San Diego FC's Western Conference playoff push suffered a setback on Wednesday night, falling 3-1 to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park.
SDFC came into their midweek MLS gameday off the back of a dramatic finish at BMO Stadium last Saturday, with Anders Dreyer converting from the penalty spot in the 89th minute to steal the win over LAFC.
Wednesday night saw SDFC face their most-played opponent, the Portland Timbers, in their seventh all-time meeting through their first two seasons.
These two clubs met earlier in the season, with the Timbers spoiling SDFC's party at Snapdragon Stadium back on April 25 as Alex Bonetig's winner gave Portland the late 2-1 win.
The opening goal belonged to the hosting Timbers, as forward Kristoffer Velde beat SDFC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos with a rocketed right-footed long-distance shot into the left-side netting for the 1-0 lead in the 29-minute.
But just before halftime, SDFC got their equalizer, coming from newly signed midfielder Gabriel Pirani in the 45+1-minute.
Pirani's equalizing score also marked his first goal for the Chrome & Azul, avoiding multiple Timber defenders as he snuck in a low-driven shot into the bottom left corner to make the game 1-1 going into the halftime break.
It didn't take long into the second half for the Timbers to retake their lead, with forward Ariel Lassiter getting a goal-area tapping finish in the 51-minute coming off an assisted pass from defender Jimer Fory as Portland led 2-1.
The game slipped too far out of SDFC's reach, with Timber midfielder David Da Costa on the end of an unstoppable outside-the-box right-footed curler in the 68-minute, stretching Portland's lead to two goals with 20 minutes remaining.
Wednesday night's full-time whistle blew at Providence Park after six added stoppage time minutes, as SDFC were downed 3-1 by the Portland Timbers, splitting their short two-match away trip with a win and loss.
The Timbers claimed the regular-season sweep over San Diego FC, with their all-time head-to-head record now sitting at three wins apiece and a draw, including playoff meetings.
Following the loss, SDFC remained outside a Western Conference playoff spot through their first 20 matches played, with six wins and six draws leaving them with 24 points, alongside eight defeats in 2026.
After a two-match road trip, SDFC are back at home for their next pair of MLS fixtures, kicking off their homestand on Saturday night against the Colorado Rapids on Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
