San Antonio FC Stunned 3-0 by El Paso Locomotive at Home
Three first half goals doomed SAFC as the club dropped just its second match at Toyota Field this season.
San Antonio FC suffered a rare home setback Saturday, falling 3-0 to in-state rival El Paso Locomotive after a difficult first half at Toyota Field.
Why it matters: The loss was just San Antonio's second at home this season and came at the end of a demanding stretch of three matches in seven days.
What happened: El Paso took control early, opening the scoring in the 20th minute before adding two more goals before halftime.
- The three goal first half left SAFC chasing the match after the break.
- Midfielder Luke Haakenson called the performance "uncharacteristic" and acknowledged fatigue may have played a role after the three-match week.
The turnaround: San Antonio showed more life after halftime, pushing the match into El Paso's defensive third and creating several opportunities to get on the board.
SAFC outshot El Paso 9-4 in the second half, putting three attempts on target. Santiago Patiño and Cristian Parano were among those with scoring opportunities, while San Antonio also had a goal called back for offside.
"We push, we fought better," SAFC head coach Carlos Llamosa said of the second half response. "We created chances, we just needed an early goal in the second half to put us back in the game."
By the numbers: Goalkeeper Joey Batrouni finished with four saves despite allowing three goals. His season total now ranks seventh in the league.
What they're saying: Haakenson said the loss will give SAFC plenty to examine as the club turns its attention toward being at its best when the matches matter most.
"We really study hard, so it's going to be a week of a lot of film and a lot of review," Haakenson said. "We want to be hitting our stride and playing our best soccer in November."
The bottom line: The second half response gave San Antonio something to build on, but a three-goal first half deficit proved too much to overcome. Now, SAFC will look to turn a rare home defeat into a learning opportunity as it enters the next phase of the season.
