Who is that masked man? SDFC goalie CJ dos Santos playing well with new look

CJ dos Santos’ superhero origin story began not with an accident but with an app.

Sidelined by a nose injury that required surgery to fix, dos Santos was eyeing his return to the San Diego FC goal when he downloaded an app, pulled his hair back, held his smartphone to his face and snapped photos, one after another, capturing the contours of his face.

A short time later, a custom-molded, black plastic mask arrived at SDFC headquarters. Dos Santos donned the face protector in last week’s 2-0 win over Sporting Kansas City and will be sporting the “Dark Knight” look again Sunday night, when the expansion club takes on the San Jose Earthquakes on the road. Kickoff at PayPal Park is scheduled for 4 p.m.

“It’s basically molded to my face,” dos Santos said of the mask. “That’s why it’s so comfortable. I had the peripheral cut off, so I can see wider and vertically and horizontally, so it’s really cool.”

Dos Santos was injured during a disastrous stretch near the end of SDFC’s 4-3 loss to the Houston Dynamo on July 5. The goalie collided with Houston’s Ezequiel Ponce late in the match with SDFC holding a one-goal lead, bloodying his nose. Because dos Santos initiated contact in the goal box, Houston received a penalty kick.

Ponce connected on the PK, pulling Houston even. The Dynamo scored on dos Santos again nine minutes into injury time, winning the match.

Dos Santos said he felt no pain during or after the collision; it was only after he met with team doctors that he learned he suffered a deviated septum, an injury that required surgery.

“I’m breathing better than before,” he said.

Dos Santos didn’t play again until Aug. 5, a month-long layoff that allowed for some soul-searching and, dos Santos said, a mental reset. It had been a whirlwind spring for the goalie: He made SDFC’s expansion club and earned a starting job, signed a contract extension, played some of the best soccer of his life … and then came back to earth.

Dos Santos allowed just three goals in seven May matches, then gave up seven goals in three June matches and four in his one July start before suffering the nose injury. Since returning for a Leagues Cup match against Mazatlán F.C., dos Santos is unscored upon in 180 minutes.

Dos Santos said the time away helped him refocus.

“I’d say the thing that I learned about myself would be that it’s OK to take one or two steps back to take three or four steps forward,” dos Santos said. “… And it’s OK to have a reset.”

Injury updates

Defender Willy Kumado will miss Sunday’s match as he recovers from a lower-body injury, while forward Marcus Ingvartsen (lower-body injury) will be available off the bench, coach Mikey Varas said.

Backup goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega (lower-body injury) will not be available. Duran Ferree, an 18-year-old 4S Ranch native and Del Norte High School product, is first in line to replace dos Santos if things go sideways.

“He’s been told, and he knows, age is not a factor,” Varas said. “It’s all about performance here.”

Hometown boy

Varas grew up in Burlingame, about 40 miles from San Jose.

As a kid with dreams of playing pro soccer, he gravitated to one of Major League Soccer’s first franchises.

Well, sort of.

“When the league started, Bay Area kid, when you love football, you’re always gonna follow it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that it was my team, but it was something that I followed.”

Which is Varas’ way of saying it won’t exactly be old home week when SDFC takes on the Earthquakes. The coach did not bite when asked about the importance of beating one of California’s three other MLS franchises. The expansion club is 3-0 this season against LA Galaxy and LAFC.

“Regional factors always take account of something, but at the end of the day, we want to beat everyone we face,” he said. “It’s quite a mature team with a legend for a coach (Bruce Arena) who’s got them moving in a good direction.”

San Diego FC (15-7-4) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (8-10-8)

When: 4 p.m., Sunday

TV: AppleTV