Phoenix Starts 2019 in San Antonio With High Hopes and High Expectations

Phoenix Rising FC vs. San Antonio FC
6:30 PM (MST), Saturday, Toyota Field, San Antonio, TX
TV: CW 6 & 61.1
Live Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required)
MatchCenter: #SAvPHX

November 8th, 2018. It has been 121 days since Phoenix Rising last took the field for an official match. While they left the USL Cup empty-handed, the work towards 2019 began shortly after. That work culminates tonight with the start of the 2019 USL Championship season. Rising start their Western Conference defense with what should be one of their toughest road games this season.

Phoenix Rising FC: To get caught up on Rising’s off-season, check out our team preview. The short version is 12 returnees from last year’s USL Cup runner’s up squad, 7 departures including the retirement of Didier Drogba, and 10 new faces in this year’s squad. The team revamped their forward depth in the offseason, bringing in Adam Jahn, Ben Spencer, and IIijah Paul to replace Drogba, Chris Cortez (joined Chonburi FC), and Kevaughn Frater (joined New Mexico United). The team’s offense, as it was last year, is expected to flow through 2018 USL First Team winger Solomon Asante. Asante has garnered MVP talk from multiple outlets and should raise his level even higher. The return of James Musa and Kevon Lamber form the backbone of the midfield, while Devin Vega, Jose Aguinaga, and Colin Fernandez will look to help transition the team into attack. The back line brings the most questions coming into the season as the lack of depth, even with the addition of loanee Lamar Batista, leaves the team susceptible if injury or bad form comes into play. The exact opposite can be said of the goalkeeping core as the return of Woszczynski and Lubin create 1-2 that can not be matched in the league.

San Antonio FC: Last year’s team just missed out on the playoffs, 3 points outside the 8th spot. The team went through an overhaul in the off-season, with 18 players leaving, including team mainstays Diego Restrepo and Greg Cochrane. The team has upgraded their attack, bringing over Lance Laing permanently from FC Cincinnati, Jack Barnby from Timbers 2, and Bradford Jamieson IV on loan from Los Dos. Of course, the team also brought back Billy Forbes after the midfielder posted 3 goals and 3 assists for Phoenix last year. The team has been picked to improve this year, with a playoff spot anywhere from 4th to 9th predicted in the preseason.

Last Meeting:

Predicted Lineup