San Diego FC’s losing streak extended to five consecutive matches on Saturday night after a 2-1 defeat to the Portland Timbers at Snapdragon Stadium.
The Timbers secured the victory with a first-half goal from forward Kevin Kelsy, who capitalized on a turnover by San Diego midfielder and captain Jeppe Tverskov to open the scoring in the 26th minute.
San Diego FC entered the match with 11 points from nine MLS games, holding a record of three wins, two draws, and four losses. The loss marked their fourth consecutive defeat on the road and extended their winless run to seven games across all competitions.
The Timbers, who were 2-5-1 in the Western Conference heading into the match, improved their standing with the win. San Diego FC had averaged 1.8 goals, 4.3 shots on goal, and 5.0 corner kicks per game through their first nine matches, while allowing 1.7 goals per game.
Disciplinary issues continued to plague San Diego FC, following a red card shown to forward Amahl Pellegrino in their midweek 1-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo. That dismissal marked the sixth sending-off for the club in their last eight matches.
Portland’s second goal came late in the match, with Alex Bonetig scoring his first professional goal in injury time to seal the 2-1 victory. The goal came after a counterattack initiated by Kelsy, who drove around defender Christopher McVey before setting up the finish.
The result marked the first meeting between the two clubs in the 2026 MLS season. In their 2025 encounters, San Diego FC had won three of five matches, including a playoff series victory over the Timbers in the MLS Cup Round One.
San Diego FC was without several key players due to injury, including Ian Pilcher, Wilson Eisner, Luca Bombino, Kieran Sargeant, Pedro J Soma, Alejandro Alvarado, Willy Kumado, Andres Reyes, and Pablo Sisniega, all listed as unavailable for the match.
The loss leaves San Diego FC in 11th place in the Western Conference, while the Portland Timbers moved up to 13th with the victory. Both teams will look to break their respective streaks in upcoming fixtures as the MLS season progresses.