The San Diego Loyal picked up three more valuable standings points following last Saturday’s 2-1 come-from-behind won over the Sacramento Republic at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium. The win moved the Loyal’s record to 14 wins, 10 losses and four ties on the season with 46 points in the Pacific Division standings as the team continues to push for a playoff berth in just its second season.
Mater Dei Catholic High School alumnus Alejandro Guido played a big part in the Loyal’s latest victory – the team’s sixth in its last eight games – by scoring his fifth goal of the season while adding an assist.
The Chula Vista native danced in celebration after his exploits on the field. His exploits were rewarded with a selection to the USL Championship Team of the Week.
The Loyal had to fight back from a 1-0 first-half deficit when Sacramento’s Dariusz Formella scored in the 30th minute. Shannon Gomez received credit for the assist.
The large gathering of Loyal fans – the team’s third sellout of the season (6,000-plus in attendance)‚ had to wait until the second half to bust out in cheers as Guido began to bust out his fancy moves on the field.
The Loyal leveled the score in the 54th minute when Guido danced with the ball to mesmerize the Sacramento defense off a pass from teammate Corey Hertzog.
““That was really special. I am going to remember that the rest of my life,” Guido said about his fancy footwork that led to the goal. “I hope we can do many more and I hope we can do it in the playoffs.”
It didn’t take long – just three minutes – for the hosts long to take their first lead in the match.
This time Guido drew the assist on a goal by Douglas Martinez Jr. in the 57th minute.
Loyal manager Landon Donovan reiterated prior to the match that this is the time of the season that the team needs to bear down on opponents as the schedule shortens.
“We want to be better every week,” Donovan said about looking at the standings. “This is the time of year where now the points matter in a real way. I think our guys are focused on giving ourselves a real chance and right now we feel we can step on the field with anyone and compete.”
Guido has been a key contributor often filling in at different positions due to some injuries to starters at the midfield. Guido, who signed an extension with SD Loyal this past offseason, has played in 26 matches, starting in 17 while playing 1,573 minutes to date.
The USL Championship playoffs will consist of three rounds. The top four teams in each of the league’s four divisions qualify for the playoffs. The four qualifiers from the Pacific Division will play an interlocking playoff schedule with the four qualifiers from the Mountain Division that will lead to the Western Conference championship.
The Loyal trails division leader Phoenix Rising (19-4-5) by 16 standings points and leads third place Orange County SC (10-10-7) by nine points. The Loyal is 11 points ahead of the fourth place L.A. Galaxy II (10-12-5).
Sacramento sits in seventh place among the division’s eight teams with an 8-12-8 record and 32 points.
The Loyal has four matches remaining on its regular season schedule — two home and two away.
San Diego will host New Mexico United on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m., then travel for a midweek game to Orange County on Wednesday. The Loyal will host the Oakland Roots on Oct. 24, then play a return match in Sacramento on Oct. 30.
The playoffs follow.
The Loyal held the No. 10 position in the Week 24 power rankings among the 31 USL Championship teams.
