Hirving Lozano is set to face San Diego FC on Saturday for the first time since his loan move earlier this month from San Diego FC to the Los Angeles Galaxy, giving a rivalry game an unusually sharp edge. The forward made his Galaxy debut on Aug. 15 after not playing earlier this season, and now the club he left will be across the field.
The matchup matters because neither side has settled into the stretch run. The Los Angeles Galaxy are 6-8-8 with 26 points, while San Diego FC are 7-8-6 with 27 points, just one point below the playoff line. Both teams can see the margin tightening, and this is the kind of game that can either keep them attached to the chase or push them further into the pack.
Lozano’s return is not a clean homecoming. He was expected to anchor San Diego FC’s attack, but his relationship with the club had already frayed before the loan. In October, he was suspended after a halftime confrontation with head coach Mikey Varas, and the move to the Galaxy followed that break. For San Diego, this is more than a reunion with a player they once built around; it is a test of whether the split changed the balance of the rivalry.
The form on both sides adds another layer. The Galaxy have gone 1-1-3 since July 25 and played to a 2-2 draw at Montreal last Saturday, a game in which JT Marcinkowski was sent off in the 68th minute. That was the third red card in the Galaxy’s past three matches, a run that has left them short on stability even as they try to stay in touch with the playoff line.
San Diego FC arrive with a bit more momentum after beating the Colorado Rapids 3-0 at home last Saturday. Onni Valakari scored in the first half for his fourth goal of the season, while Marcus Ingvartsen still leads the club with 11 MLS goals even though he has not scored in his last 10 matches across all competitions. Anders Dreyer has added eight goals, giving San Diego enough attacking pieces to make Saturday less about nostalgia than about points.
There is still a personal layer to all of it. Dreyer said he had good memories of Lozano last season and had nothing bad to say, calling the matchup interesting and saying he is looking forward to it. That is about as polite as rival football gets when a familiar face changes sides and comes back quickly. San Diego FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy will now find out whether the meeting is remembered for the score line or for the player who crossed the divide in the middle of the season.
