San Antonio FC edges New Mexico United, moves closer to playoff berth

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — San Antonio FC is one result away from securing its place in the USL Championship playoffs after grinding out a crucial 1-0 victory over New Mexico United on Saturday night at Toyota Field.

With the postseason looming, San Antonio delivered when it mattered most, relying on a 29th-minute goal from Curt Calov and a disciplined defensive effort to collect three crucial points in its penultimate home match of the season.

Calov, who entered the match as an early substitute, wasted little time making his presence felt. In the 29th minute, he cut across a New Mexico defender before unleashing a strike from the top of the penalty area to put the home side ahead.

The goal proved to be all San Antonio needed.

After struggling to find the back of the net in recent weeks, SAFC showed that a single breakthrough could be enough when paired with the defensive consistency that has kept the club competitive.

Head coach Carlos Llamosa acknowledged the team's recent scoring difficulties following the victory, emphasizing that his players have continued to deliver defensively despite the lack of offensive production.

“It feels good,” Llamosa said. “I said with the lack of goals in the last couple weeks, we just need one goal. That's what we need.”

That approach paid off against New Mexico.

Rather than allowing United to build momentum in search of an equalizer, San Antonio maintained its defensive organization throughout the remainder of the match, limiting the visitors to just one shot on target.

The clean sheet highlighted a collective defensive performance that has become increasingly important as the regular season approaches its conclusion.

“Defensively as a team, I think we've been strong, and I told the guys we just need one goal, and from there the game opens up,” Llamosa said. “Defensively we're doing really well, home and away, so the goal was to win the game to get the three points tonight.”

Saturday's result also completed a season sweep of sorts for San Antonio, marking the club's third victory over New Mexico United this season.

More importantly, it kept SAFC in control of its postseason destiny heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

A victory or draw in next weekend's finale would be enough for San Antonio to clinch a playoff berth, removing the need to rely on results elsewhere.

For Llamosa, however, the focus remains on improvement rather than simply reaching the postseason.

“They were really important for us,” Llamosa said of Saturday's three points. “So one more game to go in the regular season, and next week, we should do even better than tonight.”

San Antonio's latest victory was hardly an offensive showcase, but at this stage of the season, results carry greater significance than style.

With Calov providing the decisive finish and the defense refusing to surrender an equalizer, SAFC demonstrated the resilience required to navigate a tight postseason race.

Now, after taking care of business at Toyota Field, San Antonio heads into its regular season finale knowing its playoff fate remains firmly in its own hands.

One more result, and the club's season will continue into the postseason.