SDFC vs PTFC VI

San Diego FC lost. Again. A player was shown red. Again. New opponent and different player but all-too familiar themes for SDFC fans. Four straight losses and seven red cards in 13 matches. What is happening? This is all uncharted territory for San Diego Football Club. The current winless & losing streaks are unprecedented in the Club’s 43-match regular season history. Something something about the weight of expectations, or whatever. But it hasn’t been pretty for the past six weeks. In Houston, there were signs of improvement from the team in buildup play and on the defensive side but the attack was nonexistent. Injuries and red cards have certainly taken a toll (Ian Pilcher just played for the first time since Toluca; Sergeant hasn’t played since etc) and the red card suspensions have had a knock-on effect. Is Portland the right opponent at the right time? SDFC didn’t lose to Portland in 2025. The Azul y Chrome was, officially 3-0-2 (w-l-d) in the five meeting last season, losing the PK shootout in G2 of the MLS Cup Playoffs opening series. San Diego outscored PTFC 12-3 in those five matches. Oh, and Portland’s record away from Providence Park is - how should we say? - atrocious. (Time for a glass-half full moment: If SDFC wins on Saturday, they will have 14 points in their first 10 matches - the exact point total they had through Matchday 10 in 2026.) In this podcast, I talked about a few key moments from Wednesday’s match, Mikey Varas going 3-4-3 for the first time and why Saturday night feels like a pretty massive moment. My guest is Adam Susman of The Timbers Review. Adam covers the Timbers from top-to-tail and does a tremendous job taking fans inside the Club. Enjoy this Pod and don’t forget to tune in Saturday night at 6PM for the Kickoff Show with actual kickoff at 6:40. You can listen to Adrian Garcia Marquez and myself with the call on San Diego Sports 760, the IHeartradio App and on AppleTV by switching to the “Home Town Radio Call” in the lower righthand corner of your screen. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dsmithshow.substack.com