SAN ANTONIO (Oct. 24, 2026) – San Antonio FC clinched its second straight playoff appearance after defeating Orange County 2-1 in its regular season finale Saturday at Toyota Field.
San Antonio took quick action, with Emil Cuello punching in the opener from a tight angle in the box in the 15th minute. Cristian Parano doubled the advantage in the 59th minute, tapping in a rebounded shot for his sixth goal of the season.
Orange County pulled one back in the 86th minute, but SAFC held on to preserve the win and punch its ticket back to the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
Scoring Summary:
SA: Emil Cuello (Assisted by Nelson Flores Blanco) 15’
SA: Cristian Parano 59’
OC: Chris Hegardty (Assisted by Yaniv Bazini) 86’
Next Up
San Antonio FC kicks off its postseason campaign next week, traveling to face El Paso Locomotive FC in the USL Championship Western Conference Quarterfinals on Friday, Oct. 30. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. CT, with broadcast details to be announced at a later time. The 2026 season is presented by Toyota.
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio finishes out the regular season at 11-7-12 with 45 points, finishing in 6th place in the Western Conference standings.
- SAFC returns to USL Championship playoffs for the second straight season under Head Coach Carlos Llamosa.
- SAFC is 8-1-1 this season when scoring first.
- Defender Emil Cuello scored his fourth goal of the year.
- Defender Nelson Flores Blanco recorded his fourth assist of the year and second in as many matches.
- Forward Cristian Parano scored his team-leading sixth goal of the campaign and his eighth across all competitions.
Attendance: 6,069
SAFC Starting XI: Joey Batrouni, Nelson Flores Blanco, Alex Crognale, Mitchell Taintor (Captain), Tiago Suarez (Danny Barbir 76’), Emil Cuello, Akeem O’Connor-Ward, Curt Calov (Rece Buckmaster 83’), Lucio Berron, Cristian Parano (Christian Sorto 83’), Santiago Patiño (Diogo Pacheco 76’)
Substitutions Not Used: Alex Greive, Brian Guevara, Daniel Namani, Alexis Souahy, Leo Urrutia
Disciplinary Summary:
OC: Yellow Card (Stephen Kelly) 20’
SA: Yellow Card (Tiago Suarez) 63’
OC: Yellow Card (Nico Benalcazar) 69’
OC: Yellow Card (Tom Brewitt) 90’
Quotes:
Head Coach Carlos Llamosa
(On the win…)
“For most part, the team played well. We had a good start. Thirty minutes in, we dropped our intensity, and we allowed Orange County to control the ball a little bit, but defensively, the behavior of the team was good. The second half was kind of the same. We had a good start in the second half. We were able to score the second goal, and then at some point we dropped the level again. At the end we made some changes, and the game became back and forth, a lot of counter attacks. There was a lot of open space to counter attack. We created some. They created some. They scored their goal, but the last 10 minutes of the game were chaotic, so the most important thing was that we got the result.”
(On the team heading into the last game of the regular season…)
“Yeah, I think so. Having the fact that we won the last two games at home, and second, we had to use multiple players because our injuries, so it’s good to see the guys, new players stepping in and doing the work. Tonight we had Curt [Calov] replacing Mikey [Maldonado]. I think he did pretty well, and then again, Rece [Buckmaster], [Danny] Barbir, coming in and helping us. I think those guys, you can tell the mentality that those guys have right now. Going into playoffs, it’s good to see everybody engaged and ready to contribute.”
Defender Akeem O’Connor-Ward
(On the team getting the early lead…)
“It felt good. It kind of reminded us the last game was the hump for us. It was the relieving feeling of okay, we finally got a goal. Now we can continue to do that. I think it was we got a bit of that, but we were playing really well and we were really on them, so it’s just kind of a proof to how we were doing Monday to Friday, how we broke them down, our commitment to attack, to get into the box, and we’re able to have a great cross from Nelson [Flores Blanco] to Emil [Cuello] and finish it, so we’re going to need that in the playoffs because chances are far and few sometimes, especially on the road. We need to continue to be kind of lethal and take our chances, and then as a back five, do what we do best and keep the clean sheet and keep minimal chances on goal.”
(On the shutout…)
“I think so. I think we’re going to be a dangerous team that’s going to be overlooked if I’m being honest, which is hey, no problem if you want to do that. I don’t think this club has ever been overlooked and been seen as an underdog, but if people were going to want to start to make that, because we’re a lower seeded team, be my guest. I think we’re starting to peak at the correct time. I was talking to my teammate [Alex Crognale], and I was like, ‘We can be a very, very dangerous team in these playoffs.’ Especially with the fact that we know we don’t give up many chances defensively, and we’re starting to find goals again, I think we’re going to be very dangerous.”
(On the team starting playoffs on the road…)
“I know that we’ve lost games on the road, lost games at home. Yes, we’ve had better results, but once again, it’s a one-off game. That team’s going to give their all. We’re going to give our all. You know they’ll have the crowd on their backs, but we’re definitely going there to spoil the party. We’re also looking to just play the best football at the best time, and we’ve done that on the road a lot. I think it’s a different mentality shift of even being more defensively sound as a group and taking our chances more offensively, and I think that’s what we’ll try to do.”
Forward Cristian Parano
(On the performance…)
“Amazing, the team looked amazing. I think we have one of the best teams in the league. We are ready for playoffs, so I’m very, very happy. I’m excited for what’s coming. We’re ready and focused, and we have everything to be champions.”
(On the team scoring the first goal to clinch playoffs…)
“It was a great relief. This match directly affected our clinching possibilities, so it was a great relief to get the win. This win just showed us how much we believe in each other and believe in the squad. It was great to end with a win and for me personally with the goal, and it gives us the strength to compete wherever we go next. This year, we were strong on the road, so it doesn’t matter if we’re on the road or come back home, we’re ready to fight.”
