San Diego fc vs columbus crew preview

Match Preview

San Diego FC is once again playing at home in Snapdragon Stadium. On March 1st, on their last home match, the infamous goalkeeper chant was heard around the stadium. There was an announcement to stop the chant in the 85th minute, and Head Coach Mikey Varas gave a strong statement at the start of the press conference addressing the chant. 

Now, on March 15th, San Diego FC is playing against Columbus Crew. It sucks that the main topic is not that both of these teams are undefeated, but if the chant will be heard again. On Thursday, March 13th, CEO Tom Peen addressed the media with their plans to stop the chant. The team has made a flyer with the words, “AQUI NO, NOT HERE” to warn people about using the chant. Penn also mentioned that they have increased security, and fans could potentially get kicked out of the game. The basic FIFA rule will apply, where there will be a warning if the chant is heard, then a stoppage of the match, and finally the match could end early leading to a SDFC forfeit. 

Imagine that, San Diego FC’s first ever loss due to a forfeit due to the fact that some proud so called “fans” still want to use a word that not only can be interpreted as homophobic, but also can’t get over the fact that they will potentially hurt the team they claim to support. By no means do I want this blog to be about the chant, but the simple fact that insecure men want to call everyone else soft for not being okay with this, just shows how insecure these men are about their sexuality and have to play the tough guy role and act like they always will be right about this issue. I suggest you get over your masculinity, and simply stop using a word that they already expressed is not welcomed in futbol. If you are someone who is still planning on saying the word, I suggest you don’t attend at all, it seems like a waste of money to me. 

Another thing San Diego FC is doing before the match, is having CEO Tom Penn, Head Coach Mikey Varas, and Midfielder Anibal Godoy, to speak to the fans prior to kickoff. This is understandable, but I could not wrap my head around why not Lozano to release a statement. Or even better, why hasn’t Lozano released a statement. Tom Penn’s response to this question was that Godoy stepped up and is currently an active player, meaning since Lozano is injured, there is no reason why he should release a statement. I mean, this seems like a missed opportunity from the club to have your marquee Mexican signing, to plead to the Mexican supporters (which you actively seeked during your first year from being announced) to stop using that chant. It really makes you think where Lozano stands on all this. 

Well, now to talk about the battle of the undefeated teams. I really do think Mikey Varas will repeat the same exact line up. So, for the sake of your precious time, I won’t type it all out, but just highlight some key players, sound fair enough? Alright, Varas confirmed on March 13th, that center back Paddy McNair is good to go and will be playing on Saturday. This is a huge relief since their only other center back option would have been rookie Ian Pilcher. Varas will play the same 3 players on midfield, with Tverskov, Godoy, and De La Torre having the same roles. Up top, I think Varas plays the same way, with Angel and Ingvartsen rotating from wing to striker. Varas also confirmed, that Lozano is still out, but has made great progress in his recovery, Lozano is still “week to week” on his return. Andres Reyes will also be unavailable with the same injury. 

Match Prediction

I really do think San Diego FC will outperform Columbus Crew. San Diego is well rested, while the Crew had a midweek game against LAFC for the Concacaf Champions Cup. Columbus also plays with a 3 center back line, which is very similar to what San Diego saw in their last home match against St. Louis. Both teams like to keep possession of the ball, so it’ll be a very offensive  match with a lot of attacking opportunities from both clubs. It really will come down to who makes the least amount of mistakes. 

I do see San Diego getting an early lead with a goal by  Anders Dreyer, their DP signing has been spectacular, scoring the game winner against Real Salt Lake last week. I do believe Columbus will eventually tie the match up, and San Diego getting their second and game winning goal somewhere in the 70th minute. San Diego will remain undefeated and acquire their first ever home win.

Let’s just hope the story remains on the soccer match, and not on what the fans choose to do.