2026 Match Recap: Sacramento Republic FC, San Antonio FC

A heated clash between two Western Conference foes with playoff implications on the line closed out the matchweek for the league as Sacramento hosted San Antonio. Nothing could separate these two sides as the Republic tried their best to score, but a performance from Joseph Batrouni in net kept the sides level.

San Antonio has been sliding down the standings as their efforts to stake a claim in the postseason were slowly getting out of their grasp. The team has managed just one win in its last six league matches. Their last match was a 1-2 loss to Colorado Springs. San Antonio also saw their cup run end recently as they bowed out in the semifinals via penalty shootout against Louisville. Their position in the standings was weakening, but thanks to a congested Western Conference, any win could see them climb back up. The last time these two met, San Antonio won 2-1 back in May. Forster Ajago scored that night, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit set by San Antonio.

Sacramento was looking to rocket up the standings as the rest of the schedule was against playoff competitors of the Western Conference. A win against Detroit their last time out got the team back on track, after three straight draws right before that. The Republic have their playoff fate in their hands, as a handful of teams that they are set to face before the end of the season are teams that are above them in the standings. This is a chance to help themselves while sinking the hopes of some of their direct rivals. Plus, this stretch of games will give us a look at how the Republic stacks up and give possible previews to matchups in the postseason.

Coach Carlos Llamosa made this selection for San Antonio:

The squad in Cali tonight 🫡#Sponsored | @Toyota pic.twitter.com/fJXw6tG8Xv

— San Antonio FC (@SanAntonioFC) September 20, 2026

Coach Neill Collins had this lineup for Sacramento:

Lineup is in 🔒 pic.twitter.com/2kNxJUaBDm

— Sacramento Republic FC (@SacRepublicFC) September 20, 2026

The Republic made no changes to its starters or bench.

It was a relatively even contest in the opening phase. Sacramento looked the more threatening of the two sides as they got touches around San Antonio's box. But there was nothing to trouble either keeper in the first couple of minutes. San Antonio was trying to find their strikers and get them to dribble in towards the Republic defenders, but the Republic backline were doing a good job of shielding the opposition off and controlling what San Antonio could do in their half of the field.

The first decent shot for the Republic came in the 25th minute. Some pretty combination play from Alfredo Midence and Memo Rodriguez led to Jack Gurr getting the ball down the right. Gurr cut his dribble back and put a cross into the San Antonio box. Cal Jennings was the target on this attempt, and he got a glancing header on the cross that redirected the ball to hit the San Antonio goalpost and go out.

Off a corner kick in the 28th minute, Memo Rodriguez played the ball short to Pep Casas, who then passed the ball off to Cal Jennings. There were a couple of attempts to play a cross that were blocked by the San Antonio defense, but the ball fell back to Jennings, who passed it off to Alfredo Midence at the top of the box. Midence's first shot was inadvertently blocked by Jared Timmer. Midence ran onto the rebound, but it got deflected by Joseph Batrouni in the San Antonio goal.

Sacramento was pushing for an opening goal as the game inched closer to halftime. The team was able to get a couple of chances via Jack Gurr and Cal Jennings, but those didn't test Joseph Batrouni. But Batrouni faced another test in the 43rd minute as Cal Jennings and Alfredo Midence did a give-and-go routine down the middle of the park that resulted in Midence putting in a driven effort at the San Antonio net. Batrouni was forced to make a kick save to deflect the ball upwards and over the bar.

At halftime, there were no goals as both sides went in level at the break. Sacramento looked the more dynamic of the two sides, regularly testing the San Antonio defense. A couple of close calls or a shot bouncing a couple of inches the other way and the Republic could've gone into the break with the lead. Sacramento are doing everything right and controlling this match, they just don't have the goals to show for it.

Sacramento again looked to score early in the second half, in the 50th minute. Again, Alfredo Midence would be the one to take the chance as he was played down the right flank by Memo Rodriguez. Midence cut back towards the inside of the park and into the San Antonio box when he fired his shot. The attempt bounced off the inside of the San Antonio goalpost and back out, then rolled out of bounds.

Another chance for Sacramento came close in the 59th minute as Memo Rodriguez pushed the ball up the middle. He took his chances from outside the San Antonio box, but his driven effort also ricocheted off the post and was eventually cleared out.

The Republic had a trio of chances around the 67th minute. First, Alfredo Midence took a chance from range that forced Joseph Batrouni to catch it midair. And then, after a throw-in, Memo Rodriguez played in onrushing Jack Gurr. His shot was turned away by Batrouni. Cal Jennings was first to the rebound, and he played it back to the middle of the box as Pep Casas also came in to make a late run, but Batrouni turned his shot away as well.

Afterward, Neill Collins looked to freshen up the attack as Sacramento hunted for a goal. Kyle Edwards and Tyler Wolff were asked to come on to replace Cal Jennings and Mayele Malango.

Another pair of substitutions were made in the 72nd minute. Arturo Rodriguez and Tim Leibold stepped in to replace Alfredo Midence and Freddy Kleeman.

Sacramento pushed late on to find a winning goal, but nothing could find its mark. The match ended level. This one was definitely winnable, but you have to give it up to the opposing keeper for standing on his head, with 5 saves recorded. That being said, the Republic hit the woodwork on three different occasions. They definitely had their opportunities, and if they were just a tiny bit more accurate, we'd be talking about a different result. The gauntlet of a home stretch continues as Sacramento goes on the road to visit New Mexico. Onwards!

Coach Neill Collins on the result:

“I'm furious because we should've won the game. We hit the woodwork three times. We had so many opportunities. The performance was fantastic, but we didn't get the win. We didn't manage to get that last part, so it's hard. I'm not furious with the players. I'm just so disappointed because that performance should have been a winning performance, and I'm just really disappointed with the stop/start nature of the second half. I just think it happens far too much in this league, where fans come. We've got an amazing crowd here. Let's watch the game as opposed to watching the referee and the athletic trainers on the pitch.”

Danny Crisostomo's thoughts on the match:

“I mean, it's frustrating. I think we more than deserve the three points. We had an amazing game. I don't think they really had any chances against us. It's just, we're extremely frustrated as a group because we know we can get more, and we're just right there. And it's that 2% difference that we can do. So we move on. It's a point, but you know we just need to get the three.”