First road trip of the season features a familiar face in net
After opening the season with a 2-2 draw at home against Loudoun United, San Antonio FC hits the road for the first time in 2024 when they travel to face Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.
While San Antonio opened the season last week, Tampa Bay was off last week, making this the season opener for the Rowdies.
“We have the opportunity to play one of the best teams in the league,” San Antonio coach Alen Marcina said. “Their coach is new to our league but he’s an excellent coach. There is no video on what they plan on doing so it was a little bit of a guessing game but they have a lot of returners so they will be cohesive.”
The visit to Tampa Bay will have another level of excitement for the neutrals as it will see San Antonio FC going against former goalkeeper Jordan Farr.
Farr signed with Tampa
Bay in the offseason after two-plus years at San Antonio FC that included winning USL Championship goalkeeper of the year in 2022.
“Jordan was a good friend and we’re definitely looking forward to playing against him,” San Antonio defender Carter Manley said. “I talked to him in preseason and we’re looking forward to the matchup with each other. I’ve played against guys I’ve been teammates with before. This is nothing new for any of us.”
The departure of Farr opened the goalkeeper position for San Antonio. San Antonio FC signed Pablo Sisniega and Kendall Mcintosh in the offseason to man the goal. Sisniega won the starting job in preseason camp.
“To be fair, I don’t really know Jordan, I’ve heard he was a great keeper here. Obviously winning goalkeeper of the year here, he did well here,” San Antonio goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega said. “You need to be prepared for what the opponent will bring but you can’t put all your focus on them. You also have to focus on you and your team. If we do that I think we can be successful.”
Last season Tampa Bay finished second in the Eastern Conference with 63 points from a 19-9-6 record. The Rowdies fell to Birmingham Legion 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs. “We are excited to get after it, home or away,” Manley said. “We have a good idea of what to expect from Tampa Bay Rowdies. We have to match the intensity of their home opener. They are going to have energy and intensity from that.”
San Antonio FC and Tampa Bay play at 6:30 p.m. at Al Lang Stadium. The game can be seen on the CBS Sports Golazo Network. San Antonio FC returns home next Saturday to face Colorado Springs Switchbacks.