Front Row Seat: San Diego FC wins first MLS playoff game

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San Diego FC

Valakari, Dreyer lead San Diego to 2-1 victory over Timbers in club’s first postseason match - Associated Press
Onni Valakari and Anders Dreyer scored in the first half and top-seeded San Diego FC held on for a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers on Sunday night in a best-of-three first-round opener of the MLS Cup playoffs.

San Diego, which won the Western Conference in its first season, grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when Valakari scored off a Manu Duah shot that hit the right post. Valakari had four goals in the regular season — his first.

Dreyer used an assist from 19-year-old defender Luca Bombino to send a header into the net for a 2-0 lead seven minutes later. Dreyer had 19 goals and 19 assists in his first season in the league. 

San Diego FC beats Portland Timbers for first playoff win in franchise history - San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego FC’s dream season continued Sunday night with a 2-1 victory against the Portland Timbers in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round Major League Soccer playoff series on a festive, star-studded night at sold-out Snapdragon Stadium.

Just without the face of the franchise.

Mexican star Hirving “Chucky” Lozano didn’t start or play – or suit up, for that matter – in the latest indication that the rift with coach Mikey Varas has not fully mended. So was the dismissive, drive-by handshake between the two on the field after the game, as well as Lozano’s muted celebrations with his teammates.

San Diego's Chucky Lozano apologizes after reported altercation - ESPN
San Diego FC player Hirving "Chucky" Lozano publicly apologized Friday after reports he was involved in a locker room altercation, admitting he didn't react the right way.

"I'm a passionate and competitive person who always wants to give everything for the team," the Mexico international posted posted to his Instagram account.

"Sometimes, that same intensity can lead to reactions that don't reflect who I am or the respect I have for everyone around me. I didn't react in the right way, and I've already taken responsibility, addressed it, and moved forward."

Tom Krasovic: San Diego FC proves again that it can win without Chucky Lozano - San Diego Union-Tribune
Creating roars that were louder than for its 17 regular-season home matches, Varas’ club delivered a high-paced, mostly sharp performance.

Scandinavian veterans Onni Valakari and Anders Dreyer scored in the first half. Defender Manu Duah, setting up the first goal, clouted a 25-yard volley off the bar. Feeding Dreyer for his first header goal this season, rookie defender Luca Bombino led him with a crossing pass.

“Very collective performance,” said Varas.

“A festival of football,” said midfielder Luca de la Torre, who grew up in San Diego.

Chucky Lozano axed for San Diego's MLS playoff Game 1 win - ESPN
Varas said the decision to leave Lozano off the gameday roster was not an indication that the situation has not been fully resolved.

"That is not an indication," he said. "Like we said, we had a situation that we've been handling internally, and we said we would take it day-by-day, week-by-week. We think Hirving's response has been really positive in the training.

"He's working really hard, showing a lot of commitment to getting back into the team, and we had already communicated to him before this game, that as long as there's no setback this week, then he'll be back."

World Series

The Empire Strikes Back: Dodgers Knot Series Behind Yamamoto Gem - FanGraphs
Kevin Gausman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were both terrific, but all duels end with one man standing and the other getting stabbed. Yamamoto twirled his second straight complete game, giving him the first streak of playoff complete games in 24 years. Gausman fell off the tightrope in the seventh inning, as home runs by Will Smith and Max Muncy put the visiting team in front for good. The Dodgers’ 5-1 win wasn’t as splashy as Toronto’s home run party the night before, but it evens the series.

#88 World Series part 1: Playing to their strengths - The Bandwagon
Pre-Series, I think a lot of people were reacting to the Dodgers’ obvious dominance on the NL side of the bracket when they forecasted Los Angeles re-taking the championship handily. But Toronto is playing too, and they’ve also looked pretty great lately. The World Series started with a stark reminder that two teams deserve to be on this stage.

… And then the Dodgers roared back with a demonstration of how not all strengths are created equal in October. The Blue Jays entered the game with a team-wide .534 SLG which, according to the MLB Network research packet, is the highest ever for a team playing at least seven games. Kevin Gausman gave them 6.2 innings, retiring 17 Dodgers in a row at one point. It looked, when he came out for the seventh inning of a then-tied game, like he might prevail in what was shaping up to be a pitchers’ duel. That’s not what happened.

After travel delays, Dave Roberts downplays comments: ‘Canada is not trying to sabotage the Dodgers’ - The Athletic
After wondering aloud if “there was intent” regarding airline delays for his team’s traveling party leaving Toronto, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts downplayed any suggestion that the Canadian government had played a role in his staff’s hellish travel day.

