SAN ANTONIO – In the 82nd minute, Toyota Field was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. After the game, the faces of the players said it all.
San Antonio FC saw their season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion as they played to a 2-2 draw with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in front of 8,406 fans in attendance.
SAFC had a two-goal advantage in the second half but squandered the lead with an own goal and a Tucker Bone header. As a result, San Antonio will miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.
“We had chances to put the game away and we didn’t,” SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell said. “Credit to Colorado because they came in and fought and created opportunities, and we didn’t take full advantage of playing against 10 men. For us, it’s hard to take and everyone is disappointed.”
San Antonio opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Pecka converted a penalty after Brian Gomez was fouled in the box. Despite both teams having equal chances, SAFC would take the one-goal lead into the second half.
SAFC extended their lead in the 46th minute after midfielder Jack Barmby scored the second penalty kick of the match, putting San Antonio up 2-0. Colorado Springs cut into the deficit thanks to a mistake from SAFC’ defender Abe Ackon, who redirected the ball into his own goal. Bone’s header sealed the point for the Switchbacks as the match ended 2-2.
“If we’re brutally honest, we didn’t put away chances when we could have and we couldn’t finish the game off,” Barmby said. “We conceded two goals against 10 men, we’ve seen it before against RGV, and we only have ourselves to blame.”
San Antonio will go into the offseason with more questions to answer. Will Powell return to the club as Head Coach? Which players will return and who will depart the club? The answers to those questions may come sooner rather than later.
With both New Mexico and LA Galaxy II winning their matches, San Antonio misses out on the playoffs by a single point. This marks the third time in four seasons the club has missed the postseason by a single point.
“It’s unfortunate because it was in our hands,” SAFC defender Kai Greene said. “We had it laid out for us on a platter and we couldn’t get it done. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, but all I can say is thank you to the fans. It’s tough.”
