San Diego FC are currently mired in an eight-game winless run in which they’ve collected just three points. But this is still largely the same team that looked dominant both last year and in the early stages of this season. To help us make sense of that, we asked Dmitry Ansimov of SDFC Nation to provide this scouting report:

Notable injuries

Jeppe Tverskov, the heart of SDFC midfield is most likely out until after the World Cup due to a leg injury he suffered on April 25 in a 1–0 loss to the Portland Timbers. Goalkeeper CJ Santos has also been ruled out after a collisionwith.

Team form

The team has been in dismal form. Winless in their last seven and having lost five straight, they finally got a point at home when they tied LAFC’s rotated squad due to their CCC matchup against Toluca. However, SDFC was leading 2–0 and squandered points on a last-minute equalizer at home. Ever since the loss at Toluca, SDFC has not been the same. Toluca exemplified a gameplan that worked well to break down the SDFC high-possession, play-out-of-the-back style and MLS teams followed. Head coach Mikey Varas refuses to change tactics and lives and dies by his 4–3–3 system which makes the team very predictable. SDFC has squandered decisive late goals in back-to-back matches.

Key players

The key players to watch for are Marcus Ingvartsen, who’s found his form this season at the 9. After being out most of last season, Ingvartsen is leading the team in goals scored (7). He’s been clinical in the air and on the ground. The other player to watch for is Anders Dreyer. Dreyer is having a good season again, leading the team in goals+assists (10). Last season’s league MVP candidate is not quite where he was last year, but remains the pillar in SDFC’s attack. Defensively — Manu Duah and Luca Bombino. Duah (CB) just got his first call-up to the Ghana national team and has been fantastic this season. SDFC has seen the difference of when he’s on and when he’s off the field (due to the couple of red cards he’s received this season due to sloppy challenges). Luca Bombino patrols the LB position where he’s been extremely effective. Breaking into the team last year, Bombino has been a regular starter for SDFC since. He’s dealt with an injury that forced him out of two matches – when he came back last match, SDFC looked much better on defense, further clarifying how important he is to the team.]

One thing opposing fans should know

If San Diego wants to get a result, they’ll need to be far more clinical in the final third and far more composed in the closing moments of the match. Possession alone won’t be enough; turning control into goals is the next step. More than anything, this match is about mentality. SDFC has shown they can go toe-to-toe with top teams, but now they need to prove they can finish the job—especially away from home in a tough environment like Seattle. If they can build on the positives from the LAFC performance, stay disciplined defensively, and avoid the late-game lapses that have cost them points, this could be the moment their season finally turns back in the right direction.

Projected lineup

4–3–3: Furree; Bombino, Duah, McVey, Verhoeven; Vazuez, Godoy, Valakari; Morgan, Ingvartsen, Dreyer.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — If home is truly where the heart is, then Rocio Delgado’s home is in Puerto Rico.

“I grew up in Ciales. It’s a town in the middle of the island, green, full of mountains. It’s a very pretty town that I invite everybody to have the opportunity to go visit,” Delgado said.

Everything in her house, from the sugar cane painting to the cafecito, reminds her of the island.

“The best way to drink the coffee,” she said as she warmed milk on the stove.

But, she doesn’t live in Puerto Rico anymore.

“Especially in the beginning, it was super hard because my family is there, my friends as well,” Delgado said.

She moved to San Diego more than 20 years ago to continue her education. “That was a hard transition.”

Through her time in her art studio, you can see the longing to connect with her homeland in each brush stroke. “Painting was a way to heal,” she said. “I feel like it was a therapy.”

That feeling produced her painting: “Corazon Boricua.”

“I let myself go in a way,” Delgado said.

She painted the blue, white, and red heart with oil on a large canvas.

“I feel that the heart is not broken. It’s just expanding,” she said, adding it symbolizes the resilience of Latinos.

That’s what caught the attention of the San Diego Padres.

“They sent us a deck with several different design options, things that are important to the culture,” said Emily Wittig, the Vice President of Marketing with the San Diego Padres.

In collaboration with the award-winning artist, the Padres will feature her artwork on the limited-edition game hat during their fourth Puerto Rican Heritage Game.

