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3 Ups and 3 Downs from Monterey Bay FC’s 1–0 Loss to San Antonio FC
The start of the 2025 USL Championship season for MBFC didn’t go as planned
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Monterey Bay F.C. officially opened up their 2025 season by going on the road and taking a 1–0 defeat at the hands of San Antonio FC. After an exciting offseason, it wasn’t the result that the club was hoping for by any means. Here are three ups and three downs from the match.
Downs:
1. MBFC wants to play a possession-based game under Coach Jordan Stewart. Utilizing shorter passes in greater numbers, the plan is wearing down opponents by attrition and finding scoring opportunities through mentally and physically fatigued defenders. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen Saturday, as Monterey Bay held the ball for only 47% of the match — with that final number ticking up a bit from the final 5–10 minutes as a more desperate push was made to equalize.
2. By default, Monterey Bay’s midfielders must shoulder a disproportionate amount of the load when it comes to making the possession based game work best. Their ability to get the ball from defenders and at the feet of attackers on the other side of the pitch will largely determine if they…