we can be proud and a lot of things we've done, and I think we've built something also for the coming seasons. But yeah, that's maybe to reflect on next week. It's a little bit difficult today."

On how Vancouver's high press affected the game:

"Yeah, I would say what they did very well was also on the ball. They some of the other games, they have been very good at hitting players in behind, especially the wingers. Today, they hit them more wide on the pitch. Made a man against man against our fullback. Surprised us a little bit. And, and they are very good at going one against one the two wingers. In the middle, extremely, very impressive with this pressure and just this general movement. So yeah, they did very well, especially to wingers. So yeah, they played the game well. And when you get in front 2-0 after 10-15 minutes is also something that motivation and make your play with more confidence and everything. So yeah, it's for us to kind of get the tempo a little bit down and then regroup and go for it again. But I think also the timing of the 3-0 goal also was tough for us, going our heads down into the locker room in the break. So yeah, tough moments throughout the whole first half."

On what he said to his teammates after the match:

"I think the disappointment kind of shines through everybody when you get in the locker room. For me, it's not the time to shout and kill people and do all this stuff. You know you did wrong for a game. I think everybody involved knew what they could do better pretty quickly, but it's more about managing the disappointment on what's been a good season, but now it feels like everything has been lost before the last step. So, I think for me and in general the team is it's about keeping the hit high, except that we lost against a good opponent also today, and yeah, we build something for the future and for next season also. So yeah, disappointed today, but probably proud within the next week."

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Major League Soccer Stories from November 30, 2025


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