San Antonio FC (1-0-2) tied 1-1 against league leaders LA Galaxy II (2-0-3) at StubHub Center in the first encounter between the two clubs. A late equalizer from Carlos Alvarez earned SAFC a valuable point.
"First and foremost I'm really proud of the guys for playing to the final whistle," said SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell. "We managed to get a point thanks to a really good strike from Carlos Alvarez in front of his family. I think at that moment we were really excited to get the draw."
SAFC got a warning from the home team early on when Galaxy II created a dangerous attack that forced goalkeeper Josh Ford out of his box to smother the ball. The majority of the rest of the first half saw both teams go back and forth offensively, with SAFC stringing together a few quality plays but not able to find the finish in the final third.
The first goal of the match came in the 40th minute when Galaxy II forward Jack McBean found the end of a cross inside the SAFC box and squeezed the ball into a tight angle near-post. SAFC responded well, but the half ended with the home team in the lead.
The second half was a possession battle, with Galaxy II threatening the visitors with multiple chances. After some nifty play in the box from the LA attack in the 70th minute, Josh Ford kept SAFC in the game with a crucial save from point blank range.
San Antonio FC found the equalizer in the final minutes of the game after Alvarez settled the ball and buried it into the net off the underside of the crossbar, following a string of headers inside the Galaxy’s box.
SAFC remains undefeated in their inaugural season after tallying a win against Seattle Sounders 2 and tying Swope Park Rangers in their first two matches. This was the first match of a three-game road trip for San Antonio that will see them play Orange County Blues on Saturday, April 16, and Colorado Switchbacks FC on Saturday, April 23.
Scoring Summary:
LA: 1-0, Jack McBean ‘40
SAFC: 1-1, Carlos Alvarez ‘89
SAFC Starting XI: GK: Josh Ford (c); D: Milton Palacios, Stephen McCarthy, Sam McBride, Greg Cochrane; M: Michael Reed, Sebastien Thuriere (Rafa Castillo ’58), Carlos Alvarez; F: Bobby Moseley (Fejiro Okiomah ’56), Danny Garcia (Victor Araujo ’75), Jason Johnson (Manolo Sanchez ’63)
Substitutions Not Used: Matt Cardone, Miguel Salazar, Shawn Chin
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio FC tied LA Galaxy II on Wednesday night 1-1…marked the second draw on the season for San Antonio after the club drew 1-1 against Swope Park Rangers in its home opener
- SAFC midfielder Carlos Alvarez scored his first goal of the season in the 89th minute to earn SAFC a point…marked the club’s latest goal this season (previously 80th minute) Alvarez grew up in Los Angeles and previously played for now defunct club Chivas USA
- Sam McBride, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Cochrane, Milton Palacios and Michal Reed played 90 minutes for SAFC…marks the only players to play every minute of every game for the club so far this season
- Sebastien Thuriere made his first start for the club, playing 58 minutes…made his club debut on 4/3 against Seattle, coming on in the 90th minute
San Antonio FC (1-0-2) tied 1-1 against league leaders LA Galaxy II (2-0-3) at StubHub Center in the first encounter between the two clubs. A late equalizer from Carlos Alvarez earned SAFC a valuable point.
“First and foremost I’m really proud of the guys for playing to the final whistle,” said SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell. “We managed to get a point thanks to a really good strike from Carlos Alvarez in front of his family. I think at that moment we were really excited to get the draw.”
SAFC got a warning from the home team early on when Galaxy II created a dangerous attack that forced goalkeeper Josh Ford out of his box to smother the ball. The majority of the rest of the first half saw both teams go back and forth offensively, with SAFC stringing together a few quality plays but not able to find the finish in the final third.
The first goal of the match came in the 40th minute when Galaxy II forward Jack McBean found the end of a cross inside the SAFC box and squeezed the ball into a tight angle near-post. SAFC responded well, but the half ended with the home team in the lead.
The second half was a possession battle, with Galaxy II threatening the visitors with multiple chances. After some nifty play in the box from the LA attack in the 70th minute, Josh Ford kept SAFC in the game with a crucial save from point blank range.
San Antonio FC found the equalizer in the final minutes of the game after Alvarez settled the ball and buried it into the net off the underside of the crossbar, following a string of headers inside the Galaxy’s box.
SAFC remains undefeated in their inaugural season after tallying a win against Seattle Sounders 2 and tying Swope Park Rangers in their first two matches. This was the first match of a three-game road trip for San Antonio that will see them play Orange County Blues on Saturday, April 16, and Colorado Switchbacks FC on Saturday, April 23.
Scoring Summary:
LA: 1-0, Jack McBean ‘40
SAFC: 1-1, Carlos Alvarez ‘89
SAFC Starting XI: GK: Josh Ford (c); D: Milton Palacios, Stephen McCarthy, Sam McBride, Greg Cochrane; M: Michael Reed, Sebastien Thuriere (Rafa Castillo ’58), Carlos Alvarez; F: Bobby Moseley (Fejiro Okiomah ’56), Danny Garcia (Victor Araujo ’75), Jason Johnson (Manolo Sanchez ’63)
Substitutions Not Used: Matt Cardone, Miguel Salazar, Shawn Chin
Postgame Notes:
- San Antonio FC tied LA Galaxy II on Wednesday night 1-1…marked the second draw on the season for San Antonio after the club drew 1-1 against Swope Park Rangers in its home opener
- SAFC midfielder Carlos Alvarez scored his first goal of the season in the 89th minute to earn SAFC a point…marked the club’s latest goal this season (previously 80th minute) Alvarez grew up in Los Angeles and previously played for now defunct club Chivas USA
- Sam McBride, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Cochrane, Milton Palacios and Michal Reed played 90 minutes for SAFC…marks the only players to play every minute of every game for the club so far this season
- Sebastien Thuriere made his first start for the club, playing 58 minutes…made his club debut on 4/3 against Seattle, coming on in the 90th minute
