SAN ANTONIO – Oh, how things can all change in a week. Or in three games in eight days. There has been a change in where San Antonio FC resides in the United Soccer League Western Conference standings. The recent success, however, hasn't necessarily changed the mentality in the clubhouse.
"I think the chemistry has stayed the same," said midfielder Charlie Ward. "I think, even when we were losing, we were trying to stay positive. Through the good and the bad, the chemistry has always been there. We just keep on fighting on the pitch."
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San Antonio was 10th in the standings before the start of this three-game winning streak. They defeated the top team in the league, the Real Monarchs SLC, on July 21 at Toyota Field, 4-2. Four days later, they kept the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC off the board on the way to a 1-nil victory. Three days after that, SAFC hit the road to claim their first franchise win over the Oklahoma City Energy FC, 2-1.
As a result of the three victories and nine points in the standings, SAFC jumped from tenth place to eighth, a good weeks' work. To head coach Darren Powell it's exactly that: last week's work.
"We expect a good week's work every week," Powell elaborated. "We don't want that to be one week; we need to string together several weeks of good work. The players' character, application and their intensity throughout the whole week was fantastic. That's the standard we need every single week."
The three game winning streak helped secure some league honors. Defender Cyprian Hedrick and midfielder Charlie Ward were name to the USL Team of the Week on Tuesday. Forward Ever Guzman was also featured the last two weekends on KSAT's 30-minute-long sports show- "Instant Replay," for the goals that earned him 'Play of the Week' honors.
San Antonio has 14 games left in their regular-season schedule but only six homes games by mid-October. The home game on Saturday against the LA Galaxy II will be the last until Aug 25. After this weekend, SAFC will depart for a three-game road trip. San Antonio is currently 2-3-4 away from Toyota Field this season.
Twitter/Instagram: @SanAntonioFC
Daniel P. Villanueva has worked with KSAT 12 Sports for over 15 years and is an award-winning sports producer. For story ideas, email sports@ksat.com