San Antonio FC will wrap up a two-match home-stand this weekend against Sacramento Republic. San Antonio, who have traditionally played well at home overall, have been especially good against Sacramento winning both home games against the Republic by identical 1-0 scorelines.
Things are really coming together for San Antonio FC. After only winning one game in June, they finished the month of July with three wins and one draw and closed the month in emphatic fashion last weekend by defeating Real Monarchs 3-1. They are now unbeaten in five straight games and have also won 3 of their last 4 overall.
In their last four games SAFC have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 9-2. No two ways about it, this team is playing with big confidence right now.
And the contributions are coming from lots of places. Newcomer Frank Lopez has three goals in three games and Midfielder Billy Forbes has 2 goals and 2 assists in the last 4 games. Backup Keeper Jonathan Viscosi even had a huge part to play after Matt Cardone had to leave the match in the first half last week due to injury. Viscosi made several key second half saves to hold the lead for SAFC.
Defender Kai Greene knows that the current stretch of games where 3 of the next 4 will be at home are really important, but that the work still needs to be done. “We have to treat it like any other game and take care of all our games. We’ve done exceptionally well at home but we can’t get complacent, there’s no time to look at the standings. We just need to win and everything else will take care of itself.”
These two teams are moving in different directions. While SAFC is unbeaten in five straight, Sacramento only has won once in their last five. Sacramento is closing out a two-match road trip, so hopefully SAFC will be facing some weary legs come Saturday night. Sacramento tied with their California rivals Orange County SC 0-0 last weekend and that makes three straight matches without a win for the Republic.
These two teams always manage to play tight games. In six overall meeting there have been two draws and four games decided by one goal. History suggests this will be a close game.
Looking at their roster, Sacramento still has some very dynamic players. None moreso than Forward Cameron Iwasa who leads the team with 9 goals and 3 assists. He also leads the team in shots and is fourth in chances created. In a lot of ways their offense goes where Iwasa takes them. Iwasa ranks as a top ten goal scorer in USL West, so he’s very dangerous. SAFC will do well to know where he is at all times on Saturday night.
Goal Keeper Josh Cohen has seven clean sheets on the season, which is one more than Cardone for SAFC. Defender Dekel Keinan leads the way on the back line with 70 clearances.
Both teams come into this match level on 27 points and on the outside looking in for playoff position, but both are knocking on the door. Adding another couple of wins from this home stretch would go a long way toward solidifying San Antonio's position. Sacramento have only won three times in ten games away from home. San Antonio has only been defeated once at Toyota Field in eleven games. SAFC needs to take advantage of their home cooking and tremendous recent form and take the leap over the Republic with another win.
The Matchup (W-D-L)
Sacramento Republic (8-3-9) at San Antonio FC (7-6-8)
Toyota Field, Saturday August 3rd, 2019
Kickoff 7:30pm Central Time
Table Position
Current Form (W-D-L)
San Antonio FC - 2019 Home Record 6-4-1
D-W-W-D-W
Sacramento Republic – 2019 Road Record 3-1-6
L-W-L-L-D
All Time History (W-D-L)
Saturday will mark the 7th all-time meeting between the two clubs. San Antonio is a perfect 2-0-0 vs Sacramento at Toyota Field including a 1-0 victory last June. The overall series is now split at a 2-2-2 record after Sacramento’s win earlier this season.
Season Series
6/1/19 @ SAC, L 1-2
8/3/19 @ SA
Last Time
Sacramento defeated SAFC 2-1 on June 1st behind an own-goal and the eventual match winner from Sam Werner. Michael LaHoud pulled one back late for SAFC but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.
Here are the match highlights:
SAFC Wins If :
…if they maintain their home dominance and continue to play exceptional team football. The goals are coming, the defense is playing strong, and they are tough to beat at Toyota Field.
PHOTOS: DARREN ABATE / INSTAGRAM: @PEAKACTION
IMAGES: SAN ANTONIO FC TWITTER