SAN ANTONIO, Texas – In their return home to Toyota Field, San Antonio FC battled Orange County SC to a scoreless draw. This is now the fourth-straight match that SAFC has earned at least one point.
Goalkeeper Matthew Cardone notched his third clean sheet of the season, accounting for three saves and four claims. Defender Eby Ackon also provided a bright spot, tallying five tackles, three clearances and eight possessions gained.
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“I think we were solid defensively today," Cardone said. "We’ve been working on our defensive unit and how we want to defend in transition when we’re set, and we did a decent job at that today. When the guys in front of you are working together and the whole team is working together, we’re all responsible for defending. We did a good job tonight, but we can definitely do better.”
Although the outcome wasn't a victory, head coach Darren Powell believed the club's effort was a marked improvement from last weekend's 3-0 road loss to New Mexico United.
“Our guys showed a lot of heart tonight," Powell said. "When you lose a game you look for a response from the players. Our players and staff all love this club and everyone puts in the effort every day. You have to remember there’s always two teams on the field and there are challenges along the way, but we want to see that response and that was important to us tonight. The players showed a lot of effort and determination to try to earn three points.”
“I think we deserved a win with the way we played tonight," said midfielder Billy Forbes. "It reflects on the preparation we had this week, but we’ll take the draw, which was a step forward from the last match we played.”
SAFC will return to action this Tuesday against Laredo Heat this Tuesday in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup. The match begins at 7:30 p.m.