SAN ANTONIO (Sept. 26, 2026) – San Antonio FC secured its second consecutive shutout and a point at home Saturday night, playing the Tampa Bay Rowdies to a 0-0 draw at Toyota Field.
SAFC controlled 58 percent of possession and outshot Tampa Bay 16-4, putting five shots on target while holding one of the league’s offenses without a shot on frame.
Next Up
San Antonio FC hosts German 2. Bundesliga side SV Darmstadt 98 for an international friendly this Tuesday, Sept. 29. Kickoff from Toyota Field is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. The 2026 season is presented by Toyota.
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio moves to 9-6-11 on the season with 38 points, sitting in 8th place in the Western Conference standings.
- SAFC outshot the Rowdies 16-4, with five shots on target while holding Tampa Bay to none.
- San Antonio’s 10 clean sheets this season are tied for third-most in the league.
- San Antonio posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since March, also recording three straight across all competitions at Toyota Field.
- Head Coach Carlos Llamosa made two changes to the starting XI that faced Sacramento, with Lucio Berron and Christian Sorto entering the lineup.
Attendance: 5,848
SAFC Starting XI: Joey Batrouni, Emil Cuello, Alex Crognale, Mitchell Taintor (Captain), Tiago Suarez, Akeem O’Connor-Ward, Mikey Maldonado, Nicky Hernandez (Andres Paredes 69’), Lucio Berron, Cristian Parano (Diogo Pacheco 82’), Christian Sorto (Lilian Ricol 61’)
Substitutions Not Used: Danny Barbir, Curt Calov, Nelson Flores Blanco, Daniel Namani
Disciplinary Summary:
TB: Yellow Card (Sebastian Cruz) 56’
Quotes:
Head Coach Carlos Llamosa
(On the performance…)
“I haven’t seen the stats, but what I saw in the game is that we had the possession for most part. We shut out Tampa. I don’t believe they had a clear chance. For the most part, we took the ball away from them and we controlled the game. We played a good amount of minutes in the attacking half, so there is frustration right there when we played a good game and we think that that we deserved better, that we deserved the three points, but this is the game, and we need to continue working, whether it’s a home or away, we need to. If we’re doing solid defensively, we need to score goals to get the three points.”
(On getting a point against one of the league’s top teams…)
“There’s good things about the game, but another ones where we are a bit frustrated. It’s not the first time. We played this game before. Against Tulsa, it was kind of the same. We dominated the game and we created chances, but we need to do better. I want to make playoffs. Last year we set the bar, just making playoffs. This one, this year, I want to make playoffs, but I want to play at home. There are 12 points on the table, and we need to go out there and try to get as many points we can and finish in the top four.”
(On the team’s defensive form …)
“It’s good that defensively, we’re solid. If you prevent the opposition creating chances, that’s a positive thing. Every game, you start with a point in your pocket. With the initial whistle, you have one point on your back, so the idea is make sure not to lose that one and try to win the other two, so if defensively, I’d be more worried if we were the other way around, if we have guys who score two goals, but then defensively we give up four. That’s more concerning for me, but defensively, with Joey [Batrouni] and the back line, I think we’ve had a solid season, and we just need to put more guys, creative guys up front around the area and score goals.”
Defender Mitchell Taintor
(On the team’s mentality…)
“I think when you’re going through a stretch where you haven’t won a ton, it’s super easy to just kind of say, ‘Whatever. It is what it is,’ but we’re still defending really hard, and defending isn’t the most glamorous thing. It’s the thing that takes the most effort, the most discipline, the most willpower, and so the fact that we’re doing that, it just shows that the backbone of this team and the mentality is there. We just need the final touches, and I think we have really good guys coming in, and we just need to support them and find ways to score goals, but we have the fight, we have the mentality. Now it’s just the final touches going into the last couple games.”
Midfielder Mikey Maldonado
(On the result…)
“You don’t feel bad, but you don’t feel the best about it, but we’ll take it against the number one team in the league. We get a point out of it, and it shows that we can play against anyone, and it’s a point that we’re gonna need later down the line, so with these last four games, it’s a point is a point. We have to take it.”
(On competing in a tight Western Conference race…)
“We know we haven’t been scoring what we know we can, but I think I don’t think it weighs on us. We know we have the chances, and I think it’s just a final tuning in training that we have to get better at. That comes with the week where we need to prepare because now it’s a win-or-go-home honestly, so I think we’ll be okay, and we’ll just see what happens next.”
