By Alejandro Guzmán
San Diego FC earned its first victory of the 2026 Leagues Cup, defeating Club Tijuana 1-0 on Sunday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
The hosts thought they had taken the lead in the second minute when Anders Dreyer found the back of the net, but the goal was later overturned following a VAR review.
Xolos had a chance to respond in the 10th minute when Ignacio Rivero struck the right post from outside the box. Ramiro Árciga had an effort blocked inside the area shortly afterward, while Rafael Fernández sent a close-range attempt over the crossbar.
San Diego found the breakthrough in the 22nd minute after a mistake from Tijuana. Jesús Gómez misplaced a pass toward Gilberto Mora, allowing Alejandro Alvarado to win possession. Alvarado played the ball to Dreyer, received it back, and then sent it toward Bryan Zamblé, who was left with a simple finish from close range to make it 1-0.
Tijuana looked for an equalizer before halftime but could not find the final touch. Yael Padilla headed wide in the 25th minute, Adonis Preciado fired over in the 36th and Marcus Ingvartsen missed the target in stoppage time.
Xolos pushed forward early in the second half, with Gilberto Mora firing over in the 48th minute before Rivero had another effort blocked moments later.
San Diego created openings of its own through Zamblé, Gabriel Pirani, Ingvartsen and Dreyer, but the hosts could not double their advantage.
Argentine midfielder Francisco González made his Xolos debut in the 66th minute, replacing Jonathan Padilla. Seven minutes later, González sent a cross into the box that found Elias Manoel, whose shot struck the right post.
San Diego survived another late push from the visitors. Onni Valakari forced a save in the 85th minute, while Ingvartsen headed over four minutes later.
The hosts closed out the match without conceding and secured three points. The defeat ends Tijuana’s hopes of advancing. San Diego also remained unbeaten against Xolos in all four meetings between the clubs.
REACTIONS
- San Diego Head Coach Mikey Varas
- “More than the goal, I think he played a mature game. [Bryan Zamblé] kind of grassed out a little bit, which is normal because he hasn't had a lot of minutes. But he's an example of a guy who took his opportunity, took it well, and he's put me on notice as the head coach of whether he should be playing more or not.”
- Tijuana Head Coach Sebastián Abreu
- “The goal situation, from 1-0, comes through a decision, in my opinion, not analyzed from what had happened a minute before, which had been an equal situation, where they intended to force inside to be able to pressure us. And an unforced play ends in the goal.”
PLAYERS OF THE MATCH
- San Diego
- Bryan Zamblé scored the only goal of the match to give San Diego all three points. The 18-year-old forward has now scored three goals in his first nine career appearances.
GAME NOTES
- San Diego's record against Tijuana now stands at two wins and two draws
- San Diego has won both of its home matches since returning from the World Cup break.
- Francisco González made his Xolos debut after entering in the 66th minute.
- Tijuana has gone through three consecutive matches without scoring, extending its scoreless streak to 317 minutes.
- The match was played in front of a sold-out crowd of 31,538 spectators at the Snapdragon Stadium.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards:
- San Diego: Aníbal Godoy (45’+1'), Manu Duah (73')
- Tijuana: Jackson Porozo (45’+5'), Francisco González (78'), Alejandro Gómez (88')
LOOKING AHEAD
- Tijuana: Aug. 13 vs. Portland Timbers
- San Diego: Aug. 12 vs. Clue Puebla
