San Antonio FC hosts an international friendly against Deportivo Saprissa on Saturday
After snapping a five-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over Phoenix last Saturday, San Antonio FC takes a break from league play to host an international friendly against Costa Rican power Deportivo Saprissa on Saturday night.
The friendly against Saprissa allows San Antonio to play a game that might not decide it spot in the league standings but can be an opportunity to build on things that worked well last week. “It is a friendly, but it is a very important weekend for us coming off a win,” San Antonio forward Juan Agudelo said. “We want to maintain our principals and our mentality and our style of play so we can catch into a rhythm going into the second part of the season.” Deportivo Saprissa is the winningest club in Costa Rican history, having won the top league 40 times, including the last three in a row, and three CONCACAF Champions’ Cups. Saprissa also finished in third place in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship. “We get to play arguably the most prestigious club in Costa Rica with Saprissa and the history they bring,” San Antonio coach Alen Marcina said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for our fan base to see a different style of football. They’re in preseason now so we imagine we’ll see a lot of players from their side.” Saprissa began as an amateur club in 1935 and turned professional in 1948, winning the Segunda Division de Costa Rica in its first season as a professional club. It won the top league for the first time in 1952. “Any game we play in front of our fans we want to win,” SAFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega said. “Saprissa just won the league in Costa Rica and they have some good players. It’s going to be a difficult game and we’ll have to be at our best.” For San Antonio, the friendly against Saprissa provides a chance to play outside of league play and provides an opportunity for the players, both professional and academy players an opponent they might not regularly play. “A lot of our academy players will get the opportunity to test themselves against such a great opponent,” Marcina said. “We’re going up against a massive club. It’s a good opportunity for everyone involved.” This will be the 10th international friendly that San Antonio FC has played in club history. San Antonio has played at least one international friendly in each season except for the club’s inaugural 2016 season and the 2020 season. “They have quality players,” Agudelo said. “They’re not just a team that’s going to take it easy on us, they could do some damage on us if we’re not aware and we don’t want that to happen in our stadium.” San Antonio is 2-6-1 in its previous international friendlies. SAFC beat Antigua GFC from Guatemala in a pre-season friendly earlier this year. The past friendlies have been against clubs from Mexico, Wales, England and Guatemala. Saprissa will be the first club from Costa Rica to play a friendly against San Antonio. After playing Saprissa, San Antonio will embark on a two-game road trip starting next Saturday at Orange County SC. San Antonio’s next home game is Aug. 3 against FC Tulsa.
San Antonio FC Segunda Division CONCACAF Second Division FC Tulsa Antigua GFC Juan Agudelo Alen Marcina Pablo Sisniega San Antonio Costa Rican Phoenix Guatemala Mexico Wales England SC Orange County 2005 FIFA Club World Championship Saprissa San Antonio
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