SAN ANTONIO (Fwrd Axis) — San Antonio FC defeated Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 2-0 on Sunday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Toyota Field, advancing to the USL Final for the first time in franchise history.
The victory was the third straight time SAFC has held an opponent scoreless and continues a playoff streak of four games dating back to last season. It marks the club’s first time advancing to the championship round since they began play in 2016.
“Incredibly proud, the first championship for the club, regular season champions, and Western Conference champions. Also, what makes this incredibly special is that we got to celebrate in front of the best fans in the league; our fans,” SAFC Head Coach Alen Marcina said.
After 20 minutes of back-and-forth action, Connor Maloney opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after he a received ball from Santiago Patiño, sending the crowd of 8,245 fans into a frenzy. SAFC would clamp down defensively as the match remained a one-goal game until late in the second half.
Patiño put the game away in stoppage time, giving him his sixth career playoff goal with SAFC, and third of this year’s playoffs.
“In this environment, it’s impossible not to be switched on,” SAFC Goalkeeper Jordan Farr said. “The fans push us to another level, and we’re playing the best soccer of the year right now. And I think that’s a credit to all the coaches and how we prepare for games. And so, the guys top to bottom couldn’t be happier.”
San Antonio becomes the first Western Conference team to host the USL Championship Final. They will play Louisville City FC, who are returning to the title game for the first time since 2019. They had won the championship back in 2017 and 2018.
Yeah, we won a Western Conference final, but this is now the big final we strived for all year, even in pre-season. So, big players show up in big moments, and you all will see that on Sunday night, and will see who comes out on top. But Louisville is a great opponent and Alen will have them scouted inside and out, and we will prepare on Tuesday.”
UP NEXT:
San Antonio FC will host Louisville City FC on Sunday night in the USL Championship Final at 7:30 p.m. from Toyota Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
