COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 11, 2026) – San Antonio FC pushed for a late comeback after trailing against Colorado Springs but ultimately fell to the Switchbacks 2-1 on the road Friday night.
Colorado Springs got on the board in quick succession, scoring two goals off a pair of counterattacks in the 67th and 70th minutes to take a 2-0 lead.
Emil Cuello pulled one back for SAFC with a goal in the 83rd minute as the offense battled with some late momentum but couldn’t equalize in the final minutes of play.
Scoring Summary:
COS: Jonas Fjeldberg (Assisted by Talen Maples) 67’
COS: Khori Bennett (Assisted by Frank Daroma) 70’
SA: Emil Cuello (Assisted by Danny Barbir) 83’
Next Up
San Antonio FC takes a trip to visit Sacramento Republic FC Sunday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+. The 2026 season is presented by Toyota.
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio falls to 9-6-9 on the season with 36 points, now sitting in 6th place in the Western Conference standings.
- Defender Emil Cuello scored his third goal of the season, with defender Danny Barbir recording his first assist on the score.
- SAFC extended its scoring streak on the road to five straight matches.
- Forward Lilian Ricol made his first start for the club since joining in August.
- Carlos Llamosa has made 5 changes to the starting XI that faced FC Tulsa, with Nelson Flores Blanco, Danny Barbir, Lilian Ricol, Lucio Berron and Luke Haakenson entering the lineup.
SAFC Starting XI: Joey Batrouni, Nelson Flores Blanco (Emil Cuello 71’), Alex Crognale, Danny Barbir, Tiago Suarez, Akeem O’Connor-Ward, Mikey Maldonado (Santiago Patiño 80’), Lucio Berron (Nicky Hernandez 71’), Jorge Hernandez (Captain), Luke Haakenson (Cristian Parano 59’), Lilian Ricol (Christian Sorto 71’)
Substitutions Not Used: Curt Calov, Daniel Namani
Disciplinary Summary:
SA: Yellow Card (Mikey Maldonado) 44’
COS: Yellow Card (Steven Echevarria) 62’
COS: Yellow Card (Christian Herrera) 77’
SA: Yellow Card (Jorge Hernandez) 82’
Quotes:
Head Coach Carlos Llamosa
(On the performance…)
“I think that we have a good first half defensively. They didn’t create much, and we had good possession of the ball. In the second half, we fell asleep in two places. We gave up the goals, especially when we had possession. We spoke before the game to make sure we’re smart with the ball and don’t give the ball away. Especially being the third game in six days, we need to possess the ball and make sure we didn’t run a lot, and the only way to prevent that is by keeping the ball. We gave the ball away, and on the two counterattacks, they scored. We tried to come back. We scored one by Emil [Cuello] and created a few chances, but it wasn’t enough. Now, we have a break to clear our minds and step away from the game a little bit for the next two days and then come back ready and re-energized for the Sacramento game.”
(On the team’s response after falling behind…)
“I think we had a good response. The guys that came in, they helped us a lot and gave us a boost. After going down 2-0, we had a goal by Emil and another few approaches in Colorado’s box. We couldn’t capitalize on that second goal. Unfortunately, it was late and we ran out of time, but it was a positive response after going down 2-0.”
Defender Nelson Flores Blanco
(On the loss…)
“We played well but we fell asleep on two goals. It was an unfortunate result, but we need to feel confidence and continue to fight to make playoffs. We have a great team all around. You saw it with the subs that came in that gave us power. We still feel confident, and we will move onto the next.”
(On coming back against Sacramento next week…)
“It was a very funky schedule, a lot of games in such a short amount of time, and now we have time to reset, train properly and focus on the next team. That’s our main priority right now. “
