Champions Cup: San Diego FC Clinches A Commanding First-Leg Lead Against Pumas UNAM

San Diego FC opened their debut Champions Cup campaign with a dominant 4-1 home victory over Pumas UNAM at Snapdragon Stadium, overturning an early deficit with four second-half goals to take a strong

advantage into the second leg in Mexico City on 10 February.

Pumas struck first when Robert Morales produced a bicycle kick in the 11th minute, giving the Liga MX side an early lead. San Diego FC continued to push despite that setback, and the pressure eventually shifted the contest firmly towards the hosts.

The turnaround began in the 68th minute when Anders Dreyer delivered a precise cross that Manu Duah headed in for the equaliser. That goal unlocked the match for Michael Anthony Varas' side, who then overwhelmed Pumas with a ruthless attacking spell.

Within a span of 22 minutes in the second half, Duah, David Vazquez, Alex Mighten and Luca Bombino all found the net. That burst of scoring transformed a fragile situation into a commanding first-leg lead and firmly rewarded San Diego FC's sustained attacking approach.

San Diego FC outshot Pumas 22-4 overall, with 14 attempts arriving after half-time. Seven efforts tested Pumas goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who faced constant pressure as the hosts generated 3.18 expected goals compared with just 0.2 xG for the visitors.

Team	Goals	Shots	Shots on target	Expected goals (xG)
San Diego FC	4	22	7	3.18
Pumas UNAM	1	4	2	0.2

Five San Diego FC players finished with three shots each, underlining the shared attacking workload. Dreyer did not score but created five chances, the most in the match, including the cross for Duah's header that started the comeback.

Elsewhere in the Champions Cup, Peruvian side Forge drew 0-0 with Tigres UANL, while Ramon Juarez scored late as Club America defeated Olimpia 2-1.

Sweet Dreams San DiegoSan Diego FC (@sandiegofc) February 4, 2026

San Diego FC now travel to Mexico City holding a three-goal cushion and momentum from an assertive first-leg display.