Select Page Phoenix Rising FC Season Opener Against San Diego Loyal Seeks to Make Amends and Find a Fresh Start By Dirk Smith, M.Sc, SDL (He/Him) Last season when the Phoenix Rising Football Club went up against the San Diego Loyal, the match ended up with San Diego forfeiting after a Rising player made a gay slur against openly gay player Colin Martin. The homophobic player, Junior Flemings, has since been dumped by Phoneix and manager Rick Shantz was suspended for mishandling the incident during the match, despite Loyal coach, Landon Donovan voicing his concern. Since that day, Rising RF General Manager, Bobby Dulle sought out to make changes to his organization so that such an incident would not occur again. This included inclusivity training and partnerships with LGBTQ+ organizations, including the You Can Play project and Phoenix Gay Flag Football League.