San Diego FC 1-0 Minnesota United: Dreyer thunderbolt sends newcomers to Conference finals
San Diego FC will have a shot at reaching the MLS Cup final in their debut season after edging out Minnesota United on Monday.
Anders Dreyer's 72nd-minute thunderbolt was enough for San Diego FC to beat Minnesota United 1-0 and become just the second MLS expansion team to reach the Conference finals.
One day after the Vancouver Whitecaps eliminated Los Angeles FC on penalties, San Diego went one better than their California rivals to reach the Western Conference showpiece.
Following a quiet start to proceedings at Snapdragon Stadium, Onni Valakari miscued from Ian Pilcher's right-wing cutback, while Robin Lod failed to get enough power behind his shot after being found by Joaquin Pereyra at the other end.
The clearest chance yet fell to Lod early in the second half, but Pilcher's heroic block on the goal line denied the Minnesota man after his shot squirmed past Pablo Sisniega.
Minnesota continued to make much of the running, with Amahl Pellegrino leaning back when presented with a decent opening for San Diego, but the hosts' first shot on target would prove decisive.
After Sisniega smothered Kelvin Yeboah's effort, Dreyer was found on the right side of the penalty area by Corey Baird's backheel and sent a rasping strike into the roof of the net.
Minnesota never really threatened an equaliser, and San Diego will now face Vancouver for the right to take on Inter Miami or New York City in the MLS Cup final.
Data Debrief: San Diego stay classy
San Diego's dream introduction to life in MLS saw them become just the third expansion team to go further than the first round of the playoffs, after eliminating the Portland Timbers in round one.
And they are now only the second to reach a Conference final in their inaugural campaign, after the Chicago Fire did so in 1998.
They had to bide their time and wait for an opportunity, not hitting the target until Dreyer fired off their ninth – and final – shot of the game.
Minnesota fired off 11 shots and hit the target on four occasions, registering an expected goals (xG) figure of 0.77 to the host's 0.7, but they could not find a route to goal.
