It was a match that everyone who follows soccer in Southern California had circled on their calendars – and not because of the action on the field, but because of all the storylines outside of the pitch.

The drama looked to have died down Saturday when LA Galaxy’s Hirving “Chucky” Lozano went up to his former San Diego FC teammates to give them a warm hello as each side lined up before the game in the tunnel at Snapdragon Stadium,

But after the match, that warmth appears to end, at least as far as his former head coach Mikey Varas was concerned. Lozano looks to have given Varas the cold shoulder, though he had an explanation.

“I didn’t notice him,” said Lozano during the post-game conference. “I was greeting my teammates and the fans. I wasn’t able to see him.”

The video circulating online shows Varas walking up from the left and extending his hand, but Lozano, turned to the right, continues to calmly walk towards the stands while drinking from his water bottle.

Varas turns and walks back to his players after apparently being rebuffed by the 31-year-old Mexican national team legend. While Lozano ended up scoring the lone goal for LA Galaxy to a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd, it was SDFC that got the last laugh with the 3-1 victory.

“This is all up to the players, they make the football come to life,” said Varas. “I think I am the twelfth most important person in these situations. They are the ones who gut it out, they are the ones who are exhausted, so I give them one hundred percent the full credit.”

Before the loan to LA Galaxy on Aug. 7, Lozano sat in limbo for months. The forward was a standout in SDFC’s inaugural season, but tensions developed late in the campaign, and the star was benched, then lost his starting role. By January, SDFC brass announced their intent to cut ties with him, but the Galaxy transaction didn’t come together until three weeks ago.

SDFC already had paid Lozano $5.83 million of his $9.33 million in total guaranteed compensation. That makes him the fourth-highest paid player in MLS.

LA Galaxy is covering $2 million of his salary for the remainder of the season with San Diego FC responsible for the rest.

“It’s never easy to trade or sell a player to your rival,” San Diego FC sporting director and general manager, Tyler Heaps told NBC7 San Diego. “I’m glad that we did find a solution for all parties. I’m glad that something did come to fruition and that we were able to get him a new opportunity, and so I’m hoping that he goes there and does well.”

LA Galaxy holds a permanent trade option to purchase Lozano at the conclusion of his loan agreement from San Diego FC, which runs through December. The next time the two sides meet will be Oct. 17 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson.