Onni Valakari scored the first home goal in San Diego FC history in the 69th minute for a 1-1 slips against the short-handed Columbus crew on Saturday.
With road winnings against LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake and a home feature against St. Louis City, San Diego (2-0-2, 8 points) goes with St. Louis City (5-0-0 2023) as the only expansion clubs in the MLS history that goes undecided through their first four matches.
Max Arfsten made in the 13th minute for the crew (2-0-2, 8 points), but the skin’s skin changed in the 60th when Columbus defender Malte Amundsen was sent off for Fouling’s colleague Danish player Anders Dreyer to deny a goal cord possibilities.
San Diego tied it from a corner park while the crew was down two players because defender Yevhen Cheberko was waiting for a return to the field after medically checked after blocking a free kick with the head.
It left Valakari openly for a heading from a Luca de la Torre service in San Diego’s second home game.
Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made five of his six rescues in the second half.
Arfsten, who scored a career high four goals last season, ended a well-executed GE-and-Go with Dejuan Jones. Arfsten screwed down in the middle of the box to get a return pass from the right side of Jones.
CJ Dos Santos prevented the crew from expanding the lead in the 39th minute when he drove away a shot by Jacen Russell-Sew which was aimed for the right corner.
The crew finished a busy distance of five matches in 15 days with two trips to the west coast because of their commitment to the Concacaf Champions Cup which ended with a 4-2 total goal loss in two matches with Los Angeles FC.
They will face another challenge in their March 22 match against New York FC as Schulte will be away with the American national team for the Concacaf Nations League on March 20 and 23.
-Field level media
