Anders Dreyer scored from the penalty spot in the 89th minute and San Diego FC pulled off a 1-0 road victory against Los Angeles FC on Saturday.
Dreyer’s left-footed attempt to the left side of the goal came after LAFC defender Ryan Porteous was called for a handball in the box on a header toward goal by San Diego’s Jeppe Tverskov.
After starting the day 13th in the Western Conference standings, San Diego (6-7-6, 24 points) moved one point outside of the playoff line with its second road victory in nine tries during MLS play.
San Diego FC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos made three saves for his second clean sheet of the season. LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made one save.
LAFC (10-6-4, 34 points) saw their offensive downturn continue after scoring just one goal in each of their past four matches across all competitions, including three Leagues Cup matches.
It has been a drastic turn of form for LAFC, who scored 10 goals in their first three matches after the World Cup break. They were held without a goal in an MLS match for the first time since a scoreless draw against the Colorado Rapids on April 22.
LAFC earned three victories in Leagues Cup play, including two in penalty shootouts, while San Diego FC was 2-1-0, including a 3-2 victory over Puebla on Wednesday. Neither club advanced to the quarterfinals.
LAFC dropped into third place in the Western Conference, one point behind the Houston Dynamo. They are tied on points but behind on goal differential for the second spot with the Vancouver Whitecaps, who face the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.
LAFC had a prime scoring chance in the 54th minute, but Son Heung-Min sent his left-footed shot from the center of the box just wide of the right post.
LAFC had another scoring chance in the 72nd minute when Eddie Segura put a header on goal, kept out of the net by dos Santos making a diving save to his left.
After he was assessed a yellow card in the 90th minute, Dreyer was handed his second yellow card in the seventh minute of stoppage time, with San Diego FC able to finish off the victory down a man over the final minute.
–Field Level Media
