• San Antonio (9 wins, 7 draws/ties, 7 losses) currently sits in 8^th spot in the USL Western Conference, 5 places and 10 points behind Rising in 3^rd, but they have played a game less.
• This is the first meeting between both sides this season. In 2017, San Antonio won both matches 1-0.
• Tonight’s game is San Antonio’s third on the road in 12 days.  Defeats away to Sounders 2 (3-2) and Timbers 2 (2-1) have seen San Antonio drop out of the USL Power Rankings, after previously rating 10^th.
• In fact, they’ve won only 2 out of 11 road games all season – a 3-1 April win in Vegas, and a 2-1 win at OKC Energy on July 28.
• It’s home form that has kept San Antonio in the playoff hunt to date: 7 wins and 3 draws/ties from 12 games at Toyota Field.
• Goals have been in relatively short supply for San Antonio.  They’ve failed to find the net in 6 league games in 2018 (4 of them on the road), and currently average only 1.2 goals per game.

• Two players currently lead the club’s goalscoring chart this season: Éver Guzmán and Owayne Omar Gordon, with 5 goals apiece.
• Éver Guzmán joined San Antonio last season. He was previously part of the Morelia squad in Liga MX, and has played for many other Mexican teams on loan. Capped to U23 level, Guzmán was part of the Mexico squad that won the 2005 FIFA U17 World Championship, scoring 4 goals at the tournament, including one in each knockout match. Four of Guzmán’s goals this season have been scored in the last 6 league games. All 5 goals have been scored from inside the penalty box – 4 with his right foot, and 1 with his left.
• Owayne Omar Gordon was also part of San Antonio’s squad last year, on loan from Montego Bay (Jamaica). The 26 year-old returned this season, and was on the scoresheet in their 2-1 defeat away to Timbers 2 last Wednesday. Capped 6 times by Jamaica in 2015, Gordon is most dangerous with his right foot, which has contributed 4 of his 5 goals.

• Three other players have also scored more than one goal this season. Alex Bruce and Mickey Lopez have netted 3 times each; Rafael Castillo has scored twice.
• Bruce is a 19 year-old Englishman enjoying his first season as a professional footballer after a successful 3-week trial at Toyota Field last October. Bruce’s last goal came in a 1-1 draw at home to OKC Energy on July 4.
• Mikey Lopez also joined San Antonio last winter, after making 27 MLS appearances with New York City over 2 seasons. Selected as the 14^th overall pick in the 2013 MLS Super Draft, Lopez made 14 appearances for Sporting Kansas City (2013-2015), and has also featured for the U.S. U20 team. He started the season in fine form, with a goal in each of the first two games, but has only added one more since – a 73^rd minute penalty in a 2-1 win at OKC Energy on July 28.
• Rafael Castillo is a former Colombia international (9 full caps and 3 goals, 2001-2003) who moved to Toyota Field in 2016 after two successful years at San Antonio Scorpions in the NASL (43 appearances, 14 goals).  The diminutive midfielder’s former clubs include Real Cartagena, Independiente Medellín and Deportivo Pereira  (all Colombia), and Al-Ahly (Egypt).  Both of Castillo’s goals this season have been scored from the penalty spot – away to LV Lights in April and the Switchbacks in June.
• Diego Restrepo is most likely to feature at the other end of the pitch. Restrepo has played in 20 of their games this season, conceding 26 goals and keeping 4 clean sheets. The 30 year-old Venezuela-born player was also named as USL Goalkeeper of the Year last season, and has a 72.6% save success rate in 2018. He has played 14 times for the U.S. at U17 and U20 level, qualifying through residency.
• San Antonio’s other keeper is Matt Cardone.  He has conceded 3 goals in 3 games, kept 1 clean sheet, and has a 78.6% save success rate.  Cardone started in San Antonio’s last game.

• Eighteen of the 29 goals conceded by San Antonio this season have been scored in the second half. They appear particularly vulnerable between the 31^st and 75^th minutes of games.

• There are no ever-presents for San Antonio this season. Lopez has featured in 22 of their 23 league games, 17 of them as a starter. However, full-back Darnell King has clocked up the most game time to date – 1,880 minutes from 21 starts. King is certainly one to watch for the visitors. The 27 year-old former Fort Lauderdale man has created more chances than any other player in the team (20), following his February transfer from Tampa Bay Rowdies. King has also collected a team high 9 yellow cards so far this season.
• San Antonio certainly has issues with discipline, committing 337 fouls to date (the 5^th highest in both conferences). Boasting the second highest yellow card count in the USL (59 – trailing only to LV Lights), they currently average 3.3 cautions per away game, compared to just under 2 cautions per home game. They collected a staggering 6 cautions away to OCSC last month, and 5 in a goal-less draw away to RGV in May.
• Nevertheless, San Antonio have only collected 2 red cards to date, compared to Rising’s 5. Lopez was sent off for a second bookable offense away to Los Dos in March, and midfielder Kris Tyrpak was given an 88^th minute straight red for violent conduct away to Fresno in May. Both games ended goal-less, and Tyrpak has since left the club.
• Lopez and Brazilian midfielder Pecka are set to miss the Rising game through yellow card accumulation, after both players collected another booking at Timbers 2 last Wednesday. Striker César Elizondo, defender Cyprian Hedrick, and Diego Restrepo are all one caution away from a yellow card accumulation suspension.
• FiveThirtyEight has given San Antonio a 65% chance of making the playoffs. Don’t be surprised if they finish the season with a flourish. Their final 3 games are all at Toyota Field against Sounders 2, LV Lights and RGV.

From the Ashes Prediction:  Rising to build on their Nevada success with another 3 points.