It’s simple, really.

For the past three calendar years, if San Antonio FC scores the opening goal against you, your chances of winning that game have basically sunk to zero.

This past Saturday night’s 1-0 win against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs marked the 61st consecutive game in which that held true, with the defending Championship title holders having earned victory 50 times in that span.

So, simple job. Right, Mitchell Taintor?

Eh, maybe not.

“You certainly don't want to want to jinx it,” the San Antonio FC defender and reigning Championship Defender of the Year said this week. “Yeah, we have a good record when we score first but you know, it’s not something that we go in thinking, ‘Oh, let’s go score first, the game’s over.’ I think that’s why we’ve had a lot of success when we score first, because we aren’t thinking ‘OK, the game is over.’

“The way [SAFC Head Coach] Alen [Marcina] has prepared us every week since 2020 when he took over has just been about our mentality and pushing through games and not giving up on any play because every play matters. I think that’s why we’ve had such good results when we do go up, because you know the game is not over.”

Still, ask anyone in the game how important getting a lead is and you’ll find consensus it’s much easier to play from ahead than from behind. There’s a reason you hear coaches spout the cliché “goals change games,” after all.

And this season, no team in the Championship has been better at striking early than SAFC.

San Antonio’s 13 goals in the opening 15 minutes of a game are the most in the league, as are its 13 goals in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Jorge Hernandez’s game-winner against Colorado Springs added to that total, arriving in the 55th minute, before the side saw out the result at Toyota Field.

“Obviously, that’s a perfect world scenario for every team,” said Taintor. “You go into your game and [are saying], ‘Hey, guys, let’s start fast, get an early goal, let’s do it,’ you know? It doesn't always work out like that, but, again, going back to the preparation and the way that we’re wired here at San Antonio, it’s all about being on the front foot, not holding any punches and going for it every single play. To be able to maintain that has been great. The consistency and the level that we’ve done that getting these results has been amazing.”

This year has been a different one to 2022 for San Antonio, however. There have been games in which the side has romped away to victory – the club-record 7-0 win against Eastern Conference Semifinalist the Charleston Battery the most notable – but there have been others where the side’s resiliency has been put to the test.

“It’s been different, but it’s great because we’re finding ways to get results even when we might not deserve the result,” said Taintor. “All it takes is a lucky bounce or a misplay from the other team for us to be right there. Those opportunities don’t happen, and we don’t capitalize on those opportunities, if we’re not betting on ourselves and taking risks to go forward and believing that we can make those plays.

“Believing in ourselves to make those plays sets us up for success. That might not always happen. You need a little bit of luck, but when we do get that luck, we’re right there to capitalize on it.”

That capability will get maybe its biggest test this Friday night when SAFC visits Sacramento Republic FC in the Western Conference Semifinals at Heart Health Park. As San Antonio has built its streak since the start of 2021, so has Sacramento this season. The West’s No. 1 seed is undefeated in 21 games – winning 18 times – when it scores first this year.

That applied when these sides last met in June, when Sacramento scored from the penalty spot inside the opening 10 minutes and went onto a 3-1 victory which proved key in the final positions for both clubs.

As important as the opening goal would appear to be on paper as these clubs meet for the first time in the postseason, though, Taintor is expecting nothing less than to go toe-to-toe until the result is decided.

“It’s important not to get hung up on the first goal,” he said. “Obviously, the first goal is very important, especially playing away from home and against a team which also has a really good record of scoring first. But I think every play is important. If we score the first goal, Sacramento’s not just going to lie down and say, ‘well, that’s the game, they’re undefeated in 61,’ and we’re not going to say, ‘Oh, shoot, they’re unbeaten in 21,’ you know?

“I think it’s going to be an amazing game for both supporters’ groups and for neutrals.”