San Antonio FC settles for scoreless draw against Monterey Bay

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio FC walked away with a point Saturday night after grinding out a 0-0 draw against Monterey Bay FC at Toyota Field on the Fourth of July.

Why it matters: SAFC overcame the final 30 minutes with 10 men to earn its fifth league clean sheet of the season.

The big picture: San Antonio controlled much of the possession and created the better scoring opportunities but couldn't find a breakthrough in its first home match back at Toyota Field in a month.

• Forward Akeem O'Connor-Ward came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 61st minute, but his shot went off the left side of the post and was cleared.
• Despite being reduced to 10 players late in the second half, SAFC's back line protected the clean sheet and secured a valuable point.
• Goalkeeper Richard Sanchez came on in the second half after starting keeper Joey Batrouni was ejected.

What they're saying: Head coach Carlos Llamosa credited his team's resilience after navigating Monterey Bay's aggressive pressure and finishing the match a man down.

• "We just tried to make sure we don't give up anything in the back, at least to walk out here with the point," Llamosa said. "We have to congratulate my players because we played almost 25 to 30 minutes with a man down."

Llamosa added that San Antonio found more attacking rhythm after halftime through Cristian Parano and Jorge Hernandez before the red card shifted the team's focus toward protecting the result.

By the numbers:

• 5th league clean sheet for San Antonio FC this season.
• 30 minutes played with 10 men after the second-half red card.
• 1 point earned to continue the club's home campaign at Toyota Field.

What they're saying: Sanchez said preparation made the unexpected second-half appearance easier.

• "I was prepared, more so mentally," Sanchez said. "Sometimes it's required just to stay mentally focused and making sure that you know what's going on in the game. In this instance, it happened with me, and so I was prepared."

What's next: San Antonio FC returns to Toyota Field on Saturday, July 11, to wrap up group play in the USL Jägermeister Cup against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.