San Antonio FC to play inaugural Central Texas Derby in Austin

Still looking for first win of season

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Coming off a tough 1-0 road loss in Colorado Springs last week, San Antonio FC is still looking for its first win of the season. The Alamo City club will get another chance to earn that this weekend on the road against Austin Bold FC.

"This is just another big game for us," said goalkeeper Matt Cardone. "Regardless of how the first couple games have gone, we just need to focus on this next game and focus on what's ahead of us, not behind us. I think we're all motivated regardless of who we're playing."

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"Last week's game was not reflective of how we want to play," head coach Darren Powell explained. "We've worked on some things during the course of the week that we definitely saw improvements on. Bottom line is, we've got a big game this Saturday night. It's a results-driven business. We all understand that. It's making sure that we use all those positives that we have and change that into positive results, as well. That's the emphasis. We want to make sure that both sides of the ball are organized and prepared. It's our job to come out and execute what we want to do for the very first minute."

The match in Austin presents a unique set of circumstances. This will be the inaugural match of the Central Texas Derby and the first home game for Austin Bold FC. The biggest positive for SAFC is the travel time.

"Across the country, it's one of the closest rivalries in terms of distance traveled," Powell said. "This is a great opportunity for us and our fans to see us on the road. It's an opportunity for us to take a bus trip to an away game. We're just excited, and our fans will make themselves heard in Austin stadium I'm sure. We just ask that they get behind the team with the energy like we have in Toyota Field."

"We're really excited to have our home fans travel up to see us," Cardone explained. "It's been awhile since they were able to come to an away game that's so close. We're really excited to have them out there, and we appreciate the support."

Another anomaly is the venue. Bold Stadium is constructed right next to the Circuit of the Americas racetrack, which should provide a very different game day experience for both players and fans.

"Back in North Carolina, the Charlotte Raceway is pretty close to some fields, but not as close as this coming Saturday," Powell said. "It would be a unique experience, but this league is full of wonderful places to go, wonderful venues to play in. Saturday will be a new one. I'm excited. I hear it's a sellout as well, so I'm sure that will create a wonderful atmosphere."

San Antonio FC will take on Austin Bold FC this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.