San Antonio FC embraces pressure of playoff hunt in road match against Sacramento

With San Antonio FC locked in a tight battle to qualify for the playoffs, midfielder Luke Haakenson is not letting the pressure get to him as the club prepares for its match against Sacramento Republic FC on Sunday.

"These are the games that you want to play for, and these are the moments you want to be as a professional, where everything is riding on it," Haakenson said. "You want the pressure because there's everything in the world to play for and you live for these moments because when you have a little bit of success, it just feels so good because we know how much we sacrificed for the year to put ourselves in this position."

SAFC and Sacramento kick off their match from Heart Health Park in Sacramento at 6 p.m.

The match comes at a critical time for both clubs with six weeks remaining in the USL Championship regular season. SAFC (9-6-9, 36 points) sits in seventh place in the USL Western Conference table, while Sacramento (9-5-9, 36 points) is fifth in the conference standings.

Over the last six weeks, the Western Conference table has been shifting. San Antonio was in second place in the standings before hitting a tough stretch in which it has only won once in its last five league matches.

Instead of fighting for one of the top four spots in the table, SAFC is now hanging on just to be one of the top eight finishers to qualify for the playoffs. Right now, just three points separate SAFC from going below the playoff line, where Phoenix Rising FC (8-7-9, 33 points) sits in ninth place.

Other clubs battling it out for playoff positioning are FC Tulsa (10-7-6, 36 points), which is in fourth place, and Orange County SC (9-6-9, 36 points) in sixth place.

Coming off a 2-1 loss to third-place Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (11-9-4, 37 points) on the road last Friday, SAFC squares off against a Sacramento club which is 2-0-3 in its previous games, including a 1-0 win over Detroit City FC at home last week.

In its first match against Sacramento in May, SAFC edged out the Republic 2-1 at Toyota Field.

Defense has been the calling card for Sacramento recently with four clean sheets since Aug. 1. The Republic has conceded three goals combined in seven matches during that span.

"As a team, they defend really well, whether they play with five in the back or with four," Llamosa said. "They're a really good, organized team and obviously for us, this game or any other game, is not to concede early goals. Especially those kinds of teams that defend well because of the lead, especially at home, it's going to be tough to break them down."

Llamosa said SAFC will need to find a balance in how it plays against the Republic on its home turf.

"Their games are being close, but we have to consider they have really good forwards," Llamosa said. "So, we have to be very cautious about how we're going to attack and how we're going to prevent counterattacks, especially with those guys they have up front. So, if we can take advantage of that situation when they move the lines forward and give us the space, make sure when we're in a counterattack, we're smarter and create chances and score goals."

Haakenson is confident SAFC has the playmakers to counteract the talent Sacramento has on its squad, even if the Republic should score an early goal first.

"Honestly, I look at the quality we have in difference makers all over the field," Haakenson said. "So, I'm not worried about them scoring goals early because I know they'll be thinking the same thing about us. If you look at our attacking positions, we have guys who can make a play from wing back."

After enduring a tough stretch of the schedule in which SAFC played three games within six days, Llamosa said his squad should be ready for Sacramento on seven days of rest.

"It feels good to finally have a whole week before a game in Sacramento," Llamosa said. "That way we prepare better . . . guys reenergized after three games in six days."

With the season winding down and SAFC fighting tooth and nail to get into the postseason, backup goalkeeper Daniel Namani said the players have approached the training sessions like a game.

"So, we are treating, even the sessions here, as finals," Namani said. "We're being very competitive and translating that into game days. So, absolutely, each match we're treating it like a cup final but I think it starts here at training first. So, when it comes to game day, we're waiting for those moments. I think we'll be ready for those."