“I know the Prime Minister is not worried about calling airline security or the FAA to make sure that they delay us,” Roberts told The Athletic. “I know that. Obviously. I think the Prime Minister has bigger fish to fry.”

Six Factors That Could Swing the World Series - The Ringer
Toronto entered the year with the 20th best odds to win the Fall Classic, all the way down the board at 60-to-1. They were picked by oddsmakers preseason to finish last or second to last in their own division, and now they are four games from baseball invincibility. 

While it’s easy to focus on the immense star power in this series from baseball machine Shohei Ohtani to ALCS MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr., it’s more interesting to dive into the micro matchups that will decide this series around the margins.

San Diego State Aztecs

SDSU Football Becomes Bowl Eligible with Win at The Team Up North - GoAztecs.com
A year after finishing with a 3-9 record, San Diego State became bowl eligible in its seventh game of the 2025 season on Saturday with a victory at Fresno State. It is the first time the Aztecs have become bowl eligible since 2022, but the 14th time since the 2010 campaign.

San Diego State dominates Fresno State on the way to another shutout win - San Diego Union-Tribune
SDSU once again thrived in all three phases, leading to the Aztecs’ to their fifth straight victory in a 23-0 Mountain West win over Fresno State before an announced crowd of 41,535. SDSU linebacker Tano Letuli capped the victory with a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, then joined his defensive teammates to complete their third shutout of the season — a first in the program’s Division I history, which began in 1969.

Fresno State shut out 23-0 by SDSU, first scoreless game ever at Valley Children's Stadium - ABC 30 Fresno
For the first time in the history of Valley Children's Stadium, a building that opened in 1980, Fresno State failed to score a single point. The Bulldogs were shutout 23-0 to San Diego State (6-1) in a rivalry game that saw the Oil Can Trophy stay with the team down South.

Odds & Ends

Lando Norris wins Mexico GP to take F1 championship lead - ESPN
Lando Norris moved ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to lead Formula 1's championship for the first time since April with a dominant win at an entertaining Mexico City Grand Prix.

Norris brilliantly led from start to finish to take a one-point title lead over Piastri, who had been on top of the standings for 15 races since winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix early in the season.

'I could have killed them' - Lawson has near miss with marshals - BBC
Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson said he narrowly avoided a fatal accident during Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix after two marshals ran across the track in front of him.

The incident happened in the third lap when marshals were seen on the circuit as Lawson rejoined the race after an early pitstop to replace a front wing.

Shortly afterwards, Racing Bulls driver Lawson said on team radio to his race engineer: "Are you kidding me? Did you just see that? I could have... killed them."

Orioles tab Craig Albernaz as next manager, sources say - ESPN
The Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a deal to hire Craig Albernaz as manager, tabbing one of the game's most well-respected young coaches to help engineer a turnaround after a disappointing 2025, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

Albernaz, 42, was the associate manager for the Cleveland Guardians, who won the American League Central this year. Albernaz was a finalist for Cleveland's managerial job in 2023 and joined the Guardians as bench coach when they instead hired Stephen Vogt.

The Winners and Losers of the NFL Week 8 - The Ringer
The Packers ruined Aaron Rodgers’s revenge game, Jonathan Taylor added to his MVP case, the Broncos rolled over a hapless Dallas defense, and more

Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 1: Yamal’s big talk backfires as Bellingham seals Clasico win - The Athletic
There were regular whistles for Yamal from the Bernabeu crowd when he touched the ball, and huge cheers when he lost a battle for possession or misplaced a pass. Being the best player on a Spain team that won Euro 2024, and are among the favourites for next summer’s World Cup, did not stand for much compared to club loyalties.

One Final Game - Sports Politika
There was a moment during Daniel Naroditsky’s final Twitch stream on October 17 when concern turned to alarm. Off-camera, a friend begged him to stop playing and go to bed. Naroditsky, visibly sleep-deprived but insistent, pleaded for one last streak. When his friend threatened to cut the internet connection, the 29-year-old American grandmaster buried his face in his hands, exhaling in frustration.

“Please, just let me play a few more and then I’ll end the stream,” he said.

He didn’t. For hours, Naroditsky continued his marathon broadcast, determined to prove himself against the “lies” spread by Russian former world champion Vladimir Kramnik—false cheating accusations that had haunted him for a year. At one point, his tone darkened. Responding to a viewer who said this wouldn’t be the last time he faced criticism, Naroditsky gave a chilling reply: “Oh, it actually will be.”

Alright, that's going to do it for today's edition of Front Row Seat. I'll be back tomorrow, and every weekday, to try and make it easier for you to follow the news.

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