There’s an element of getting back to basics in what San Antonio FC’s is doing under new Head Coach Carlos Llamosa.

Two games into the former United States Men’s National Team player’s first stint as a Head Coach and it’s paying off impressively.

SAFC has put together consecutive shutout victories to open the season to sit on top of the early-season Western Conference standings, producing enough attacking presence in Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to deliver what ended up being a comfortable win.

But where the side is thriving more is at the defensive end. The shutouts are one thing, but the side has only allowed one shot on target and 1.02 Expected Goals against over its first two outings.

It’s a sign of a team that’s in tune with each other when it comes to the defensive work they’re putting in.

“I think we’re extremely organized,” said midfielder Luke Haakenson after Saturday’s win. “I think we’re very compact front to back, and I think you have 11 guys that are committed to doing a lot of work, so I don’t think it’s any one guy out there.

“I think if you look top to bottom, it’s a lot of guys who are committed to defending and putting in a shift, and you know, most of the time defense wins games, and you saw that tonight.”

When San Antonio won it all in 2022, it’s defensive solidity was central to that success. While the side didn’t end the season with the best defensive record in the league – that was the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who had a 29.54 Expected Goals Against mark in the regular season – San Antonio still came in allowing fewer than one Expected Goal per game.

It’s still very early, but San Antonio is looking well on the way back to contention after last year’s forgettable campaign.