Marcus Ingvartsen had one goal and one assist and San Diego FC opened the season with a resounding 5-0 victory over visiting CF Montreal on Saturday night.
Christopher McVey, Amahl Pellegrino, Onni Valakari and Bryan Zamble also scored goals for San Diego FC, the second-year franchise that won the Western Conference last season. Anders Dreyer, an MVP finalist last season, had two assists.
San Diego goalkeeper Duran Ferree recorded two saves while posting a shutout in his first career start.
Montreal played a man short for the past 40-plus minutes after Tomas Aviles received a red card.
Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier made three saves.
San Diego outshot Montreal 12-6 and put eight shots on target compared to two for the visitors.
McVey struck in the 14th minute after star Dreyer took a corner kick and sent a cross into traffic. The ball went off McVey and into the net.
Pellegrino made it 2-0 in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Dreyer’s hard left-footed shot was stopped by Gillier and the ball went right to Pellegrino, who knocked a right-footer into the net.
Montreal’s chances of mounting a comeback quickly dissipated when Aviles was sent off.
Three minutes later, Valakari sent a right-footed shot from outside the box that sailed barely under the crossbar to make it 3-0.
In the 59th minute, Ingvartsen took a left-footed shot from outside the box to make it a four-goal lead.
Zamble punctuated the blowout victory with a goal in the 85th minute. His right-footed shot went off the hand of Gillier.
Ferree was in net for San Diego because starter CJ dos Santos has yet to be cleared from the facial injury he sustained in a postseason collision against the Portland Timbers on Nov. 1. He fractured his cheekbone and an orbital bone.
In addition, No. 2 goalie Pablo Sisniega was serving a red-card suspension from a Nov. 29 playoff match against Vancouver.
–Field Level Media
