Grades: San Antonio FC’s Lackluster Effort Costs Them In 1-0 Loss To Orange County

San Antonio FC looked set to grind out a point on the road Wednesday night, but a stoppage-time strike from Ousmane Sylla gave Orange County SC a 1-0 win as SAFC’s winless streak hit three matches.

Why it matters: Despite solid defending for most of the match, San Antonio couldn’t find enough in the attack to secure a victory and clinch a playoff berth.

“We’re disappointed. It was a crucial match,” San Antonio Head Coach Carlos Llamosa said. “We need to be smarter. We need to know when to get results. This was a six-point game we were playing tonight, and at the last minute, we gave up the three points.”

Here are three grades for the club following their loss to Orange County:

Defense: B

For 90 minutes, San Antonio’s back line was composed and organized. Alexis Souahy and Noah Dollenmayer anchored the middle well, with fullbacks Harvey Neville and Rece Buckmaster working well together and making key tackles, forcing Orange County to give the ball away on the attack. Goalkeeper Richard Sanchez was sharp again, finishing with four saves, parrying the ball away on several crosses.

All that was undone in second half stoppage time when Sanchez came out to play the ball, forcing Sylla to go around him and put the ball into the empty net.

This is the story of SAFC’s season: Mental breakdowns have haunted them late in matches this season. 

Still, the defense deserves credit for holding firm most of the way.

“It’s just unfortunate things didn’t go our way. We weren’t at our best, but there’s nothing we can do now,” SAFC forward Kyle Linhares said.

Midfield: C+

Another story of San Antonio’s season? A lack of attacking and a go-to scorer.

Wednesday night saw the midfield be inconsistent. Almir Soto was active defensively but picked up a yellow card, while Juan Osorio and Nicky Hernandez struggled to create forward momentum before being subbed out. Lucio Berron returned to the lineup and added some spark, but overall, the team couldn’t play well enough to sustain possession or relieve pressure.

Jorge Hernandez had a nice outing, but didn’t have the same fire he’s shown in previous matches. This was a performance that missed some creativity in the center of the pitch.

Attack C-

San Antonio outshot Orange County 11–9 but had few solid scoring chances. Luke Haakenson and Jorge Hernandez played well, but the final pass was just not there.

Santiago Patiño and Linhares were both subbed on late but did little to really make an impact. After the match, Linhares said SAFC needs “more quality and desire” in the attacking third — something they’ll have to find quickly with Phoenix looming.

Overall Grade: C

Overall, Wednesday night’s match was a solid performance on the road that was undone by a lingering issue: conceding late. SAFC showed grit and fight, but not enough sharpness or composure in the decisive moments. With two matches left and the playoff race tightening, SAFC must quickly re-discover its killer instinct — starting Saturday in Phoenix.

“We have to play good defense,” Llamosa said. “That’s a team that scores a lot of goals, but they also give up a lot of goals. A lot of results at home, they’re in that 4-4, 4-3, 4-2 … so we have to be patient. They have a good forward, good wingers, guys that can score, so we have to play good defense, and when we have our chances, try to put those away.”

Up next:

San Antonio FC is now 10-11-7 (37 points) on the season and will conclude their road trip with a trip to face Phoenix Rising FC (8-8-12). Kickoff is set for 9:00 p.m. CT.