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San Antonio FC defender Nelson Flores Blanco, left, goes up for a header against Las Vegas Lights FC defender Younes Boudadi during their match Saturday at Toyota Stadium. SAFC won 3-0 to break a four-match winless streak in USL play. (Celina Leyva/Celina Leyva/SAFC)
As the possibility of a USL league-wide players' strike looms, San Antonio FC was focused on preparing for their season opener against Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday.
Barring any strike that could delay the start of its season, SAFC and Phoenix kickoff Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Toyota Field.
The threat of a work stoppage comes about as league officials and the union representing the players, the USL Players Association (USLPA), were still in negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement before the start of the USL Championship season this weekend. If a new agreement can't be reached, USLPA members have voted to go on strike.
The authorization to call a strike came after the league came out with its latest proposal on Feb. 18 - and 90 percent of the players rejected it, according to the USLPA. The league and the players' association have been in negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement since August 2024, with the previous agreement having expired on Dec. 31.
Several topics have been part of the negotiations, including minimum compensation, housing, health insurance, image rights, instability of a few franchises and introduction of a first-division league in 2028.
SAFC defender Akeem O'Connor-Ward discussed the labor dispute after a training session on Thursday.
"At the end of the day, as players, we also want our voices to be heard," O'Connor-Ward said. "So, right now the player pool is very unified, very together and we'll see how things go moving forward, but at the moment the players have put out what we put out on social media. Everyone has seen it. The league has responded and at the moment we're just trying to stay steadfast in what we believe and what we believe is fair for us."
O'Connor-Ward said the ongoing negotiations between USL officials and the players wouldn't take away from the club's game preparation against Phoenix.
"So, we kind of know what's going on, but we're also focused as players on the opening weekend," O'Connor-Ward said. "Especially me, on a new club, focusing on just the three points and a good showing and winning."
Amid the uncertainty, defender Nelson Flores Blanco said the sole focus of the club during training was getting ready for the season opener.
"The team's working hard," Flores-Blanco said. "It was a long pre-season and it's going to be great to be out there with the boys in front of all the fans. So, right now that is our focus."
SAFC is aiming to improve on last season's 11-12-7 record, in which it made the USL Championship Western Conference playoffs and finished sixth in the conference table before being eliminated by New Mexico United in the first round. Phoenix finished fifth in the Western Conference table last year, ending the season at 9-8-13 after losing to eventual conference champion FC Tulsa in the semifinals.
Phoenix leads the all-time series against SAFC 8-7-3, including winning two of three matches across all competitions in 2025. In the two league matches, Phoenix shut out San Antonio twice with similar 1-0 results.
SAFC coach Carlos Llamosa expects Phoenix to come out with the same fast-paced style they utilized last season under coach Pa-Modou Kah.
"They're a good team," Llamosa said. "They have a good coach. As a team who works hard, they run a lot. So, we have to be ready for a tough match. So, that's what we prepared for the last eight weeks."
Llamosa set out the goals he wants his team to achieve in the season opener.
"To have a master class performance on both sides of the ball, with the ball, without the ball," Llamosa said. "Defensively, to be strong, to be solid and then offensively to create chances and score those chances."
O'Connor-Ward, who is in his first season with SAFC, said he wants to see a dominant performance from the club in the season opener.
"I want people to understand that 2022 wasn't like a one-off situation," said O'Connor-Ward, referring to the year SAFC won the USL title. "No, I want it to be like ‘they're back, they're dominant, they're the top, like we (opponents) don't want to go to Toyota Field, that's not a place we want to go.' Phoenix is catching us on a lucky one where the heat is not fully a factor, but the fans and the crowd will be."
This article originally published at Players' strike looms as SAFC heads into season opener with Phoenix.
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