“I was finishing my heart, and that’s the one that they chose,” Delgado said.

What started as a painting on her wall became a digital graphic design she shared with the Padres.

This hat became a reality after several drafts — a tangible way to share her culture at the Puerto Rican Heritage Game.

“We want it to be authentic,” Wittig said. “We want it to be true to the culture, so it’s important for us to work with these local community groups to see what’s important to them.”

The team designed every part of the hat with intention.

“Our Puerto Rican celebration hat is the colors of the Puerto Rican flag,” Wittig said.

It includes authentic details in even unexpected ways.

“The fun thing that people might not notice right away, but on the inside we have the coqui, the tiny frogs, which are so cute, so it’s a really fun nod to Puerto Rico while also still celebrating and showing your Padres pride,” Wittig said, showing the details of the hat.

The Padres donate $5 from every ticket sold to the House of Puerto Rico, which Carmen Acevedo says keeps the cottage operating.

“It’s also going to keep the international cottages alive for the rest of the generations,” Acevedo said.

Acevedo says the cultural museum relies solely on donations, receiving more than $4,000 from the game last year.

“This one is a fundraiser with a lot of fun,” Acevedo said.
Delgado is one of thousands of Puerto Ricans who left the island in recent years.

“I was thinking it was going to be a short transition, just come study, having an opportunity to do that, and come back, but things change,” Delgado said.

According to the Pew Research Center, since 2004, more than 600,000 Puerto Ricans have left the island to live in the mainland United States, so events like this offer a chance to reconnect with other Puerto Ricans.

“We want people to feel included and welcomed here,” Wittig said.

While Delgado no longer calls Puerto Rico her physical home, you can see the home in her heart through the ‘Corazon Boricua.’

“The Padres are doing something so nice to recognize the Puerto Rican community in San Diego, and not too many teams do that,” Delgado said.

The bad news for San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano is good news for third-string catcher Rodolfo Duran.

Duran was promoted from Triple-A El Paso on Thursday, when the Padres prepared to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a four-game series. Campusano was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left toe fracture. Right-handed pitcher Joe Musgrove was transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding roster move.

It isn’t the first time this season the Padres have summoned Duran from Triple-A El Paso.

The 28-year-old catcher joined the Padres on April 16 in advance of a game against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. At the time, catcher Freddy Fermin was undergoing concussion testing after he took a foul ball off his mask the night before.

Ultimately, Duran went back to the minor leagues without appearing in a game. Because he isn’t on the Padres’ 40-man roster, multiple roster moves were needed before he could be promoted.

Campusano was deemed day-to-day after taking a foul ball of his foot in Tuesday’s win over the San Francisco Giants. Now, he’ll miss at least the next 10 days amid a breakout season that’s seen him hit .288 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and an OPS of .958.

As for Duran, he signed a minor league contract with the Padres in January 2025 and has spent the past two seasons at Triple-A El Paso.

The catcher is a veteran of 615 minor league games since 2015, when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager. He’s a career .268/.335/.458 hitter in Triple-A, but has so far been buried on the depth chart of four different big league organizations.

Prior to signing with the Padres, Duran played for the Kansas City Royals organization in 2024. He split his time between Triple-A Omaha and Double-A Northwest Arkansas, slashing .282/.323/.467 across the two levels.

In 2023, Duran spent the entire season with the New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate — his first full season at the highest level of the minor leagues. Duran slashed .252/.329/.444 for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders that season.

From 2015-21, Duran climbed the Phillies’ organizational ladder slowly, topping out with four games at Triple-A in his final season. He has also appeared in 90 Dominican Winter League games from 2020-26, slashing .242/.283/.377 in his homeland’s top circuit.

At 5-foot-8, Duran becomes the shortest position player on the Padres’ active roster.

Padres Place Joe Musgrove on 60-Day IL

As for Musgrove, he’s ramping back up from 2024 Tommy John surgery. He suffered a setback this spring that has him sidelined for seemingly the foreseeable future.

While this move was strictly procedural, the latest updates on Musgrove don’t provide much confidence toward him returning any time soon.

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