SAN DIEGO — Five players scored as San Diego FC opened its second MLS season with a 5-0 rout of CF Montréal on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium.
Christopher McVey, Amahl Pellegrino, Onni Valakari, Marcus Ingvartsen and 18-year-old Bryan Zamblé each found the net for San Diego (1-0-0), which drew 25,412 fans for its home opener and recorded the largest margin of victory in club history.
McVey opened the scoring in the 14th minute, heading home a corner kick from Anders Dreyer near the six-yard box for San Diego’s first goal of the 2026 season. Pellegrino doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, converting a rebound after Dreyer’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Thomas Giller.
Montréal (0-1-0) went down to 10 men in the 48th minute when Tomas Aviles was ejected. San Diego capitalized quickly.
Valakari made it 3-0 in the 54th minute, finishing inside the left post after a pass from Ingvartsen. Five minutes later, Ingvartsen added a goal of his own, striking left-footed off a Dreyer cross to extend the lead to 4-0.
Zamblé capped the scoring in the 85th minute, four minutes after entering as a substitute in his professional debut. The Right to Dream Academy graduate cut past a defender and finished from the center of the box for his first career goal.
San Diego dominated possession, completing 645 passes to Montréal’s 317 and holding a 64% edge in possession. San Diego outshot Montréal 12-6, including 8-2 on target.
Dreyer finished with two assists. Ingvartsen and McVey each had a goal and an assist, and Pellegrino added a goal and an assist. The five-goal output matched San Diego’s highest scoring game in club history.
Goalkeeper Duran Ferree, a San Diego native and the club’s first-ever signing, made his first MLS start and recorded his first career clean sheet with two saves.
The victory marked San Diego’s second straight season-opening win and its first home opener victory. It was also the club’s 20th MLS regular-season win.
San Diego next hosts St. Louis CITY SC on March 1.
