Hirving Lozano’s San Diego Heroics Offer Hope of Mexico Recall | OneFootball

Denmark and Mexico might not have a storied international history, but San Diego FC’s fairytale start to MLS existence is led by Hirving “Chucky” Lozano and Anders Dreyer.

Under the guise of former U.S. men’s national team interim head coach Mikey Varas, expectations for San Diego’s inaugural MLS campaign were muted. They had some stars, but little was proven; how would the group fare once they hit the pitch?

15 games in, we’ve got the answer. They’re pretty good.

On Saturday, San Diego knocked off their California foes, the LA Galaxy, for the second time in 2025 to sweep their season series. Lozano scored an 95th-minute winner to secure the 2–1 victory and all three points at Snapdragon Stadium.

USMNT midfielder and San Diego local, Luca de la Torre, scored San Diego’s first goal.

It was Lozano’s fourth strike of the season, and Dreyer provided the cross for his sixth assist. Combined, the two have nine goals and 10 assists, becoming one of the league’s most potent attacking duos.

“It was a great effort and I think we’re able to do what we wanted to,” Lozano told reporters after the match. “These games are different, and you just have to give them some extra. I think I did my job and helped the team.”

The effort to score the winner finished off an overall impressive afternoon for Lozano, who moments before made a long run down the near full-length of the field to tackle Gabriel Pec and hold the Galaxy forward away from a shot.

Throughout the match, he made three tackles and won 10 duels, along with his attacking contributions, which were capped off by the winning marker.

Chucky Lozano (right) made a heroic late tackle on Gabriel Pec to ensure the LA Galaxy didn't get a chance to win the match late. / Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

“The main thing was to help the team however I could and defend if needed, so they didn’t score on us,” Lozano added. “When I saw that play happening, it was really close to me. Pec took the ball and took off, and I was able to catch up.”

Head coach Mikey Varas added, “Chucky’s work ethic and timing in the box are exceptional. That goal reflects his character and the team’s fighting spirit. ...He scored an amazing goal, but my favorite play of the game was him chasing down Pec to make a sliding tackle.”

First Season Thriving in San Diego

Leaving PSV Eindhoven and the bright lights of European soccer to come to an unknown project in MLS wasn’t an easy choice for Lozano, but he has thrived.

He and Dreyer are the core of San Diego’s attacking DNA and drive forward in similar ways. Their partnership began in preseason and has only grown stronger as the regular campaign has progressed, regardless of whether Dreyer is playing centrally, as he did on Saturday, or on the wing.

“Staff, coaches, but also us players, we’ve been very good at getting together, all of us, and starting to build relationships between the players, between everybody, and it’s a good thing. We have done a lot of team bonding,” Dreyer told the MLS website last week. “We train a lot about the way we want to play.”

While the significance of Dreyer’s impact has been a pleasant surprise, having Lozano hit standout levels so quickly is the culmination of San Diego’s inaugural season dreams.

Anders Dreyer has been a key part of helping San Diego and Lozano in 2025. / Julia Kapros-Imagn Images

“[His] performance [today] shows you how to give yourself a chance to be a top team, because you make the difference with your quality,” Varas said. “You do the work for the team to defend that goal as much as possible, and to make sure that you find a way, no matter what, so that you don’t concede.”

His form has also caught the eye of Mexico’s men’s national team, a squad he has represented 70 times, but not since March 2024. Yet with his elevated play, he earned a mention on El Tri’s 60-man preliminary roster for the Concacaf Gold Cup, and is expected to crack the 23-man squad for the summer tournament.

With the win, San Diego stayed second in the Western Conference with 27 points, continuing to establish themselves as a potential contender and one of the best-ever MLS expansion sides.

“Everybody should take note of this as a big moment for the club,” Varas said. “These are moments that clubs are built on, the moments nobody will forget, and they inspire an entire region and make the club real.”

READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP