SAN DIEGO FC 1-0 CLUB TIJUANA
Aug 9, 2026
Att. 31,538 • Snapdragon Stadium
SAN DIEGO — San Diego FC came out on top in the latest chapter of the cross-border rivalry, defeating Club Tijuana 1-0 Sunday night at a sold-out Snapdragon Stadium in Phase One of the 2026 Leagues Cup. The win gave San Diego its first three points of the tournament, while the loss officially eliminated Xolos from contention for the knockout round.
The match nearly opened with a goal immediately. Just two minutes in, Anders Dreyer found the back of the net for San Diego, only for the goal to be overturned following a VAR review. Tijuana responded with some of its best opportunities of the first half, including an Ignacio Rivero strike from outside the box that hit the right post in the 10th minute. Ramiro Árciga and Rafael Fernández also had chances as Xolos looked to take control early.
San Diego eventually made Tijuana pay for a defensive mistake in the 22nd minute.
Jesús Gómez misplaced a pass intended for Gilberto Mora, allowing Alejandro Alvarado Jr. to win the ball back. Alvarado combined with Dreyer before receiving the ball again and finding 18-year-old Bryan Zamblé near the six-yard box. Zamblé finished the move to give San Diego a 1-0 lead.
It ended up being the only goal San Diego needed.
Tijuana continued creating chances before halftime, but the final touch was missing. Yael Padilla headed wide in the 25th minute and Adonis Preciado sent an attempt over the bar in the 36th. Xolos entered halftime trailing despite having opportunities to make the game level.
The second half became much more about San Diego protecting its lead.
Tijuana pushed numbers forward and generated nine second-half shots as it searched for an equalizer. Gilberto Mora fired over shortly after the restart and Rivero had another attempt blocked. Francisco González made his Tijuana debut in the 66th minute and helped create arguably Xolos' best opportunity of the half seven minutes later, sending a cross toward Elias Manoel, whose shot struck the right post.
San Diego still had opportunities to put the game away through Zamblé, Gabriel Pirani, Marcus Ingvartsen and Dreyer, but a second goal never came. That left the match open until the final minutes.
Tijuana made one final push, with Onni Valakari forcing a save in the 85th minute, but San Diego held on for the clean sheet and all three points.
For Zamblé, the goal continued a strong start to his professional career. The 18-year-old now has three goals through his first nine senior appearances and was named the match's standout player after scoring the winner.
The result also extended a rough stretch in front of goal for Tijuana. Xolos have now gone three consecutive matches without scoring, a scoreless run that has reached 317 minutes. Their Leagues Cup elimination comes after consecutive defeats to Austin FC and San Diego.
For San Diego, the victory keeps its Leagues Cup hopes alive heading into the final Phase One match against Puebla on August 12. Tijuana closes its tournament against the Portland Timbers on August 13.
The first official competitive meeting between the two border clubs ended in front of 31,538 fans, a sellout at Snapdragon Stadium. It wasn't a dominant 90 minutes from either side, but San Diego took advantage of Tijuana's biggest mistake and did enough defensively to make the lead stand.
