Tiago Suarez bags game-winning goal to put SAFC atop group standings
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (May 16, 2026) – San Antonio FC took down the reigning USL League One champions One Knoxville SC with a 1-0 victory on the road in the Prinx Tires USL Cup Saturday.
Tiago Suarez netted the game-winning score just before the halftime whistle, putting a head on an in-swinging corner kick for his first goal for the club.
Goalkeeper Richard Sanchez made two saves to preserve his fourth clean sheet across all competitions, including his second in the USL Cup.
With the win, San Antonio rises to the top of Group 3 with its second-round win and will travel to face FC Tulsa in its next group contest on Saturday, May 6.
Scoring Summary
SA: Tiago Saurez (Assisted by Dmitrii Erofeev) 45+4’
Next Up
San Antonio FC will head back home to face Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday, May 23. Kickoff from Toyota Field 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:
- SAFC improves at 1-0-1 in the Prinx Tires USL Cup with 5 points, taking over first place in Group 3.
- Defender Tiago Saurez opened his goal-scoring account for the club, while midfielder Dmitrii Erofeev posted his second assist across all competitions this season.
- Suarez became San Antonio’s 10th different scorer across all competitions.
- For the second straight season, SAFC has not allowed a goal in its first two USL Cup group matches.
- San Antonio remains undefeated in USL Cup group-stage matches all-time, going 4-0-2 over the last two seasons.
- Midfielder Nicky Hernandez made his first appearance this season back from injury, subbing on in the 71st minute.
- Goalkeeper Richard Sanchez has yet to concede a goal in four matches this season, posting his fourth shutout across all competitions.
SAFC Starting XI: Richard Sanchez (Captain), Nelson Flores Blanco, Alexis Souahy, Tiago Saurez, Danny Barbir, Rece Buckmaster (Akeem O’Connor-Ward 60’), Lucio Berron (Curt Calov 60’), Dmitrii Erofeev (Nicky Hernandez 71’), Diogo Pacheco (Emil Cuello 43’), Christian Sorto, Santiago Patiño (Luke Haakenson 71’)
Substitutions Not Used: Joey Batrouni, EJ Johnson
Disciplinary Summary:
SA: Yellow Card (Alexis Souahy) 31’
SA: Yellow Card (Curt Calov) 69’
KNX: Yellow Card (John Murphy) 74’
SA: Yellow Card (Danny Barbir) 84’
SA: Yellow Card (Nelson Flores Blanco) 90+3’
KNX: Yellow Card (Jon Burke) 90+4’
Quotes:
Head Coach Carlos Llamosa
(On the result…)
“We’re happy. That was a good performance from the team. We kept the goal on zeroes, and we created a lot of chances. Their goalie had to make a lot of saves today. That’s the most important thing, and besides the three points, that was a good opportunity for the guys that haven’t played earlier in the season, like Richard, Alexis, Rece and a good opportunity to see the guys who are coming back from injuries like Lucio, Luke and Nicky Hernandez. After five months of being out, it’s good to see Nicky on the field for some minutes.”
(On getting the lead right before halftime…)
“That was good, going to the locker room at halftime with the lead. It was especially important for us because we knew we had to do a couple changes due to minute limitations on guys coming back from injury, so with the lead, that gave us the luxury to plan ahead and calculate those subs at the right time.”
(On the team’s depth…)
“The plan this week was to rest guys who played a lot of minutes early in the season, and the guys who stepped on the field today, they were good. All of them did really well … It says a lot [about the depth]. It tells us, as coaches, it’s gonna be difficult, but we see it like it’s a good problem that we want to have every single week, if you come with a roster full of guys you know you have confidence in anytime they step on the field.”
Defender Tiago Suarez
(On scoring the game-winning goal …)
“I’m super happy. It’s always nice to score and score on the road and be the lone goal in an away win. It was a long time coming. We have a lot of center backs who have scored this year that have set the standard pretty high, so I’m glad to have gotten on the scoresheet.”
(On holding onto the lead in the second half] …)
“They were a good team playing at home. Definitely a difficult field to play on, it being a baseball field, but to keep the shutout is huge. For us to be able to seal that for that last 45 [minutes] is big for us.”
Defender Rece Buckmaster
(On the win…)
“It was a good three points on the road. They’re a good team with winning League One last year, so we knew we were gonna get their best shot, and the guys, even with the rotated lineup, gave it their all and it was good to get three points.”
(On the importance of getting a win in a short group stage…)
“It’s good. I don’t know the other results, but I think we have five points in two games, which is good. Whenever there’s a trophy on the line, we want to get the trophy, so it doesn’t matter if it’s a league or cup game, we always want to get three points.”
