With the US Open Cup back for 2022, San Antonio FC will start its run with a second-round matchup at home against D’Feeters Kicks SC on Tuesday night.
DKSC, a local qualifier from Duncanville, Texas, a suburb southwest of Dallas, is competing in the Open Cup for the first time this year. Its road to Tuesday’s match has been a long one, making it through three qualifying rounds before defeating reigning NPSL national champion Denton Diablos FC in a 3-2 thriller in the first round on March 22 to earn a clash with SAFC.
“A lot will depend on how San Antonio approaches the game, but this is the Beautiful Game and you never know what can happen. The soccer gods might be smiling on us [Tuesday],” DKSC forward Miles Byass told US Soccer’s Jonah Fontela. “Everyone’s on your side when you’re the underdog, and that’s just how it is.”
Here's everything you need to know about the match.
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 5, at Toyota Field in San Antonio, TX
HOW TO WATCH: ESPN+ (US)
RECORDS: SAFC: 3W-1L-0D (9 pts, 4th in the USL Championship’s Western Conference, 1-1-0 at home) | DKSC: 0W-0L-1D (1 pt, 6th in the UPSL Premier Division – Texas North, 0-0-1 away)
LAST TIME OUT: SAFC lost 2-0 at home against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday, facing a blizzard of shots and struggling to create many themselves. DKSC opened its UPSL Premier Division season with a scoreless draw away to Sporting NTX on Saturday.
PROJECTED LINEUPS:
SAFC (3-4-3): Matt Cardone; Roman Holt, Jasser Khmiri, Mitchell Taintor; Shannon Gomez, Connor Maloney, Mohammed Abu, Jordan Ayimbila; Henrik Sakshaug, Elliot Collier, Kai Louviere
Injury report: Kekuta Manneh will miss Tuesday’s match with an upper-body injury, while Justin Dhillon and Santiago Patiño are questionable due to lower-body injuries and PC is questionable due to an upper-body injury
DKSC (4-3-3): Anthony Rodriguez; Luis Hernandez, Paul Gorish, Stephen Gonzalez, Erik Macias; Miguel Ojeda, Juan Ramirez, Steven Chavez; Sebastian Mendez, Miles Byass, Roberto Gonzalez
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
SAFC: Academy players getting their shots – The early rounds of the Open Cup are perhaps the best opportunity for young players to get actual experience and make the case for more minutes going forward. Jose Gallegos got his first appearance and then start for SAFC in the Open Cup in 2019 before earning a professional contract, being nominated for USL Championship Young Player of the Year twice and making a move to a European first-division club.
To be fair, SAFC head coach Alen Marcina hasn’t just handed out opportunities to young players — they’ve had to earn them. But SAFC may not have the luxury of being picky right now as it struggles with injuries, particularly in attack. SAFC speaks highly of all academy players who even just train with the first team, so this could be a chance to see what everyone's made of.
“They’ve brought it every day they’ve been out this year as far as the intensity and competitiveness goes,” SAFC goalkeeper Matt Cardone said. “If they’re called upon, they’ll be ready to go because they have a really positive attitude [and have brought] a lot of energy to the group for the entire year.”
DKSC: Miles Byass, forward – From the youth teams of three MLS clubs to San Diego State University to three Finnish clubs to the UPSL Premier Division’s Foro 360 Pro, Byass might have more experience than the rest of the DKSC squad combined. He’s racked up a few accomplishments along the way too, being named an honorable mention for the Pac-10 all-conference team during his time at San Diego State and winning the 2021 UPSL Spring Season Championship with Foro, for whom he scored 57 goals in 58 matches.
Byass’ experience showed in the first round against Denton, scoring and assisting a goal apiece and being a nuisance to the defense. Whether SAFC uses the same weary defense as Saturday or rotates and risks a lack of chemistry, Byass is capable of getting in behind and testing the goalkeeper.
KEY MATCHUP: SAFC’s attack vs. the DKSC defense
While DKSC beat Denton in the first round two weeks ago to advance, it was far from a convincing defensive display. Poor clearances, an emphasis on the quantity of defenders rather than the quality of their play and what appeared to be a handball in the dying moments which went unpunished showed DKSC’s vulnerability at the back, and a better team could have run away with the match.
That was two weeks ago though, while DKSC was still ramping up to its season, so the defense might be in better form now (which the clean sheet in its league opener suggests). Additionally, SAFC’s attack won’t be at full strength for Tuesday’s match, whether the players on the field are first-teamers weary from Saturday or young players just getting their first taste of the senior game. How this battle goes depends on DKSC’s evolution and SAFC’s selection.
FOR THE WIN: SAFC balances fitness and finesse
SAFC head coach Alen Marcina has a depleted squad right now, whether it’s the numerous injured attacking players or the more defense-minded players who endured a blizzard of shots on Saturday night. He can freshen up the squad with young attackers like Henrik Sakshaug and Kai Louviere or defenders whose minutes have been limited so far like Jasser Khmiri and Jordan Ayimbila, but that sacrifices experience and chemistry.
SAFC should have enough energy, experience and skill in the squad if Marcina sets it up right and makes the correct tactical changes and substitutions though. While having such a depleted squad like this isn’t ideal, Marcina has wormed his way out of similar difficulties before.