SAFC looks to clinch playoff berth in regular season finale

For the second year in a row, the playoff fate of San Antonio FC comes down to the last game of the regular season.

San Antonio (10-7-12, 42 points), which is seventh in the USL Championship Western Conference table, needs a win or a draw against Orange County (10-10-9, 39 points) on Saturday at Toyota Field at 7:30 p.m. to secure its second straight trip to the postseason.

Coming off a 1-0 win over New Mexico United last Saturday at Toyota Field, SAFC is feeling much better about its chances as it is one of four clubs contending for the final two playoffs berths in the Western Conference standings. Orange County, which is just below SAFC in eighth, and Phoenix Rising FC (10-10-9, 39 points) and Oakland Roots SC (9-9-11, 38 points) are the other clubs chasing the final playoff berths.

Midfielder Lucio Berron said he is looking forward to the challenge of playing Orange County with a playoff spot on the line.

“We’re going to treat this game as a final, which is what it is,” Berron said. “So, kind of do or due situation. I think the group feels very good, very confident. It actually is very good for a team to play this kind of game, especially going into playoffs. It will be the right training, the right set up for us to win and to get those three points going into the playoffs.”

The playoff situation for SAFC is like what they faced a year ago, when it needed a win in their regular season finale. San Antonio rose up to the challenge then, kicking the offensive into overdrive with a 5-2 win over El Paso Locomotive FC at Toyota Field.

Forward Alex Greive said SAFC goes into the final match knowing it can clinch a playoff spot without having to rely on results from other league games, if they can get the job done.

“I think its crunch time, so we put ourselves in a good position with our performance last week (against New Mexico) and we just got one game to really solidify our place in the playoffs and then we can push on from there,” Greive said. “There will be no focus on any other results, it’s just us getting the job done and us getting the three points ourselves.”

SAFC coach Carlos Llamosa said his club controls its own destiny when it comes to earning a postseason berth.

“It’s on us,” Llamosa said. “We have to do our job to get the three points. The first goal is secure playoff and the second goal is to see how high we can finish in the table. You never know. I’ve been on teams where we finish sixth and we end up playing at home in the cup at the end of the year. That is something we need to keep in mind.”

SAFC ended a four-game scoreless drought in the win over second place New Mexico (14-8-7, 49 points). Midfielder Curt Calov came off the bench to score for SAFC in the 29th minute, firing a shot into the net from the top of the box.

As it has been for the last two months, San Antonio leaned on its defense to preserve the shutout as goalkeeper Joey Batrouni posted his 10th clean sheet of the season, tied for third best in the USL. SAFC outshot New Mexico 16-5, while holding the United to one shot on target for the entire match.

With the win, SAFC swept the three-game season series from New Mexico. The victory marked San Antonio’s first home win since Aug. 12, when they defeated Miami FC 2-1 in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. In addition, it was the first league win at home for SAFC since July 31, when they beat Indy Eleven 3-1.

This is the second meeting between the two clubs this season, as Orange County won the first matchup in southern California 2-0 in April. At one point, Orange County was riding high, as it was one top of the Western table in the earlier part of the season. However, the club has struggled as it has slid down the conference standings, losing three of its last four matches as it prepares to face San Antonio.

Due to the club’s recent slide, Orange County decided to make a coaching change a month before the end of the season, parting ways with Danny Stone on Sept. 24 and naming Dekel Keina as interim coach.

Going into the Orange County match, SAFC is still dealing with injuries, as six players were out for the New Mexico match. The injury list grew when midfielder Mikey Maldonado had to leave the New Mexico match after getting hurt.

The playing status of Maldonado and midfielder Jorge Hernandez, one of SAFC’s top scorers, who has been out with an injury for some time, was uncertain going into final regular season match.

“We don’t have to be worrying about a specific player here or there,” Llamosa said. “We have to be worried about a team who has a chance to make the playoff and they know that getting the three points, they’re going to come here and give everything, because that’s the last hope they have to make playoff, this game. If there’s a chance, there is hope and they’re going to fight for it. So, we have to be ready for Orange County.”

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This article originally published at SAFC looks to clinch playoff berth in regular season finale.