OAKLAND, Calif. (Oct. 10, 2026) – San Antonio FC was tested but held firm in a 0-0 draw against Oakland Roots SC, taking a point away from its final road match of the regular season Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum.
After a scoreless first half, the teams traded penalty kick attempts with each goalkeeper coming through to deny a decisive goal. Joey Batrouni pounced away the Roots’ penalty shot in stoppage time to save a last-minute winner, securing his ninth clean sheet of the season and fourth in the last six matches.
SAFC remains in the final playoff spot in 8th place, sitting three points above the playoff line with two matches left to play in the regular season.
Next Up
San Antonio FC finishes out the regular season with a pair of home matches, starting Saturday, Oct. 17 against New Mexico United. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+. The 2026 season is presented by Toyota.
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio moves to 9-7-12 on the season with 39 points, sitting in 8th place in the Western Conference standings and three points above the playoff line.
- San Antonio’s 11 clean sheets rank fourth-most in USL Championship this year, also tied for third-most in a single season in club history.
- Goalkeeper Joey Batrouni made three saves in the match for his ninth shutout of the year.
- Batrouni saved his second penalty kick of the season.
SAFC Starting XI: Joey Batrouni, Nelson Flores Blanco (Curt Calov 85’), Alex Crognale, Mitchell Taintor (Captain), Tiago Suarez (Danny Barbir 90’), Emil Cuello, Akeem O’Connor-Ward, Mikey Maldonado, Lucio Berron, Cristian Parano (Santiago Patiño 85’), Lilian Ricol (Diogo Pacheco 68’)
Substitutions Not Used: Luke Haakenson, Daniel Namani, Christian Sorto
Disciplinary Summary:
OAK: Yellow Card (Tommy McCabe) 30’
SA: Yellow Card (Lilian Ricol) 43’
SA: Yellow Card (Nelson Flores Blanco) 49’
SA: Yellow Card (Santiago Patiño) 90+9’
Quotes:
Head Coach Carlos Llamosa
(On the draw…)
“Tough match. We played a team who was playing for a must-win, for the three points. They came out with a lot of intensity. I think for the most part we played well. We matched their intensity. In the second half, we created chances. We had a PK, we missed a PK, but the most important thing is we defended well. On the counterattack in the second half, we created a few chances, but we need to be sharper on those to get points. At the end of the day, getting the point here is not the result that we were looking for, but at least it’s a point that we put on the table.”
(On lessons the team can take away from the match…)
“Overall as a team, we were good. Starting forward with the pressure from Lilian [Ricol], and then Santi [Patiño] and Diogo [Pacheco] when they came into the game, they started our defensive shape as a group. The behavior of our back five, I think they did really well. Nelson [Flores Blanco], he started today and did pretty well and then obviously, closing the game with Joey [Batrouni] making that big save on the penalty kick.”
Midfielder Curt Calov
(On the result …)
“It was a good fight coming on the road to Oakland. Especially with a packed crowd, a point is good, but we definitely want to keep trending upward and turn those into wins. Our backline and goalie, even all the way up to our striker, the defense is just a team effort. Everyone is bought in and really focused on keeping those shutouts. Now it’s just turning it into also scoring.”
