SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio FC’s rise to the top of the USL Western Conference in the club’s second season has been one of the biggest stories in the 2017 season, and according to mainstay defender Greg Cochrane it was the conclusion to the end of the club’s first year that helped provide the impetus for the side that enters the USL Game of the Week on ESPNU on Friday night against OKC Energy FC sitting with the second-best record in the league.

After an up-and down first half of the season, as would certainly be expected from an expansion side, SAFC made its way into the top eight in the Western Conference as it won four games and drew two in the middle of its slate. Another three-game winning streak after a brief downturn bolstered those hopes, but the side won only once in its final six games, and fell to Rio Grande Valley FC in its final game of the season to come up two points back of the final berth in the postseason.

“In the middle part of the year we went on a nice run, I think it was six games unbeaten, and then the injury bug hit, just one after another right up the spine of our team,” Cochrane told Mike Watts on Monday in USL Coast 2 Coast on SiriusXM FC. “We don’t make excuses, it’s part of the game and you’ve just got to deal with it, and it was a next man up mentality, and unfortunately we got to the last game needing a win, and we couldn’t pull it off. It was a good learning experience, being an expansion team, but I think all of that is what really pushed us on to this year so far.”

This year there are few concerns about San Antonio’s place in the USL Cup Playoffs as the club starts the second half of its season on Friday night. With the likes of Cochrane, center back Sebastian Ibeagha and goalkeeper Diego Restrepo leading a defense that has conceded the fewest goals in the league this season, the question now is whether SAFC will claim its first piece of silverware at the end of the season.

Victory in Friday night’s game would go a long way toward that goal, with SAFC sitting eight points behind Real Monarchs SLC for first place in both the Western Conference, and the race for the USL Regular Season Championship. With the Monarchs visiting Toyota Field next Saturday, the opportunity to close the gap quickly is there for the taking.

Additionally, the club will get to take its first bow on national television on Friday night against Energy FC with the game set to be aired on ESPNU. As part of a big month of soccer in San Antonio, Cochrane is aiming to make sure he and his teammates do what they need to do with the national spotlight shining a little bit brighter.

“That’s our job, right, just to play the game,” said Cochrane. “Everything else is just distraction and outside noise. I can’t speak for other people on the team, but for me I look at it as just another game, another opportunity to push this team forward, push this club forward, push this city forward.”

While the players try to push the club forward, they’ll have strong support from the stands. Coming off an international exhibition against Liga MX’s Santos Laguna that drew a sellout crowd of 8,007 to Toyota Field last Saturday night, the atmosphere is likely to continue what’s been an impressive rise in attendance this season for the club.

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All told, Friday night’s game promises plenty for soccer fans in the Alamo City, and for fans tuning in around the country.

“The fans support here is unbelievable,” said Cochrane. “For what’s supposed to be an ‘off’ weekend and an exhibition games, these guys showed in full force. I think it was the third-highest attendance in San Antonio FC history, so it makes it fun for the players. We really enjoy their support, I can’t say enough about them, they’re incredible.”