Forward Cristian Parano scores his fourth goal in three matches
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 8, 2026) – San Antonio FC split points with Louisville City FC with a 1-1 draw in a rematch of the 2022 USL Championship Final at Lynn Family Stadium Saturday.
The hosts went up early in the 12th minute, carrying the 1-0 advantage into the halftime break.
The SAFC attack began to ramp up the pressure in the second half with some quality chances, but was finally able to breakthrough as Cristian Parano took a brilliant bending finish at the top of the box in the 78th minute to pull back level.
With the point, San Antonio is now unbeaten in its last three matches on the road.
Scoring Summary
LOU: Mukwelle Akale (Assisted by Ray Serrano) 12’
SA: Cristian Parano (Assisted by Jorge Hernandez) 78’
Next Up
San Antonio FC heads home for two straight road matches, first hosting Miami FC in the Prinx Tires USL Cup quarterfinals this Wednesday, Aug. 12. 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 moves to 8-3-8 on the season with 32 points, remaining in second place in the Western Conference standings.
- SAFC is unbeaten in six of its last seven matches across all competitions, also undefeated in its last three matches on the road.
- Forward Cristian Parano scored for the third consecutive match, now tied for the team lead with five.
- Midfielder Jorge Hernandez moves into a tie for most assists in the league with seven.
- Defender Alex Crognale made his 200th USL Championship regular season appearance in the match.
- San Antonio extended its scoring streak to four straight matches.
- Forward Diogo Pacheco made his first start in league play this season.
SAFC Starting XI: Joey Batrouni, Akeem O’Connor-Ward, Alex Crognale, Mitchell Taintor (Captain), Tiago Suarez, Nelson Flores Blanco (Emil Cuello 72’), Nicky Hernandez (Mikey Maldonado 72’), Lucio Berron, Jorge Hernandez, Cristian Parano (Curt Calov 90+3’), Diogo Pacheco (Luke Haakenson 78’)
Substitutions Not Used: Danny Barbir, Richard Sanchez, Christian Sorto
Disciplinary Summary:
SA: Yellow Card (Jorge Hernandez) 30’
SA: Yellow Card (Akeem O’Connor-Ward) 75’
SA: Yellow Card (Lucio Berron) 82’
Quotes:
Head Coach Carlos Llamosa
(On the draw…)
“I think It was a great point. It’s not easy against Louisville. I think we controlled the game for the most part: possession, passes, goal opportunities, and what I like as well is the possession was in the attacking half. We want to make sure we play away from our goal and towards our opposition and create goals and chances, so today we were very patient, and I liked that part.”
(On the offensive shift after halftime…)
“I think the first 20 minutes of the first half, we were playing the game in our defensive half especially. They were dangerous on set pieces, the throw-ins, the corner kicks, but after the 20th or 25th minute, I think we controlled the game, we had good chances at the end of the half. We created a good chance with Jorge [Hernandez], where the goalie came out and made a big save. The way we finished the first half, that was the way we stepped in the second half.”
(On the connection between Cristian Parano and Jorge Hernandez…)
“We have very good attacking players. Parano is one of them. He’s scored four goals in the last three games. That’s what we want to have, and those guys give us a lot of quality to play higher on the field and closer to the opposing goal. In the box or around the box at any given moment, they can come up and create a goal opportunities and score goals.”
(On hosting Miami in the USL Cup Wednesday…)
“We want to have another good game at home. Last week, we played Indy, so we have to go back home. We’re playing a good team in Miami with good players. They have two players that just played in the World Cup so guys with a lot of experience, guys from South America with experience, so it’s a good team. We have to rest, go back home and recover, and be ready to play on Wednesday. It’s a big game for us to go to the semifinals.”
Defender Tiago Suarez
(On the performance…)
“Difficult game but in an amazing stadium and amazing environment in Louisville. These are the games that everyone wants to play in, 10,000+ fans and we came to play. I believe we had the vast majority of possession and played really well. That’s the kind of game model we’re looking to implement in every game, and we showed a lot of character coming back today against a difficult opponent, so we’re pretty happy as a group.”
(On shutting down Louisville after the opening goal…)
“As the game goes on, you start to notice the trends of the other team, and we were able to adapt and they didn’t create too many chances. I believe they had two or three shots on goal. Joey [Batrouni] came up big on one or two, and that allowed all of us to be motivated to come back.”
(On looking forward to the USL Cup quarterfinals this week…)
“The focus now immediately moves to Wednesday. It’s the biggest game of the year. It’s a win-or-go-home game, and we’re so happy that we got the game in front of our fans. It doesn’t matter who we play, we want to win it.”
Midfielder Nicky Hernandez
(On the draw…)
“I thought we played decent, played solid. Obviously we had our chances to put away, but overall, I thought we did pretty well. We kept the ball in their half, and that’s a big goal of ours, to keep the ball in the attacking third, and I think we did that well. It’s more so about creating chances now converting them now.”
(On breaking down the defense…)
“It took patience. Our best attacks came from just being patient and seeing when the gaps open, and finding [Cristian Parano] and [Jorge Hernandez], our creators, so I think we won the ball up high and they converted.”
