SAN DIEGO (Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026) – San Diego FC (SDFC) fell 5-0 against the Philadelphia Union on Sunday night at Snapdragon Stadium in the first-ever match between both clubs.
SDFC quickly put Philadelphia on notice with back-to-back attempts on goal from forward Amahl Pellegrino and midfielder Onni Valakari in the fourth minute. However, Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake came up with saves on both early attempts to keep the match scoreless.
In the 44th minute, SDFC midfielder Alejandro Alvarado Jr. was initially shown a red card for a challenge at midfield. Following a VAR review, the decision was overturned, with the challenge downgraded to a yellow card. With momentum building for both sides, Philadelphia forward Cavan Sullivan broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time (45’ +5’), giving Philadelphia a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Philadelphia extended its advantage early in the second half, with Sullivan scoring his second goal of the night in the 62nd minute. Bruno Damiani added a third goal five minutes later, before an own goal in the 87th minute and a stoppage-time goal from Malik Jakupovic completed the scoring.
SDFC will remain at Snapdragon Stadium for the second annual edition of Baja Cup against Club Tijuana on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m. PT. Tickets for Wednesday’s match are available at SanDiegoFC.com/Tickets.
Goal Scoring Plays:
PHI – 1-0 – Cavan Sullivan (Indiana Vassilev, Brun. Damiani) 45th + 5’ minute: Philadelphia broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time as Cavan Sullivan finished a run from Indiana Vassilev with a backheel effort that found the back of the net.
PHI – 2-0 – Cavan Sullivan (Indiana Vassilev, Kai Wagner) 62nd minute: Sullivan doubled Philadelphia’s lead with a left-footed finish from inside the box following a combination with Vassilev.
PHI – 3-0 – Bruno Damiani (Frankie Westfield, Cavan Sullivan) 67th minute: Damiani extended Philadelphia’s advantage with a right-footed finish from inside the box.
PHI – 4-0 – Own Goal: Aníbal Godoy (San Diego FC) 87th minute: Philadelphia’s lead was extended following an own goal from SDFC midfielder Aníbal Godoy as he attempted to clear a header following a Philadelphia corner kick.
PHI – 5-0 – Malik Jakupovic (Frankie Westfield, Quinn Sullivan) 90th + 5’ minute: Philadelphia added a fifth goal in second-half stoppage time as Homegrown Malik Jakupovic finished a cross from Quinn Sullivan.
Postgame Notes:
· With tonight’s loss against the Philadelphia Union, SDFC suffered its fourth loss in its last eight matches across all competitions.
· Tonight’s 5-0 loss was the Club’s worst defeat all time.
· SDFC now has an 8-11-6 record in the 2026 MLS Regular Season with 30 points.
· Despite the result, SDFC remains in 9th place in the Western Conference standings above the Playoff line.
· Tonight’s match marked the 59th MLS Regular Season match for SDFC and the Club now holds a 27-20-11 all-time MLS Regular Season record.
· SDFC is now 12-14-6 across all competitions in 2026 (MLS Regular Season 8-11-6, Concacaf Champions Cup 2-2-0, Leagues Cup 2-1-0).
· SDFC has scored 132 goals across all competitions (MLS, Leagues Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup).
· SDFC is 6-5-3 at home in MLS this season.
· SDFC is 0-10-3 when allowing the first goal this MLS season.
· SDFC out possessed Philadelphia 54 percent to 48 percent
· With tonight’s start, Valakari made his 73rd appearance or SDFC across all competitions.
· Forward Cedric Bakambu made his second appearance for SDFC coming off the bench in the 60th minute replacing Amahl Pellegrino
· Midfielder Aníbal Godoy registered his 260th MLS Regular season appearance and his 272nd MLS career appearance including postseason appearances.
· Newcomer Sam Vines made his first appearance on the bench for SDFC.
· Forward Marcus Ingvartsen, winger Alex Mighten and midfielder Gabriel Pirani missed tonight’s match due to injury.
· CJ Dos Santos missed the match while serving a red card suspension.
Match Information
2026 MLS Regular Season
San Diego FC vs Philadelphia Union
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 – Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego, Calif.)
Scoring Summary:
PHI – 1-0 – Cavan Sullivan (Indiana Vassilev, Bruno Damiani) 45’+5’
PHI – 2-0 – Cavan Sullivan (Indiana Vassilev, Kai Wagner) 62’
PHI – 3-0 – Bruno Damiani (Frank Westfield, Cavan Sullivan) 67’
PHI – 4-0 – Own Goal – Aníbal Godoy (SD) 87’
PHI – 5-0 – Malik Jakupovik (Quinn Sullivan, Frankie Westfield) 90’+4’
Misconduct Summary:
PHI – Brudo Damiani (Caution, 27’)
SD – Alejandro Alvarado Jr. (caution, 45’+2’)
PHI – Niel Pierre (Caution, 45’+7’)
SD – Oscar Verhoeven (Caution, 90’+1’)
Lineups:
SAN DIEGO FC: GK Duran Ferree; D Kieran Sargeant; Manu Duah, Ian Murphy (D Dagur Thorhallsson 81’), Oscar Verhoeven; M Jeppe Tverskov (C), Onni Valakari (M David Vázquez 60’), Alejandro Alvarado Jr. (M Aníbal Godoy 60’), F Amahl Pellegrino (F Cédric Bakambu 60’), F Elias Achouri (F Bryan Zamblé 73’), F Anders Dreyer
Substitutes Not Used: GK Pablo Sisniega; D Christopher McVey, D Sam Vines; M Pedro Soma
TOTAL SHOTS: 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; FOULS: 13; OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 11; SAVES: 0
PHILADELPHIA UNION: GK Andre Blake (C); D Nathan Harriel, D Kai Wagner, D Francis Westfield, D Neil Pierre (D Japhet Sery Larsen 86’); M Jovan Lukic, M Danley Jean Jacques, M Cavan Sullivan (M Jesus Bueno 77’); F Bruno Damiani (F Ezekiel Alladoh 77’), F Milan Iloski (F Malik Jakupovic 86’), F Indiana Vassilev (M Quinn Sullivan 69’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Andrew Rick; M Alejandro Bedoya; M Ben Bender, M Agustin Anello
TOTAL SHOTS: 20; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; FOULS: 15; OFFSIDES 1; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 5
Referee: Ismail Elfath
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Kieso, Stephen McGonagle
Fourth Official: Ricardo Fierro
VAR: Armando Villarreal
AVAR: Joshua Patlak
Weather: 81-degrees, Partly Clear
Attendance: 21,171
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
