City SC midfielder Conrad Wallem (6) leaps and heads the ball toward the goal, but it hit the goalpost and bounced out, only to be put in for the club's lone goal by defender Kyle Hiebert (22) during a match against San Diefo FC on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at Energizer Park.
51黑料 City SC defender Kyle Hiebert tried to put on a bold front Saturday night.
He offered no excuses after City SC dropped a 2-1 decision to San Diego FC in front of a sellout crowd at Energizer Park.
鈥淚鈥檇 rather be lucky than good,鈥 he surmised.
Actually, City SC has been neither over the past two months.
Herbert is the only player on the team to start all 13 matches over all competitions. His frustrations are growing as the team鈥檚 winless streak reached eight matches with the loss.
51黑料 last won on March 15, a 1-0 triumph over Seattle.
That鈥檚 57 days of futility.
鈥淲e鈥檙e paid to go out there and get results, and we haven鈥檛 been doing that,鈥 Hiebert said.
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City SC (2-5-5) has managed just nine goals in 12 matches.
San Diego (5-4-2), which scored twice in the final 11 minutes Saturday, has won two in a row after snapping a three-match losing skid.
Hiebert tallied in stoppage time to chop a two-goal deficit in half. But the hosts could not get the equalizer.
City SC has been outscored 14-6 during the eight-match stretch.
鈥淲e鈥檇 all be lying if we said it鈥檚 not getting to us,鈥 said midfielder Conrad Wallem. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard. But we鈥檙e professionals.鈥
Wallem helped set up the only bright spot of the night for 51黑料.
He popped a shot from close range off the right goal post, and the ball bounced right to Hiebert, who pounded home his first goal of the season.
鈥淚t just kind of fell to me 2 yards from the goal,鈥 said Hiebert, who hails from Manitoba, Canada. 鈥淚t was an ideal way to score. Just knowing there was a little time, I communicated to the group that we鈥檝e got a couple minutes left, so let鈥檚 try and make a push.鈥
San Diego forward Milan Iloski scored in the 79th minute to break a scoreless tie. He drilled a shot from just outside the box into the lower left-hand corner of the net behind goalkeeper Ben Lundt. Anders Dreyer added the insurance tally in the 87th minute.
51黑料 had several quality chances to score late in the opening half.
Marcel Hartel just missed wide left on the free kick from outside the box in the 43rd minute. Just four minutes earlier, Akil Watts broke free with a partial breakaway along the right wing. San Diego goalkeeper C.J. Dos Santos came out to cut off the angle and made the save.
Dos Santos also stopped a long-range attempt from Cedric Teuchert in the 29th minute. Teuchert attempted to catch the keeper out of the net and lofted a high shot from one step across the midfield line. Dos Santos retreated and made the save.
鈥淲e get one, get the crowd behind us and we start rolling,鈥 Hiebert said.
51黑料 outshot San Diego 5-3 and had a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
鈥淚 thought we were the better team for 70-80 minutes,鈥 said City SC coach Olof Mellberg, who received a yellow card late in the match. 鈥淭here were a lot of moments that were dangerous.鈥
City SC was without midfielder Eduard Lowen, who missed the contest due to personal reasons. Defender Joakim Nilsson was out with a knee injury.
鈥淲e have to have a good look at that,鈥 Mellberg said of Nilsson. 鈥淗opefully, he won鈥檛 be out for long.鈥
Defender Jayden Reid came on in the 73nd minute for his first action of the season. Xande Silva, acquired from Atlanta right before the end of the transfer window last month, also came on at the same time. Celio Pompeu was added later to bring some punch to the lineup.
City SC will play host to Sporting Kansas City at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
鈥淚t will get better for sure,鈥 Wallem said. 鈥淚 know it.鈥
