There’s a first time for everything, and this weekend, San Antonio FC will experience its first-ever USL playoff match. Now, as they head into one of their biggest matches to date, the team will have the chance to go through the milestone along with their home fans at Toyota Field. In a match as significant as a playoff debut, home field advantage can be an invaluable asset.
“I think it was very important (to be able to host) for our city and what we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell said. “We wanted to make sure that we played at home if we made it to the playoffs because the fans in San Antonio have been fantastic since day one.”
In its second year in existence, SAFC enjoyed a very successful regular season, finishing second in the USL Western Conference, securing a playoff berth with a month left in the season, and earning a home playoff seed in the club’s penultimate match of the season. SAFC put on the best overall defensive performances in the league over the course of the regular season, conceding just 24 goals and recording the most clean sheets (15), while their four losses were the fewest tallied by any team.
There’s a first time for everything, and this weekend, San Antonio FC will experience its first-ever USL playoff match. Now, as they head into one of their biggest matches to date, the team will have the chance to go through the milestone along with their home fans at Toyota Field. In a match as significant as a playoff debut, home field advantage can be an invaluable asset.
“I think it was very important (to be able to host) for our city and what we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell said. “We wanted to make sure that we played at home if we made it to the playoffs because the fans in San Antonio have been fantastic since day one.”
In its second year in existence, SAFC enjoyed a very successful regular season, finishing second in the USL Western Conference, securing a playoff berth with a month left in the season, and earning a home playoff seed in the club’s penultimate match of the season. SAFC put on the best overall defensive performances in the league over the course of the regular season, conceding just 24 goals and recording the most clean sheets (15), while their four losses were the fewest tallied by any team.
Now, the Silver and Black heads into its USL playoff debut with a matchup against the Tulsa Roughnecks, a team against which the Alamo City club has enjoyed a favorable past against. SAFC is 5-0-0 all-time against Tulsa, including a 2-0-0 season sweep in 2017. Despite their history, however, meeting in playoffs is a different ball game, and the team knows that focus will be key if they want to advance onto the next round.
“It’s a do-or-die type of attitude in the playoffs,” SAFC defender Sebastien Ibeagha said. “They’re going to remember (our wins) and want to come here and end our season. It’s always tough in the playoffs and you have to be ready. You can’t overlook any team, no matter what happened in the regular season, because it’s two different seasons.”
Powell’s plan has been the same since the first day of the campaign– take it one match at a time. That mentality stuck with the players week after week in the regular season, and the postseason will be no different.
“It’s just another game,” SAFC midfielder Kris Tyrpak said. “At the beginning of the season we said we had 32 championship games to play, and now this will be championship game number 33. We’re going to approach it the same way we have approached every other match this year.”
Now, the Silver and Black heads into its USL playoff debut with a matchup against the Tulsa Roughnecks, a team against which the Alamo City club has enjoyed a favorable past against. SAFC is 5-0-0 all-time against Tulsa, including a 2-0-0 season sweep in 2017. Despite their history, however, meeting in playoffs is a different ball game, and the team knows that focus will be key if they want to advance onto the next round.
“It’s a do-or-die type of attitude in the playoffs,” SAFC defender Sebastien Ibeagha said. “They’re going to remember (our wins) and want to come here and end our season. It’s always tough in the playoffs and you have to be ready. You can’t overlook any team, no matter what happened in the regular season, because it’s two different seasons.”
Powell’s plan has been the same since the first day of the campaign– take it one match at a time. That mentality stuck with the players week after week in the regular season, and the postseason will be no different.
“It’s just another game,” SAFC midfielder Kris Tyrpak said. “At the beginning of the season we said we had 32 championship games to play, and now this will be championship game number 33. We’re going to approach it the same way we have approached every other match this year.”
Having home field advantage will be a positive boost for SAFC. The club lost just one match at Toyota Field during the 2017 regular season, scoring 24 of their 45 goals at home and recording one of their two biggest wins in club history in front of their home fans. Support for the Silver and Black has been tremendous this season, with fans helping the club record four sold-out matches in USL play and one in the team’s first-ever international club friendly against Santos Laguna (Liga MX) in July.
For the team, securing a home playoff match was always a goal, and now as they approach a historic night at Toyota Field, repaying the loyalty of the fans with positive results will be a priority.
“Our fans are fully engaged and excited,” Powell said. “Home field is an advantage because our players know what to expect come Saturday night. This was always something that we wanted to do for the people of San Antonio, and we look forward to playing in front of all our loyal and faithful supporters.”
Having home field advantage will be a positive boost for SAFC. The club lost just one match at Toyota Field during the 2017 regular season, scoring 24 of their 45 goals at home and recording one of their two biggest wins in club history in front of their home fans. Support for the Silver and Black has been tremendous this season, with fans helping the club record four sold-out matches in USL play and one in the team’s first-ever international club friendly against Santos Laguna (Liga MX) in July.
For the team, securing a home playoff match was always a goal, and now as they approach a historic night at Toyota Field, repaying the loyalty of the fans with positive results will be a priority.
“Our fans are fully engaged and excited,” Powell said. “Home field is an advantage because our players know what to expect come Saturday night. This was always something that we wanted to do for the people of San Antonio, and we look forward to playing in front of all our loyal and faithful supporters.”
