Second half begins with trip to Memphis
Six days after beating Birmingham, San Antonio FC will be back in action Friday night when it travels to face Memphis 901 FC at Autozone Park.
It’s the start of a three-game slate in an eight-day span for San Antonio FC between Friday and July 15.
“Memphis didn’t play too well this past weekend, but they had a 12-game unbeaten streak before that,” San Antonio midfielder Jacori Hayes said. “It’s a tough team to play against, and they’re always getting results.”
Memphis comes into Friday’s game having played just 15 games this season, but it is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 28 points and an 8-3-4 record. Those 28 points have Memphis sitting three points back of first place in the East. In its first 15 games this season, Memphis has a plus-eight goal differential, scoring 30 goals and giving up 22.
“Memphis is a very good team,” San Antonio coach Alen Marcina said. “They’ve been one of the hottest teams in the whole USL this year.”
San Antonio sits third in the Western Conference with 28 points and a 7-3-7 record. San Antonio leads the USL Championship with 31 goals scored and has conceded 20 goals.
Last week, Memphis’ 12-game unbeaten streak was snapped in
a 6-0 loss at Phoenix Rising. Memphis has gone 4-2-3 at home this season. The last home game for Memphis was June 24, a 3-2 win over Charleston Battery.
“I’ve been on teams that have had that type of unbeaten streak
and you feel so confident as a team,” Hayes said. “You feel no matter what situation you’re in, you’re going to get something out of the game. We know they will have that mentality.”
San Antonio is playing its first road game since a 3-1 loss at
Sacramento on June 24. SAFC will get starting goalkeeper Jordan Farr back this week after he missed last week with a onegame suspension for a red card in the loss at Sacramento.
Also returning this week will be defender Shannon Gomez.
Gomez was part of the Trinidad and Tobago national team that competed in the Gold Cup. Trinidad and Tobago bowed out of the tournament after going 1-2 in the group stage.
“It was a good experience for me,” Gomez said of playing in the Gold Cup. “It was my first Gold Cup and I definitely took a lot from it. (There’s) a lot I can learn as a player and bring it to my game and be the best player I can be for San Antonio FC.”
Friday marks the first time San Antonio FC and Memphis have played each other since Oct. 10, 2021. That night, San Antonio won 4-2 at Toyota Field. Friday’s game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
After visiting Memphis, San Antonio will be on the road Wednesday against El Paso before returning home for a friendly with English club Sunderland on July 15.
“As a staff, this is something where we have a plan in place,” Marcina said of the three games in eight days. “As players, our focus right now is solely on Memphis. After Memphis’ result we’ll reflect, we’ll learn, we’ll grow and then we’ll have a plan in place for El Paso.”