SAN ANTONIO – After the dramatic manner of San Antonio FC’s victory against the Portland Timbers 2 on June 2, there’s a case to be made the side would have been disappointed that the club’s first real break of the season arrived over the past two weeks, but according to Head Coach Darren Powell there have been some positives as the side prepares to face Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday night (8:30 p.m. ET | Match Center | ESPN+).

“Having a couple of days’ break in between matches changes the routine in a good way,” said Powell. “It gives the guys a chance to be with their families, which is something they hadn’t been able to do since February when we started working. But we know we have a tough test ahead of us against good competition, and now our batteries are recharged and we’re excited for the weekend.”

San Antonio’s victory against Portland, which arrived thanks to late goals from Omar Gordon and Alex Bruce, kept the side in the mix for the playoffs in the Western Conference as it enters the second game of a three-game stand at Toyota Field. SAFC is in 10th place in the standings but has at least two games in hand on each of the three teams that sit above it, meaning that while there’s work to be done there is still great opportunity for upward mobility for Powell’s side.

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With Sacramento having already seen action this week on Wednesday night against Fresno FC, SAFC will certainly enter the fresher of the two sides, which could provide a positive edge in the second meeting between the clubs this season.

“I think the squad is feeling fresh after having a few days off,” said SAFC midfielder Conor Presley. “We’re all rested and ready to go, and we’re excited to get going again and hopefully earning the result that we want on Saturday.”

Sacramento took a 2-1 victory when the teams met at Papa Murphy’s Park on the opening night of the 2018 season and is sitting in third place in the Western Conference after a 1-0 win against Fresno FC in its midweek outing. Both teams sit in the Top 10 in goals conceded this season in the USL, which has Powell expecting a tight contest between the two sides, but the importance of a victory that would continue SAFC’s progress toward a place position isn’t lost on Presley.

“Our mentality when playing at home is always that we can’t drop points,” said the midfielder. “We want to go out and win in our stadium and reward our great fans for their support with positive results.”