San Antonio FC wraps up a three-match road trip this Wednesday night when they face newly rebranded FC Tulsa for the first time. Tulsa retired the Roughnecks nickname just as they were figuring things out against SAFC. Tulsa lost the first 5 meetings in the series, but they have two wins and two draws in the last four meetings with San Antonio. Meanwhile, SAFC is looking to complete a perfect road trip with 3 wins in 3 games.
This will easily be the biggest match of the season for San Antonio FC thus far. They’ll be facing one of the only two other teams in USL Championship West that are unbeaten. And more importantly, they’ll be facing the team closest to them in the Group D standings. SAFC will have a chance to put an 8-point gap between themselves and FC Tulsa. That would provide a huge advantage as the shortened season draws closer to the halfway point.
SAFC will ride into this match feeling great about themselves. They have won three straight games after they dispatched OKC Energy 3-0 on Saturday night and they are unbeaten through five games overall. It’s the first 3 match winning streak for SAFC since August-September 2018 when they beat RGV, Real Monarchs, and Phoenix in consecutive games.
For SAFC, it has been a healthy combination of being strong at both ends of the field. A balance not often seen in the short history of the club. San Antonio has scored 10 goals so far which puts them tied for 9th in all of USL Championship and tied for 4th in the West. Their goal differential of plus seven is second only to Phoenix’s plus thirteen in the West.
On the Defensive side, their 3 clean sheets ties them with Sacramento and Tampa Bay for best in the entire league. That exceptional play at both ends is the mark of a team that could be building something special.
Manager Alen Marcina echoed the thought, “We are growing very strong together. We are committed to one another and committed to the vision. Guys are putting their best feet forward to put in a great performance for our fans back home.”
Among those great performances, Midfielder Cristian Parano who has a Goal or an Assist in every appearance this season. On Saturday, he had one of each. His three goals leads SAFC and he is second in Assists with two, behind only Luis Solignac who leads the team with three. The best sign for SAFC’s Offense is that they have more goal scorers (6) than games played (5). That’s not something to be taken for granted around here.
On the back end, Dayne St Clair made his fourth straight start, notching his second clean sheet. The only player he trails in all of USL Championship in that category is Evan Louro of Tampa Bay (3). The three goals allowed for SAFC on the season is second only to Orange County’s one goal allowed and they have played two fewer matches than San Antonio.
Said St Clair on the clean sheet against OKC, “It’s a complete team performance and our best win so far this season. A lot of praise goes to the back line and the rest of our team as well. Their pressing really affected the game a lot, and when I was called upon I made the saves I needed.”
For FC Tulsa, they are playing their first home match of the entire season on Wednesday night and you can bet they’re looking forward to it after starting with four straight road games. Including Wednesday, four of their next five games will be at home. They come into this match after defeating St Louis 2-0 on Saturday night, their second win in a row.
Midfielder Rodrigo Da Costa once again leads the team with 2 Goals in the early going, while four other players have scored one goal. Four different players have earned an Assist, and Ariel Martinez leads in Chances Created with 5.
Former SAFC Defender Cyprian Hedrick hasn’t seen the field for FC Tulsa in 2020. In the early going they are led Defensively by Bradley Bourgeois who has 18 clearances. Sean Lewis is the main Keeper. He has 12 saves, 1 clean sheet, and 3 goals conceded through four games. His 12 saves are good for 8th best in USL Championship West.
Both teams have similar Conversion rates (SA 21%, TUL 20%) and Passing Accuracy (SA 79%, TUL 78%).
Parano summed up the team’s mentality heading into Wednesday’s game. "Our team is very committed. We have to keep working in the same way because we're creating a great group. We can't get complacent and we have to keep striving for more so we can reach our objectives."
Something has to give in this clash of unbeaten teams. San Antonio will be one step closer to their objective of winning Group D if they can make it four wins in a row on Wednesday night.
The Matchup (W-D-L)
San Antonio FC (4-1-0, 13 points)
at FC Tulsa (2-2-0, 8 points)
ONEOK Field, Wednesday August 12th, 2020
Kickoff 7:00pm Central Time
Table Position
Current Form (W-D-L)
San Antonio FC - 2020 Road Record (2-1-0)
W-D-W-W-W
FC Tulsa– 2020 Home Record (0-0-0)
D-D-W-W
All Time History (W-D-L)
Saturday will mark the 12th all-time meeting between the two clubs including one meeting in the Open Cup and once in USL Playoffs. This will be the first meeting as FC Tulsa. As the Roughnecks, San Antonio did well in this series despite not having earned a regular season victory since 2017. San Antonio finishes 5-2-2 against the Roughnecks in league play.
Tulsa won the series last year, earning a Draw and a Win against SAFC in 2019. SAFC finishes 6-2-3 against the Roughnecks in all competitions, including the only playoff win in Club History; a 2-1 victory at Toyota Field in October 2017.
Season Series
8/12/20 @ TUL
8/22/20 @ SA
9/26/20 @ TUL
Last Time
San Antonio lost a wild road match last September 4-3, in a game that deeply hurt SAFC’s playoff hopes in 2019. SAFC gave up two goals in the game’s first 6 minutes, stormed back to take a 3-2 lead before halftime behind a brace from Castillo and a goal from Restrepo, only to lose in the 87th minute when Mompremier scored the match winner.
Here are the match highlights:
SAFC Wins If :
…if they can keep doing what they’re doing. Balanced Offense, tough Defense, and a road mentality that is a complete 180 degrees from last season. This will be their toughest test so far, but Alen Marcina’s club is starting to have the look of a magical run that we saw the last time he Managed in the Alamo City.
IMAGES: SAN ANTONIO FC TWITTER, FC TULSA TWITTER
PHOTOS: DARREN ABATE, INSTAGRAM: @PEAKACTION