Anders Dreyer Becomes MLS's Second-Fastest to 20 Goals and 20 Assists as San Diego Beat St. Louis CITY 2-0

Anders Dreyer needed three minutes to get on the scoresheet and 54 to put his name next to Lionel Messi's in the MLS record book. St. Louis CITY SC spent the whole night chasing him and never caught up.

San Diego FC beat St. Louis CITY SC 2-0 on Sunday night at Snapdragon Stadium, with Dreyer scoring in the 3rd minute and setting up Marcus Ingvartsen in the 54th. According to MLSsoccer.com, the goal and assist made Dreyer the second-fastest player in MLS history to reach 20 goals and 20 assists, getting there in 36 regular-season games. Only Messi, at 26 games, did it quicker. San Diego improved to 2-0-0 with six points, while St. Louis fell to 0-1-1 with one point.

Three Minutes to Liftoff

The reigning MLS Newcomer of the Year, per the league, wasted no time. Ingvartsen teed him up and Dreyer finished with his left foot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner, and the 21,969 fans at Snapdragon Stadium had something to cheer almost immediately. That was the theme of the night: San Diego had the ball, and St. Louis had to chase it. St. Louis's report also credited Onni Valakari with a hand in the build-up.

San Diego kept the pressure on. Dreyer fired over in the 7th minute, Roman Bürki saved a Valakari header off a Dreyer cross in the 10th, and Bürki also stopped an Ingvartsen shot from distance in the 12th. For a stretch it looked like the hosts might run up a score similar to their 5-0 opener against CF Montréal.

St. Louis had one huge chance to change the mood. In the 23rd minute, Miguel Perez set up Simon Becher from very close range, and Becher pushed it wide. St. Louis noted Perez was making his first MLS start since June 24, 2023, and he nearly marked it with an assist. Ingvartsen headed a Dreyer set piece high in the 31st, Becher fired over on a counterattack in the 41st, and Chris Durkin was booked in first-half stoppage time. San Diego took a 1-0 lead into the break.

Ingvartsen Returns the Favor

St. Louis made a change at halftime, sending on Tomas Totland for Rafael Santos. Bürki had to stop a Christopher McVey header in the 49th minute, and then came the sequence that decided the game. In the 53rd minute, Becher got a shot away from the center of the box that slid just wide. A minute later, Dreyer returned the favor and Ingvartsen finished with his right foot from the center of the box. It was a perfect role reversal: the man who assisted the first goal scored the second, and vice versa.

St. Louis threw on Célio Pompeu, Brendan McSorley and Cedric Teuchert, and Pompeu nearly answered right away with a shot from distance that went just wide in the 64th minute. The visitors also lost Totland to an injury and replaced him with Lukas MacNaughton in the 72nd minute. San Diego's goalkeeper, Duran Ferree, came up big late, stopping Teuchert in the 83rd minute and Pompeu in stoppage time to protect the clean sheet.

The Headliners

Anders Dreyer scored once, assisted once and took two shots. He was also caught offside three times, which is basically the tax a forward pays for living on the shoulder of the last defender. MLSsoccer.com said he now has one goal and three assists this season, after two assists in the 5-0 win over Montréal.

Marcus Ingvartsen matched Dreyer with a goal and an assist, putting two of his three shots on target before he came off in the 79th minute.

Roman Bürki made five saves and kept St. Louis within striking distance for most of the night.

Duran Ferree made two saves for his side's second straight shutout.

Simon Becher had three shots for St. Louis, but none on target, including the 23rd-minute miss from very close range.

Dreyer gave his teammates the credit. "I think it all starts, of course, with my teammates," he said. "They know where to find me, in the pocket or in behind, and then I'm also lucky that they kick it into the goal when they get the chance."

The Turning Point

The 53rd and 54th minutes. Becher's shot slid wide at one end, and 60 seconds later Ingvartsen scored at the other. Instead of 1-1 and a nervy finish, St. Louis were down two goals against a team that had 65.2 percent of the ball. It was the soccer equivalent of missing a layup and giving up a four-point play.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: San Diego had 65.2 percent.
• Passing: San Diego completed 710 of 779 passes. St. Louis completed 355 of 420.
• Shots on target: San Diego 6, St. Louis 2.
• Saves: Bürki 5, Ferree 2.
• Clearances: St. Louis made 28, San Diego 6.

What It Means

San Diego are 2-0-0 with seven goals scored and none allowed through two games. The league reminded everyone what last year looked like: San Diego reached the Western Conference Final in their expansion season and set records for an expansion club in points and wins, and Dreyer finished as runner-up to Messi in MVP voting. He is not taking a repeat for granted. "This second year is going to be even harder," he said. San Diego visit Sporting Kansas City on March 7.

St. Louis are 0-1-1 after a 1-1 home draw with Charlotte FC in the opener. They have plenty to like in the effort, but they need to finish the chances they create, and Becher's misses will sting. They host Seattle Sounders FC at Energizer Park on March 7.

The Last Word

Finishing second to Messi in a race is like finishing second to Usain Bolt: nobody is embarrassed, and everybody is impressed. Dreyer is chasing a ghost in the record books, but on nights like this one, San Diego look like they have their own superstar.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details from MLSsoccer.com and STLCitySC.com. Quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com.