SAFC claims all three points behind Cristian Parano’s first-half goal
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (July 25, 2026) – San Antonio FC earned a 1-0 victory over Brooklyn FC in the teams’ first-ever meeting Saturday night at Maimonides Park.
Cristian Parano broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, finishing off his own rebounded shot to give SAFC the lead it would carry into halftime. San Antonio’s defense held the advantage over the final 45 minutes, turning in a gritty performance, including several big saves from Joey Batrouni in goal, to preserve the shutout and secure the club’s third road victory of the season.
Scoring Summary
SA: Cristian Parano 34’
Next Up
San Antonio FC returns home to host Indy Eleven next Friday, July 31. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast on CBS Sports Golazo Network. The 2026 season is presented by Toyota.
Postgame Notes:
- SAFC improves to 7-3-7 on the season with 28 points, staying in second place in the Western Conference standings.
- San Antonio FC remains undefeated against Eastern Conference competition this season, now 1-0-3 across all competitions.
- Midfielder Cristian Parano scored his second goal of the season, both being game-winning scores.
- SAFC outshot Brooklyn 18-11, tying its second-highest shot total of the campaign.
- Goalkeeper Joey Batrouni made three saves to earn his fifth clean sheet and San Antonio’s seventh of the season.
- San Antonio’s seven shutouts are tied for second-most in the league.
SAFC Starting XI: Joey Batrouni, Akeem O’Connor-Ward, Tiago Suarez, Alex Crognale, Mitchell Taintor (Captain), Emil Cuello, Mikey Maldonado, Lucio Berron, Jorge Hernandez (Nicky Hernandez 89’), Cristian Parano (Diogo Pacheco 73’), Christian Sorto (Curt Calov 73’)
Substitutions Not Used: Danny Barbir, Nelson Flores Blanco, Luke Haakenson, Richard Sanchez
Disciplinary Summary:
BKN: Yellow Card (Pierre Da Silva) 43’
BKN: Yellow Card (Tommy McNamara) 61’
SA: Yellow Card (Jorge Hernandez) 64’
SA: Yellow Card (Joey Batrouni) 75’
SA: Yellow Card (Curt Calov) 78’
SA: Yellow Card (Tiago Suarez) 80’
Quotes:
Head Coach Carlos Llamosa
(On the performance…)
“It feels good. After the defeat last week, getting these three points were important for us. The guys knew this was a massive game for us away. In the first half, I think we played really well. We controlled the entire 45 minutes. In the second half, it became more back-and-forth. We had only four or five breakaway, but at the end of the day, defensively, the guys did well. Joey [Batrouni] made one big save and we held the lead, so it wasn’t pretty in the second half, but we got out of here with the win and three points.”
(On maintaining the lead in the second half…)
“Make sure we started the second half with a good intensity. Last week, in the second half, we were flat coming out of the locker room, so this time, winning 1-0, the speech in the locker room was to make sure everybody was ready to play. Mentally ready to go and physically going for every single ball, pressing, and that was the case, so I think we did much better this time.”
(On the importance of the road win…)
“It’s really big. The table in the West is getting tight. The teams that were coming from behind us are also getting good results lately, so it’s important for us to get a winning streak again.”
Goalkeeper Joey Batrouni
(On the shutout…)
“I thought it was good. We scored in the middle of the first half, closed out really well. We started the second half slow but did a really good job defensively to finish off that game. It took a lot of grit, all of us coming together and communicating, just making sure that we got this done. Dropping a few points last week really hurt us, so we really wanted to get those points back and it was really good to do it on the road and together.”
Midfielder Mikey Maldonado
(On the win…)
“We pulled through. It was a tough, ugly win but we got it done, got our early goal, and I think that helped keep us on the front foot for the rest of the game, but a win’s a win and we’ll take it. …We stayed connected, that was the biggest thing. Everyone is on the same page, and I think we all just wanted a win as badly as we didn’t want to lose.”
