San Antonio FC has signed goalkeeper Carlos Mercado for the 2020 USL Championship season pending league and federation approval, the team announced today. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"As a staff, we are excited to welcome Carlos Mercado to the SAFC Family,” said SAFC Head Coach Alen Marcina. “Carlos is a talented goalkeeper, possesses great distribution with his feet, and is a good communicator and tremendous potential. We want to thank the University of Incarnate Word Head Coach Kiki Lara for the support in this progression of Carlos’ career.”

Mercado joins San Antonio FC after playing college soccer for the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio. The 20-year-old earned a spot on the roster after impressing the club in training over the course of the 2020 preseason. Mercado is a product of the FC Dallas (MLS) academy, and the goalkeeper has played with USL League Two clubs the Des Moines Menace and Corpus Christi FC, along with the Laredo Heat of the NPSL.

“Joining this club is very special,” said Mercado. “It’s something that I’ve wanted since I came to college at UIW and being part of SAFC has been a goal of mine for a long time because it’s a great club.”

The Laredo, TX native has also earned call-ups to both the Mexican Youth National Team and the United States Youth National Team at the U-18 and U-16 levels respectively.

Mercado is the uncle of current San Antonio FC defender Sebastian Mercado. The goalkeeper will wear No. 99 for the club.

San Antonio FC opens the season at Toyota Field this Saturday against Real Monarchs SLC at 7:30 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets to the match – along with 2020 season tickets -- by calling or texting the SAFC sales office at 210-444-5657 or by visiting SanAntonioFC.com. Supporters can also follow the club by liking San Antonio FC on Facebook (@SAFCUSL), as well as following the team on Twitter (@SanAntonioFC) and Instagram (@sanantoniofc).