@checkj.bsky.social
Freelance reporter focused on San Antonio and USL ⚽, formerly The Striker et al...sometimes very animated, usually quite unremarkable 🤷♂️ bluishmoonblog.wordpress.com
Despite letting a few goals slip later in the first half, SAFC started strong and finished stronger Saturday in a 5-2 preseason win over Houston Dynamo 2 in the only preseason match open to the public, led by a brace from Nelson Flores Blanco. #Defend210 bluishmoonblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/21/s...
21.02.2026 22:02 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0SAFC 5-2 HOU2 (FT)
A couple defensive mistakes in the first half but SAFC roars back in the second with four goals...take it with a grain of salt, particularly the way it snowballed by the end, but it builds confidence, if nothing else 🤷♂️ #Defend210
SAFC 5-2 HOU2 (85')
SAFC gets to the endline on the left side of the box before cutting it back to Sorto, who calmly finds the opening to get it across the line from a couple yards out. #Defend210
SAFC 4-2 HOU2 (80')
Quick counterattack following a Houston corner and Parano slides it past the onrushing goalkeeper from the right side of the box, should be safe for SAFC now 👍 #Defend210
SAFC 3-2 HOU2 (74')
Required a second corner kick but SAFC eventually gets it in, Blanco scoring his second goal of the match but this time from a header. #Defend210
SAFC 2-2 HOU2 (54')
Nelson Flores Blanco draws SAFC level again from close range. #Defend210
I'm sure by then we'll be borderline-freezing again 🙃
21.02.2026 18:57 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0SAFC 1-2 HOU2 (HT)
Aggressive start from SAFC which rewarded it with a goal, but a bit loose defensively as it concedes two different goals for Dynamo Dos to turn this around...it's just preseason, I guess 🤷♂️ #Defend210
SAFC 1-2 HOU2 (33')
SAFC can only half-clear a free kick before Houston plays some tidy passes in the box and beats Sanchez with a shot into the bottom left corner from a few yards out. #Defend210
SAFC 1-1 HOU2 (19')
Dynamo Dos equalizes with a strike from outside the box, well-placed to equalize. #Defend210
SAFC 1-0 HOU2 (14')
SAFC wins a free kick on the right side of the box, Jorge Hernandez swings it in and Santiago Patiño redirects it with his head for his first goal of preseason - payoff for the dominance SAFC has had in the early stages. #Defend210
San Antonio FC and Houston Dynamo 2 players warming up before a preseason match at Toyota Field on Feb. 21, 2026
Both teams out warming up...weather is nice today, partly cloudy, temperature in the 70s, a bit of a breeze - can we bottle this and have it for every match? 😅 #Defend210
21.02.2026 17:42 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
A picture from the corner of Toyota Field before a preseason match between San Antonio FC and Houston Dynamo 2 on Feb. 21, 2026
A picture from the press box of Toyota Field before a preseason match between San Antonio FC and Houston Dynamo 2 on Feb. 21, 2026
Taking it from the top...another year of covering SAFC begins, this time with a preseason match against Houston Dynamo 2 - not the most exciting opponent but it's at least something to whet everybody's appetites 🤷♂️ #Defend210
21.02.2026 17:16 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0SAFC gets behind the Houston defense and Semenyo squares the ball to a wide-open trialist at the back post where he slots it in to open the scoring.
...At least, that's what I dreamed last night, before SAFC's one open-door friendly today 😅
The loan pipeline from Minnesota to SAFC sends another player in Curt Calov, who provided seven assists and a goal in 21 appearances in MLSNP last year. He played collegiately at Rutgers and Syracuse, winning a national championship with the latter. #Defend210 www.sanantoniofc.com/news/2026/02...
20.02.2026 20:26 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
San Antonio FC's starting lineup for its preseason match against the University of the Incarnate Word on Feb. 18, 2026
SAFC rotates today's starting XI against UIW heavily, understandably with another match on Saturday even though last Saturday's was cut short...Parano, Sorto and Patiño the only three who have already started in preseason this year. #Defend210
18.02.2026 17:09 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Richard Sanchez, Mitchell Taintor, Alex Crognale, Mikey Maldonado and Jorge Hernandez continue to have perfect attendance, starting all three matches, but Lucio Berron misses out for the first time.
14.02.2026 15:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
San Antonio FC's starting lineup for its preseason match against FC Tulsa on Feb. 14, 2025
Dmitrii Erofeev gets his first start of preseason while Alex Greive, Cristian Parano and Diogo Pacheco make their second straight starts...rather attacking lineup on paper for this preseason match against FC Tulsa 🧐 #Defend210
14.02.2026 15:47 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0So in the span of about eight hours we went from completely shutting down the airspace around El Paso for 10 DAYS to business as usual again? Not sketchy at aaaaall...
11.02.2026 14:18 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
With just two closed-door matches played, not much is known about San Antonio FC as it hits the halfway mark in its 2026 preseason...but as usual, it believes it's on the right path to perform when the regular season starts. #Defend210 bluishmoonblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/10/h...
10.02.2026 18:30 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
SAFC signs Danny Barbir, a defender with a variety of experience in the USL Championship, a few European clubs, US youth national teams and English academies.
Transfermarkt lists him as a center back, so that part of the roster is quite deep now 🤔 #Defend210 www.sanantoniofc.com/news/2026/02...
Entering its second year under head coach Carlos Llamosa, San Antonio FC has a foundation to build on as it sets the bar higher, and it's already doing itself a favor by having a stronger start even just a week into preseason. #Defend210 bluishmoonblog.wordpress.com/2026/01/24/s...
24.01.2026 21:00 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
SAFC announces that it will be adding a reserve team in USL League Two, should be a nice way to bridge the gap between the academy and first team...kinda surprised it took 10 years 🤷♂️ #Defend210 www.sanantoniofc.com/news/2026/01...
22.01.2026 16:22 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Also, those of you who are observant may notice the Austin match was initially scheduled for Saturday when Austin announced it but has now been moved to Friday...guessing they looked at the weather forecast 😌
21.01.2026 19:10 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A graphic showing San Antonio FC's 2026 preseason schedule
SAFC announces its six-match preseason schedule, starting with two MLS teams before playing three fellow lower-division pro teams and a local college team to round it out.
SAFC says all matches are closed to the public. #Defend210
Not our day, could've been even worse than 2-0...credit to United for leaving so little space at the back for #MCFC to exploit with their tepid tempo, and the problems dealing with counters are far from new. #MUNMCI #ManchesterDerby
17.01.2026 14:28 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Yep, United was breaking and getting the better chances, finally put all the pieces together for one...tale as old as time, City dominating possession but unable to break a team down then punished on the counter 🙃 #MUNMCI #ManchesterCity
17.01.2026 13:57 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0United giving this patchwork City defense some difficulties, good thing their execution - particularly the timing of runs - is off 😌 #MUNMCI #ManchesterDerby
17.01.2026 13:22 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Otherwise, it's the usual 7:30pm for most of the year and 8pm during summer that SAFC switched to a couple years ago for home matches, and there aren't any unorthodox away times.
16.01.2026 20:42 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
San Antonio FC's schedule graphic for the 2026 season, now updated with times
SAFC releases times for its matches and March 29 is the highlight, another afternoon home match at 3pm.
Also, the match away to Sacramento on Sept. 20 is at 6pm CT, so that's one West Coast game which won't be crazy-late. #Defend210
