San Diego FC is experiencing more drama than a No. 1 seed would like entering its playoff opener against the visiting Portland Timbers on Sunday night.
San Diego FC coach Mikey Varas has yet to determine if face of the franchise Hirving “Chucky” Lozano will play in the opener of the Round 1 best-of-three series against the Timbers.
Lozano was reportedly involved in a locker room verbal altercation after being removed at halftime of a match against the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 4.
Varas left Lozano home for last Saturday’s regular-season finale in Portland. San Diego routed the Timbers 4-0.
“We’ll make that decision like we do with all players at the end of the week,” Varas said Friday of Lozano’s status. He added that Lozano is “100 percent committed to making his way back into the group.”
Meanwhile, the Mexican international star publicly apologized on Friday afternoon.
“I’m a passionate and competitive person who always wants to give everything for the team,” Lozano said on Instagram. “Sometimes, that same intensity can lead to reactions that don’t reflect who I am or the respect I have for everyone around me. I didn’t react in the right way, and I’ve already taken responsibility, addressed it, and moved forward.”
Lozano had nine goals and 10 assists in 27 regular-season games (22 starts) while helping San Diego FC (19-9-6, 63 points) set a league record for most points by an expansion team.
Lozano and Anders Dreyer have formed an elite duo. Dreyer has 19 goals and 19 assists in 34 games. He tied Inter Miami star Lionel Messi for the league lead in assists and finished fourth in goals.
Dreyer and Amahl Pellegrino each scored two goals in the recent demolition of Portland.
The eighth-seeded Timbers earned another chance at San Diego by downing ninth-seeded Real Salt Lake 3-1 in Wednesday’s Western Conference wild-card match in Portland.
Felipe Mora scored two goals and Kamal Miller added one for the Timbers.
Mora doesn’t think his team should be counted out.
“Anything can happen in these moments, and I really believe we have a great team,” Mora said through a translator. “These are the real games now, the ones we all want to play in and do important things in.”
Timbers coach Phil Neville remains disappointed with how badly Portland was outplayed last weekend.
“I wanted to review the San Diego game (with the team) because there were a lot of things that I was not happy with,” Neville said. “There were a lot of things we needed to correct and improve on. And we need to show more courage.”
The first meeting this season on Aug. 23 ended in a scoreless draw in San Diego.
Game 2 is Nov. 1 in Portland. Game 3, if necessary, will be Nov. 8 in San Diego.
–Field Level Media
