San Antonio FC’s season ends in El Paso despite late push

EL PASO – San Antonio FC found a late lifeline Friday night. It couldn’t find the goal that would keep its season alive.

Diogo Pacheco slammed home a close-range strike in the 84th minute, but SAFC’s comeback fell short in a 2-1 road loss to El Paso Locomotive FC in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

The defeat ended San Antonio’s seventh playoff appearance in 11 seasons, leaving the club to reflect on a campaign that began near the top of the standings and finished with a first round playoff exit for the second consecutive season.

El Paso scored on either side of halftime to build a two-goal advantage. Pacheco’s finish brought San Antonio back within reach, and SAFC created late chances as it pushed for an equalizer. The breakthrough never came.

For SAFC head coach Carlos Llamosa, the difference came down to two defensive lapses.

“For the most part, we played good,” Llamosa said. “We came here, and we competed for 90 minutes to the final whistle.”

That effort was not enough to overcome the mistakes that put San Antonio in a two-goal hole.

“As I said, fell asleep on two plays, and that cost us the game tonight,” Llamosa said.

The result brought a frustrating end to a season in which San Antonio spent a good chunk of it among the Western Conference’s leaders in the top four. Defender Alex Crognale said the team’s slide to sixth place carried consequences that extended into Friday’s elimination game.

“We were right up near the top for a lot of the season, most of the season in first or second place, and then for a number of reasons, we let that slip and fell down the table,” he said.

That drop in the standings meant opening the postseason away from home, with little room for error.

“Those things come back to haunt you, you know, finishing sixth place and having to come on the road to travel,” Crognale said.

Llamosa pointed to the summer as a difficult stretch, with San Antonio managing league play alongside the Prinx Cup. The early-season results had established SAFC as a contender, but the team could not sustain that form through the remainder of the campaign.

Still, Llamosa saw progress compared with last season.

“Definitely, this year we looked much better than last year,” he said. “We looked more mature. We competed better, more dangerous.”

His assessment also came with a clear demand for improvement: greater consistency, particularly when results become harder to earn.

“I think the key here is we need to be more consistent,” Llamosa said. “If you don’t get three points, at least get one point, and that keeps us on top of the table, but we lost home games that cost us also, so we need to improve. We need to be better.”

Friday’s game offered one final example of San Antonio’s resolve. Even after falling behind 2-0, SAFC gave itself an opportunity through Pacheco and continued pressing through the closing minutes.

But the late response could not change the outcome. San Antonio’s postseason was over after one game.

“Obviously feeling disappointment now because we’re here and getting knocked out of the first round of playoffs wasn’t our plan,” Crognale said.

There will be time to examine the lost points, the fall down the standings and the two goals conceded in El Paso. In the immediate aftermath, Crognale also held onto what it meant to finish the season alongside his teammates.

“A lot to reflect on but still proud to be out there with the guys and to represent San Antonio.”