RECAP | Cartaginés 1, Scorpions 0

In their first action since the end of the NASL Fall Season, the Scorpions fell to Costa Rican club Club Sport Cartaginés 0-1 in an international friendly at Toyota Field.

The deciding goal came in the 50' when Cartaginés forward Randall Brenes headed in a rebound off a shot from midfielder Juan Guzman that caromed hard off the crossbar. Brenes found himself alone in front of the Scorpions' net and easily headed in the rebound before the San Antonio defense had an opportunity to clear the ball.

Both teams took advantage of sloppy defense early on in the game. The Scorpions' first chance came in the very first minute of the match when recently-acquired forward Giuseppe Gentile sent a lining cross into the box. Striker Omar Cummings got a good head on the ball inside the Cartaginés 18-yard box, but sent the shot just wide right of the far post. In the 8' minute, a turnover by the Scorpions' defense led to an open shot level with the penalty area for Cartaginés forward Fabricio Ronchetti . Fortunately for the Scorpions, the grounding shot bounced wide left.

Minutes 14 through 17 saw two more big chances for each side, but still led to no goals. Scorpions forward Billy Forbes sent in a cross from the far side, meeting Omar Cummings in the penalty area in the 14th minute. Cummings' one-timed volley found the back of the net, but the officials ruled him offside and the goal was disallowed. In the 17', Brenes sent in a long ball from midfield, finding Ronchetti leading to a one-on-one with Sciorpions defender Adrian Cann. Ronchetti worked his way around Cann and fired a shot from the right side of the inner 18-yard box. However, the Scorpions fortunes came through again as the shot sailed over the top left crossbar and an outstretched Matt Cardone.

The Scorpions saw multiple chances after Cartaginés' goal, but couldn't capitalize. In the 57', Scorpions midfielder Josué Soto sent a long ball from midfield to Billy Forbes streaking down the left sideline. Forbes made a run into the box and got a shot off, but Cartaginés goalkeeper Alejandro Gomez parried it out of bounds. The best chance of the night for the Alamo City boys came in the 62'. Omar Cummings played a cross into the box looking for Giuseppe Gentile. After the ball went past the box and through to the other side, Gentile tracked it down and played it in to rookie Monbo Bokar, who fired a shot off the post. His follow-up shot went just right of the net. The last real chance for the Scorpions came in the 66', when Cummings gained possession off a turnover in the middle of the field and fired a shot at goal. However, the ball just sailed over the outstretched arms of Gomez.

A game with lots of chances featured lots of physicality as well, as the teams accumulated a total of seven yellow cards over the course of the match.

The Scorpions lost their third international friendly in franchise history, making their record in those contests 1-4-3. The Scorpions have eight more days off until their Spring Season opener against FC Edmonton in Fort McMurray, Alberta, on July 5th. In their most recent meeting, they defeated Edmonton on the road 3-2 on May 17th behind two goals from Billy Forbes.