Keylor Navas and his team, Pumas UNAM, faced a challenging return to the Concacaf Champions Cup, suffering a 4-1 defeat against San Diego FC in the preliminary round. The match began positively for Pumas when Robert Morales scored in the 11th minute after receiving a cross from Adalberto Carrasquilla. However, defensive lapses became apparent as San Diego FC equalized through Manu Duah in the 68th minute from a corner kick.
San Diego continued to capitalize on set pieces, with David Vásquez scoring in the 76th minute and Alex Mighten adding another goal in the 81st. Luca Bombino completed the scoring for San Diego in the 86th minute following a collective play. Three of San Diego’s four goals came from free kicks or corners, exposing weaknesses in Pumas’ marking.
Navas had limited involvement throughout the match as his team’s strategy focused on maintaining their early lead, but they struggled defensively. “The Halcón tico had little prominence, in a duel where Pumas’ approach was to score and hold that goal; this situation ultimately affected them due to their defensive collapse,” according to the report.
With this result, Pumas faces an uphill task in the second leg at Estadio Olímpico Universitario on February 10 at 7 p.m., needing at least three goals to level the aggregate score and advance further. The winner of this series will face Toluca of Mexico in the next round.
The game was broadcast via Disney Plus and ESPN 5 cable channel. Lewis Morgan, recently transferred from New York Red Bulls to San Diego FC and recognized as MLS Rookie of the Year in 2024, emerged as a key figure for San Diego ahead of this match.
Navas returned to this tournament after last participating in 2009 with Saprissa, when he finished as runner-up. He was also part of Saprissa’s squad that qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup in 2005.
Pumas and San Diego are competing for advancement beyond this preliminary phase of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
