San Antonio FC closed out their three-game homestand with a 4-0 win over expansion side Reno 1868 FC in front of 6,403 fans at Toyota Field on Saturday evening.
SAFC got on the scoreboard in the 34th minute when Billy Forbes connected on his third goal of the young season, beating Reno goalkeeper Matt Bersano. San Antonio would take their 1-0 lead into the second half.
San Antonio extended their lead with two Cesar Elizondo goals in the second half. The first goal came in the 67th minute when the forward beat the diving Bersano to make it 2-0 and the next came in the 79th minute when he beat the keeper one-on-one to make it a three goal game.
Rafa Castillo capped off the scoring after converting a penalty kick for his second goal of the season and San Antonio’s 4-0 win.
The win moves San Antonio to first place in the Western Conference table after just four games, but Head Coach Darren Powell said it is too early to discuss anything.
“We know how hard it is to get points in this league,” he said. “It’s very hard to get points in this league and our job is to go into the next game and get focused. It’s very early and I think the league will start to take shape a couple of months in.”
The match also marked SAFC’s final game in front of their home crowd until May as the club embarks on a three-game Midwest roadtrip.
“I think we’re ready for these three games coming up,” Vega said. “We don’t care who we play, I know the guys will take care of business and if I get minutes I’ll do the same things I did tonight.”
Player of the game:
Matt Cardone is RB90’s Player of the Game. He came up big for SAFC in the second half, making key saves to keep Reno off the scoreboard.
History maker: SAFC’s 4-0 win is the largest win in franchise history. The previous was their 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders 2 in their inaugural opener.
Staying clean: San Antonio recorded their third clean sheet in four games in 2017, becoming a tougher defense to score on after every match.
Up next: San Antonio FC is now 3-0-1 (10 points) on the season and will return to the pitch next Saturday at 5 p.m. when they take on Vancouver Whitecaps 2.
