San Diego FC Falls 4-3 to Houston Dynamo in a Thrilling Battle at Snapdragon Stadium
San Diego FC lost 4-3 to Houston Dynamo in a dramatic home match. Iloski, Bombino, and Valakari scored for SDFC, but a 100th-minute goal sealed the comeback for the visitors.
Joel Casillas
7/7/20251 min read
⚽ San Diego FC Suffers Painful 4-3 Loss to Houston Dynamo at Home
San Diego, California — San Diego FC returned home after a month-long road stretch but suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Houston Dynamo at Snapdragon Stadium. Despite goals from Milan Iloski, Luca Bombino, and Onni Valakari, the visitors mounted a comeback capped off by Ezequiel Ponce’s winning goal in the 100th minute, handing SDFC just their second-ever home loss.
🔥 Match Summary
SDFC took the lead in the 25th minute through Iloski, but Houston equalized via Ennali in the 36th and took a 2-1 halftime lead with a stoppage-time goal from Escobar. Bombino made it 2-2 in the 54th, and Valakari gave San Diego a 3-2 lead in the 67th. However, Houston struck back: Ponce converted a penalty in the 87th and then netted the winner deep into stoppage time.
🧠 Key Moments
Head coach Mikey Varas admitted the team never fully imposed their playing style. Defensive lapses and a lack of cohesion at critical points cost SDFC the match, despite leading on two occasions. Valakari stood out with one goal and two assists.
🎙️ Post-Match Quotes
Mikey Varas (Head Coach):
“We played well for maybe 20 minutes. We weren’t collective or consistent enough. I take responsibility.”
Jeppe Tverskov (Captain):
“We made mistakes that don’t reflect who we are. The goals we conceded broke our rhythm. It’s time to learn and improve.”
Onni Valakari:
“We expected to win at home. At 3-2, I thought we’d finish it off. The result is painful. Time to recover and bounce back in Chicago.”
📊 Key Stats
Total shots: SDFC 14 – Houston 8
Shots on target: SDFC 7 – Houston 5
Fouls: SDFC 8 – Houston 15
Corners: SDFC 5 – Houston 2
Possession: Slightly in favor of SDFC
Player of the match: Ezequiel Ponce (2 goals)
Attendance: 28,321 fans
📅 What’s Next
San Diego FC travels to face Chicago Fire on Saturday, July 12 at Soldier Field. They will then return home for a three-game homestand against Toronto FC (July 16), Vancouver Whitecaps (July 19), and Nashville SC (July 25).