A look at San Diego FC’s history with the Vancouver Whitecaps

Saturday marks San Diego FC’s third match against the Vancouver Whitecaps this season. Here’s a look at the first two:

June 25, 2025: San Diego FC 5, Vancouver Whitecaps 3

What went down: Milan Iloski scored four goals in a span of 12 minutes and San Diego FC won its first-ever match against the Whitecaps, 5-3, at BC Place. Iloski opened the scoring in the 35th minute and added his second goal two minutes later. He added a third goal in the 44th minute and his fourth in the 47th minute. The Escondido native became just the 20th player in the 30-year history of Major League Soccer to score four or more times in a single match. SDFC improved to 11-5-3 with the win, vaulting past Vancouver for first place in the Western Conference standings.

Stats that matter: Vancouver outshot SDFC 17-12, but visiting San Diego had more shots on goal (eight) than the Whitecaps (five). … MLS’s expected goals stat said SDFC should’ve actually won the match: the Whitecaps led in expected goals, 2.3 to 2.2. … Iloski scored 10 goals over 10 matches with SDFC before returning to his Danish club amid a contract dispute. He was then sold to MLS’ Philadelphia Union, where he received a significant raise over what he was making in San Diego.

He said it: “Yeah, it’s a huge win for the team coming on the road against the first-place team. It was a huge game, and we wanted to win. We wanted to get ourselves in that first-place spot.” — Iloski

July 19, 2025: San Diego FC 1, Vancouver Whitecaps 1

What went down: Defender Ian Pilcher scored his first career goal, and San Diego FC forged a tie with the Whitecaps at Snapdragon Stadium. Pilcher blasted a shot from just inside the box in the 79th minute to pull SDFC even and ensure it remained one point ahead of Vancouver in the Western Conference standings ahead of MLS’s all-star break. A 40th-minute own-goal by SDFC’s Manu Duah accounted for Vancouver’s only score.

Stats that matter: SDFC had 17 shots, nearly twice as many as Vancouver’s nine, and had twice as many shots on goal (6) as the Whitecaps (3). … SDFC controlled the ball 59% of the time. … SDFC was missing eight players – Willy Kumado, Anisse Saidi, Marcus Ingvartsen, Aníbal Godoy, Paddy McNair, Christopher McVey, Alejandro Alvarado Jr. and Andres Reyes – forcing the home team to go young, particularly on the backline. SDFC started 19-year-old Oscar Verhoeven, 19-year-old Luca Bombino and the 20-year-old Duah alongside the 22-year-old Pilcher.

He said it: “I know it’s one time, but for me, it feels like a win, because I think it’s a dominant performance, especially the second half.” – SDFC coach Mikey Varas

— RYAN FINLEY