Minnesota United Hand 10-Man San Diego FC First Home Loss of 2026 MLS Season, 2-1

San Diego FC has a red card problem, and on Saturday night it showed up again right on schedule. Christopher McVey picked up his second yellow card in the 46th minute, and the hosts spent the next 45-plus minutes chasing a Minnesota United side that was perfectly happy to be chased.

Minnesota United won 2-1 at Snapdragon Stadium in front of 23,394, handing San Diego its first home loss of the 2026 MLS season. Luca Bombino gave the hosts an early lead, Kyle Duncan and Kelvin Yeboah answered before halftime, and Drake Callender did the rest with five saves. "I guess the bright side is, you start getting better playing 10 against 11 when you do it so often," San Diego coach Mikey Varas said afterward. Dark humor, but fair.

A Milestone, Then a Reply

San Diego started fast. In the seventh minute, Lewis Morgan swung in a cross from the right and Bombino lashed a left-footed volley into the top left corner. Per the club, it was Bombino's first goal of the 2026 MLS regular season, the fourth-fastest goal in club history and, fittingly for a night of numbers, the 100th goal in San Diego history across all competitions, reached in 53 games.

Onni Valakari nearly made it 2-0 in the 11th minute, but Callender saved low. McVey was booked in the same minute, a detail that would matter later.

Minnesota's equalizer arrived in the 15th. The ball worked through midfield to Tomás Chancalay on the left, and the Argentine sent a cross into the six-yard box, where Duncan headed it into the bottom right corner from very close range. The Loons said it was Duncan's first goal for the club.

Callender's Big Half Hour

San Diego dominated the ball, and Callender earned his paycheck. Around the half-hour mark, Anders Dreyer and Valakari both got clean looks after through balls, and Callender saved twice in two minutes, first from Dreyer in the 29th and then from Valakari in the 30th. Minnesota's recap described one of those moments as Callender scrambling back to grab the ball just before it crossed the line.

Then, in the 40th minute, Minnesota took the lead. Anthony Markanich got his head to the ball in the middle of the box, and Yeboah finished from very close range, poking it into the top left corner. ESPN's data has the goal unassisted, while San Diego credited Markanich and Owen Gene with assists. Varas was not happy with the sequence, listing it among "a lot of harsh calls of late, including their second goal," as he put it.

The Turning Point: Forty-Six Minutes In

The second half was barely underway when McVey fouled Nicolás Romero on the left wing and was shown a second yellow. Ten men, a one-goal deficit and a full half to play.

Varas reshuffled in the 53rd minute, taking off 18-year-old forward Bryan Zamblé, who was making his first MLS start, per the club, and sending on Marcus Ingvartsen. On the other bench, Minnesota coach Knowles moved to protect the lead, bringing on Wil Trapp and Devin Padelford in the 68th minute to solidify the defense, per the Loons, and Carlos Harvey three minutes later.

It was the latest entry in a rough stretch. San Diego noted it has had six red cards in its last six matches across all competitions, and captain Jeppe Tverskov did not pretend otherwise: "It cost us way too many points." Varas added that "it's exhausting playing 10 against 11."

To San Diego's credit, the 10 men kept coming. Callender saved from Dreyer's long-range effort in the 81st minute, Tverskov missed from close range off a set piece in the 83rd, and Dreyer had another drive blocked after a Trapp handball gave San Diego a free kick near the box. In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Callender produced one more stop on Dreyer. At the other end, Duran Ferree kept the margin at one with saves on Nectarios Triantis and substitute Mamadou Dieng.

Star Watch

Callender was the difference-maker. Five saves, three of them on Dreyer, and every one of them mattered in a one-goal game.

Duncan scored on one of his three shots and added another attempt on target that Ferree stopped. Yeboah scored with one of his two attempts before Dieng replaced him in the 83rd minute. Chancalay picked up the assist on the equalizer and spent the night as Minnesota's chief creator.

For San Diego, Dreyer was relentless with five shots, three on target, and nothing to show for them. Bombino scored on one of his two attempts, and Valakari put two of his three shots on frame.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: San Diego 64.4 percent, Minnesota 35.6 percent.
• Shots: Minnesota 21, San Diego 17. On target: Minnesota 7, San Diego 6.
• Saves: Callender 5, Ferree 4.
• Passing: San Diego completed 648 of 729 passes; Minnesota completed 344 of 402.
• Fouls: Minnesota 19, San Diego 9.

What It Means

Minnesota moves to 3-2-2 with 11 points and has now won back-to-back road matches in California, following a 2-1 win at the LA Galaxy with this one. The Loons' own recap called it the second in a string of West Coast matchups that have gone their way.

San Diego also sits at 3-2-2 with 11 points, but the vibes are not equal. The club said the loss snapped a three-match home winning streak in the regular season and left it four straight MLS matches without a win. McVey will serve a suspension in the next league match, per the club, and San Diego heads to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Closing Take

Minnesota did not need to be pretty. The Loons had 35.6 percent of the ball and still produced more shots than the hosts, which is the soccer equivalent of acing the test without doing the homework. San Diego, meanwhile, keeps finding new ways to make life hard on itself. Tverskov said it best: the cards cost "way too many points." Until that changes, every game is a coin flip with one fewer player.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by San Diego FC (sandiegofc.com); additional match details from Minnesota United FC (mnufc.com).