The first meaningful Alamo Derby was truly a battle from the start, as San Antonio FC defeated Corinthians FC, 3-1.
NPSL club Corinthians FC of San Antonio made their way across town to Toyota Field to take on USL club San Antonio FC. The two clubs have only ever met in a preseason friendly as this is SAFC’s first year in existence. Despite the overcast and “cold” (for Texas) weather, there was a good showing for both clubs. The fans in attendance were very vocal for their sides and kept the stadium loud all night.
The second round bout between the two clubs was the first in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup for both as Corinthians’ first round opponent, North Texas Rayados, was forced to forfeit due to not being active in a USSF league in the most recent season.
The scoring started quickly with San Antonio FC banking their first goal only 2 minutes into the match. Forward Jacuqes Francois, making his first start for SAFC, found the club’s leading scorer Jason Johnson inside the 18 yard box. San Antonio was full tempo for the first 30 minutes, constantly pressuring Corinthians inside the NPSL side’s 18. Corinthians weathered the storm though, holding SAFC to the one goal for the first half.
The second half opened with another quick goal, this time in favor of the away side. Callum Chapman-Page earned his own goal in the 47th. As play continued, the game remained physical and heated. SAFC took the lead again as Francois went box-to-box for his first goal with SAFC in the 70th minute. He bagged his 2nd in the 74th off a Milton Palacios assist. With the home team up by two goals, Corinthians wasn’t able to recover before the final whistle blew.
“All night, the team showed great effort again. And obviously we knew going into the game that this is a tournament that you have to win to survive, and that’s what we did,” SAFC head coach Darren Powell told the media after the victory.
When asked about his mentality going into the game, man of the match Francois replied, “To do what I do best, score goals for my team and for the fans.”
Having passed their cross-town opponent, San Antonio FC will now go on to face another amateur club in the Des Moines Menace in Iowa in the Third Round of the US Open Cup. SAFC would be wise to not overlook the Menace, as the PDL side has upset seven professional teams in their long history.