San Antonio FC Downs Houston Dynamo 2, 5-2
USL San Antonio FC

San Antonio FC Downs Houston Dynamo 2, 5-2

Published on February 21, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
San Antonio FC News Release


SAN ANTONIO - San Antonio FC recorded its second straight win of preseason competition, defeating MLS Next Pro side Houston Dynamo 2 5-2 Saturday at Toyota Field.

SAFC prevailed with its early offensive pressure in the match as Santiago Patiño finished off a free kick from Jorge Hernandez in the 14th minute. Houston would follow with a pair of goals to take the lead before the break at halftime.

Nelson Flores Blanco drew the score even in the 54th minute, pinging in a long, direct pass from Mitchell Taintor from the top of the box. The Salvadoran international secured his brace in the 74th minute with a headed goal off a corner kick to pull San Antonio back ahead.

Cristian Parano became the third different SAFC scorer on the day, finding space between a pair of Dynamo defenders to slot home the finisher in the 80th minute. Five minutes later, some excellent team build-up play down the field gave way for Emil Cuello to poke a ball back that Christian Sorto tapped in for San Antonio's fifth and final goal.

Scoring Summary:

SA: Santiago Patiño (Assisted by Jorge Hernandez) 14'

HOU: 1-1, 19'

HOU: 2-1, 33'

SA: Nelson Flores Blanco (Assisted by Mitchell Taintor) 54'

SA: Nelson Flores Blanco (Assisted by Jorge Hernandez) 74'

SA: Cristian Parano (Assisted by Jorge Hernandez) 80'

SA: Christian Sorto (Assisted by Emil Cuello) 85'

Next Up:

San Antonio FC will host its final preseason friendly Saturday, Feb. 28 against Corpus Christi FC. The 2026 regular season presented by Toyota will open the following week against Phoenix Rising FC Saturday, March 7 at Toyota Field. Tickets are on sale now at SanAntonioFC.com or on the SAFC app.

SAFC Starting XI: Richard Sanchez (Joey Batrouni 46'), Nelson Flores Blanco (Emil Cuello 75'), Mitchell Taintor, Alex Crognale, Tiago Suarez (Danny Barbir 46'), Akeem Ward, Mikey Maldonado, Dmitrii Erofeev (Curt Calov 75'), Jorge Hernandez, Alex Greive (Cristian Parano 27' (Leonides Urrutia 86')), Santiago Patiño (Christian Sorto 75')

Defender Nelson Flores Blanco

(On the win)

"I mean, I feel like the first 15 minutes where it was great, and then we took the gas off the pedal, but throughout the whole game, when we were attacking, I personally I felt comfortable, and I know that other guys felt comfortable. I played with a lot of guys already, so we kind of know each other's movement, so we're happy with we're able to put some goals away. That's important for our confidence and for the season being around the corner, so overall, I thought it was good."

(On the team's offense the last two matches)

"I think the level of competition we've played this preseason has helped a lot. We played two MLS sides, so it's the type of games we want to play in preseason to get going, and those type of games give us the confidence when we play a team from our league or a team from a different league to score goals, so those games are the ones that bring us together as a group so we could be better as a team."

(On scoring a brace)

"I'm happy to get two goals, and you know, I'm gonna continue working. Hopefully in the season I get a couple as well, and like I said before, I'm here for the team, whatever they need. I always do what's best for the team, and every time I put on the jersey, I give it my all, so whatever the team needs or the coach needs, I'm there."

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from February 21, 2026


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