Soccer <\/p>\n
Nothing had stopped Anders Dreyer<\/a> through most of 2025. Nothing until November, that is.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n After entering as a late substitute in Denmark\u2019s 2-2 home draw against Belarus, the San Diego FC<\/a> star hoped to review final notes before traveling for a make-or-break 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> qualifier against Scotland.<\/p>\n Instead, Dreyer was trying to hold down food and take in fluids. His body wasn\u2019t having it. He was too sick to play and too sick to travel with the rest of the squad.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was frustrating. It was tough to get the message from the coach, but it was better than if I went there and, let\u2019s say, five or six more guys got sick,\u201d Dreyer recalled. \u201cI would\u2019ve loved to go there. The result wasn\u2019t what we wanted. It was a tough one.\u201d<\/p>\n Dreyer watched from afar as Scotland scored two now-famous goals in stoppage time to book their place in the World Cup with a 4-2 win and send Denmark into this month\u2019s European Playoff.<\/p>\n Now, Dreyer is preparing to represent his country in a match against North Macedonia in Copenhagen on March 26. Win that, and Denmark will meet the winner of Ireland vs. Czechia five days later on the other side of UEFA’s Path D bracket with the final place in\u00a0World Cup Group A<\/a>, alongside Mexico, South Korea and South Africa on the line.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s two finals, hopefully,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be massive games for the whole country of Denmark. Of course, we want to qualify for the World Cup, and it would be special when I\u2019m playing over here and a lot of games will be played here in the U.S. and Mexico.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about hopefully staying healthy and in as good a shape as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Anders Dreyer with a cheeky finish \ud83d\udd25@sandiegofc<\/a> takes the lead over RSL. pic.twitter.com\/5m8BjFw2e7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Dreyer certainly appears to be feeling good. The 2025 MLS Newcomer of the Year<\/a> hit another milestone<\/a> just two games into his sophomore 2026 season, becoming the second-fastest player in league history to record 20 goals and 20 assists, trailing only\u00a0Inter Miami CF<\/a> superstar Lionel Messi<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m proud to achieve, and of course, it\u2019s a huge thank you to my teammates. They know where to find me on the pitch, either in the pocket or in behind,\u201d Dreyer said. \u201cThen, of course, playing me through to get goals, and I\u2019m also lucky they score when I play the ball for them.\u201d<\/p>\n The start of the 2026 campaign has also given Dreyer a taste of what it\u2019s like to play in Mexico, where Denmark would make their World Cup entrance against South Korea. A trip to Atlanta United<\/a>‘s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a showdown with South Africa would follow, before facing El Tri at the legendary Estadio Azteca in their group stage finale.<\/p>\n Last month, San Diego shocked LIGA MX side Pumas UNAM in the Concacaf Champions Cup<\/a> with a 4-1 home win<\/a> in Leg 1 of their Round One series. Dreyer set up Manu Duah<\/a>‘s tally at Snapdragon Stadium, then went the full 90 minutes as the Chrome-and-Azul wrapped things up in the return leg in Mexico City.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dreyer turned things up a notch in the Round of 16, scoring a gorgeous strike to inspire a 3-2 win<\/a> over two-time defending LIGA MX champions Toluca despite San Diego ending the game with nine men. While they fell short in Leg 2, Dreyer gained more valuable experience south of the border.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Anders Dreyer banger against Toluca to make it 3-1! \ud83d\udea8@SanDiegoFC<\/a> | @TheChampions<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/MjGoqqROpb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That international club experience should only make Dreyer more of a help to Denmark. He has 3g\/2a in eight caps for De R\u00f8d-Hvide, getting called up sporadically since making his senior debut in 2021.<\/p>\n The call-ups became more frequent in 2025, thanks largely to his 19g\/19a output during San Diego’s historic expansion season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dreyer made the most of his national team revival, logging his first goal and assist for Denmark in a June friendly against Lithuania. Then, during World Cup qualifiers last October, he scored his first international brace in a 6-0 rout of Belarus.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was around the team for two, three, four years and didn\u2019t really get the chance. I sat on the bench a lot for the national team, doing very, I\u2019ll say, well in Europe, in Belgium,\u201d said Dreyer, who joined San Diego in January 2025<\/a> from Anderlecht.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGoing over here to a new team…\u00a0 it was a big chance to take. But I think we got all the excitement around us, did very well last year and now are, of course, building on that first year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n \n
Building on a breakout 2025<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Denmark come calling<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n