Wednesday, August 12
San Antonio, TX – Miami FC saw its 2026 USL Cup run come to an end Wednesday night, falling 2-1 to San Antonio FC in the Quarterfinals at Toyota Field.
In a physical knockout-round battle that saw both teams finish with 10 men, Miami continued to push until the final whistle and pulled within one through Arney Rocha in the 79th minute before a late surge came just short of forcing extra time.
The opening stages saw both sides battle for control, with Miami creating one of its first opportunities in the 22nd minute. Rodrigo da Costa delivered a ball into the area for Denilson Milanes, whose attempt went over the crossbar.
The complexion of the match changed in the 33rd minute when San Antonio defender Santiago Suárez was shown a red card, leaving the hosts with 10 men.
Despite the numerical advantage, Miami found itself behind shortly before halftime. San Antonio broke forward in transition in the 44th minute, with Jorge Hernández finding Cristian Parano, who finished into the bottom corner to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Miami immediately looked for an answer and nearly found it before the break. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Arney Rocha headed the ball into the path of da Costa, whose effort from the left side of the box forced goalkeeper Joseph Batrouni into a save.
Head Coach Gastón Maddoni made a change at halftime, introducing Joel Soñora, before Mason Tunbridge and Diego Mello entered in the 57th minute as Miami looked to increase the pressure.
Jürgen Locadia tested Batrouni shortly after, forcing a save from the San Antonio goalkeeper in the 59th minute. Miami continued to generate opportunities, but San Antonio struck again in the 64th minute. Hernández provided his second assist of the night, setting up Parano for his second goal to make it 2-0.
Miami continued to attack and refused to let the two-goal deficit put the match out of reach. The visitors created pressure through a series of corners and attempts around the San Antonio penalty area before the match returned to even numbers when Gerald Díaz was shown a red card in the 74th minute.
Five minutes later, Miami found its breakthrough.
Mello delivered the final ball to Rocha inside the six-yard box, and the Miami winger finished into the roof of the net to cut San Antonio’s advantage to 2-1 and bring Miami right back into the Quarterfinal.
The goal set up a tense finish as Miami pushed numbers forward in search of an equalizer. Even deep into stoppage time, the visitors continued creating opportunities. Jonathan Levin sent an effort narrowly wide from outside the box before Soñora and Mello helped create two more chances in the final moments.
Miami’s best opportunity to force extra time came in the 97th minute when Soñora delivered a ball into the area for Daltyn Knutson. The defender directed his header on target from close range, but Batrouni made the save to preserve San Antonio’s lead.
The final whistle brought Miami FC’s 2026 USL Cup campaign to an end in the Quarterfinals after a determined late push in San Antonio.
Miami FC now turns its attention back to USL Championship play as the club continues its road trip against Hartford Athletic on Saturday, August 15.
The club will return to Pitbull Stadium on Saturday, September 5, to host Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Tickets are available now at MiamiFC.com.
