Mitchell Taintor and Rece Buckmaster net their first goals of the season
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (June 21, 2025) – San Antonio FC dropped its second road loss of the season Saturday, falling 2-4 to New Mexico United in a clash at the top of the Western Conference table.
New Mexico capitalized off an early free kick, jumping ahead with an opening goal in the 10th minute.
Mitchell Taintor evened for SAFC in the 55th minute, with the captain converting the team’s fifth penalty kick of the season. United quickly pulled back up 2-1 with a score in the 57th minute.
After an initial saved shot, Rece Buckmaster was able to pounce on a rebound and send in the second ball to set the teams back level in the 76th minute.
A pair of late stoppage-time goals put New Mexico in front to secure all three points.
Scoring Summary:
NM: Jaylin Lindsey (Assisted by Mukwelle Akale) 10’
SA: Mitchell Taintor (Penalty) 55’
NM: Mukwelle Akale (Assisted by Marlon Vargas) 57’
SA: Rece Buckmaster 76’
NM: Luiz Fernando 90+1’
NM: Marlon Vargas (Assisted by Luiz Fernando) 90+3’
Next Up
San Antonio FC is back in USL Jägermeister Cup play this Wednesday, June 25, visiting Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. SAFC sits in second place in Group 2 after the first three rounds. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+. The 10th anniversary season is presented by Toyota.
Postgame Notes:
- SAFC drops to 6-5-3 on the season, sitting in 4th place in the Western Conference standings with 21 points.
- Defender Mitchell Taintor’s goal was his 10th for the club, the most of any defender all-time, and his first since October 2023.
- Defender Rece Buckmaster scored his first goal for the club.
- San Antonio’s 20 goals have been scored by 11 different players.
- Defender Abdi Salim made his club debut after signing a 25-day contract this week.
- Goalkeeper Richard Sanchez made three saves in the match.
SAFC Starting XI: Richard Sanchez, Alex Crognale, Mitchell Taintor (Captain), Rece Buckmaster (Dmitrii Erofeev 90+2’), Nelson Flores Blanco, Almir Soto (Abdi Salim 46’), Jimmy Medranda (Nicky Hernandez 46’), Lucio Berron, Luke Haakenson, Andres Paredes, Jake LaCava (Juan Agudelo 79’)
Substitutions Not Used: Shannon Gomez, Daniel Namani, Alexis Souahy
Disciplinary Summary:
NM: Yellow Card (Gedion Zelalem) 31’
SA: Yellow Card (Andres Paredes) 40’
SA: Yellow Card (Jimmy Medranda) 45+1’
NM: Yellow Card (Ousman Jabang) 67’
SA: Yellow Card (Nicky Hernandez) 80’
SA: Yellow Card (Lucio Berron) 88’
SA: Second Yellow Card (Andres Paredes) 89’
SA: Yellow Card (Juan Agudelo) 90+9’
Quotes:
Head Coach Carlos Llamosa
(On the loss…)
“We’re disappointed because in the first half, we didn’t play well. In the second half, we were more aggressive. The press was good and they didn’t have an answer for us, and with the ball, we started doing better. We started putting guys on their backs. We came back from a goal [down] twice in the game, and then the last five minutes of the game, we throw it away.”
(On what the team was lacking…)
“I think we were missing fight. Obviously, in the first half, in terms of fight and intensity, I think they were better than us. In the second half, we were good winning second balls. We played man-to-man in the back, and we won basically 90% of the challenges. We collected second balls, and pressing, at some point, they changed. Instead of playing from the back, they started playing long balls. We forced them to play long balls, but as I said, in the last five minutes, the red card and then the decisions threw the game away when we were a few minutes away from getting a point in a tough venue with a man down.”
(On preparing for the next match…)
“Well, the group has to respond in the best way possible. As I said, for some parts, especially in the second half, we did a great job here, but we have to come back stronger for this Jägermeister game. It’s important for us as well, so we need to make sure we go to Colorado and have a good game there.”
Defender Rece Buckmaster
(On the team’s performance…)
“The first half was tough. I feel like we got outplayed a lot, but then in the second half, we made changes from the coaches and I thought we turned the game around, and then the last five minutes got away from us. Yeah, it was tough, but we’ll be back.”
(On scoring his first goal for the club…)
“It’s special. Getting my first goal for the club is something that I’ve been wanting since I got here. Obviously the result wasn’t what we wanted, but for me, it was good to get my first goal for the club and hopefully, there’s many more to come.”
(On traveling to face Colorado Springs on Wednesday…)
“We’re going to [recover] tomorrow, get back to it. Coaches will come up with a great game plan, and we’ll just execute what they come up with and hopefully come away with the three points in the Jägermeister Cup in Colorado on Wednesday.”
