Rising reach the midway point of the season 5-5-5, in fifth place in the West and five points out of first
Phoenix Rising returned home for the first time in a month Friday night, but struggled to turn possession into dangerous chances as it fell 1-0 to Lexington SC on July 4 at Phoenix Rising Stadium. Following the match, Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah and defender Carl Sainté discussed the match, reaching the midway point of the season and more.
HEAD COACH PA-MODOU KAH
General thoughts on the match…
“It was a missed opportunity. When you don’t do enough, you don’t deserve to win, it’s as simple as that. I would say we came out sharp out of the block, both teams, to be fair. You know, (Lexington SC) had one shot on goal. We should have done better with the ball. Sometimes in football, these things happen in terms of you not taking the opportunities that are in front of you, and it’s painful, but we got to learn and move on. We are far better than what we showed. We have to offer intensity, you know, and fight more.”
On being halfway through the season…
“Obviously, you know, there have been some missed opportunities. Like they say, it hurts more when you beat yourself, which we did today. But we live and we learn from it, and there’s another 15 more games to play, so there’s a lot of points to be won. But are we where we need to be? Obviously, we always aim high, but we also know that coming into this second part of the season is where we need to pick up the most points, at home as well.”
Thoughts on Xian Emmers starting in the midfield…
“I think his performance was good. He was very busy, which is good to see, but we know what he can create. We understand that he is in an adjustment period, you know, getting adjusted to the league and adjusted to his teammates, getting adjusted to the environment. But so far, what we’ve seen, he’s looking lively, and we’re very happy with what he’s shown. And we know that he’s got two more games in it, so he’s going to continue to be good for us.”
Defender Carl Sainté
Overall thoughts on the match…
“It was a really tough game. I feel like we can manage the ball a little bit better, and I feel like we kind of gave (Lexington) momentum. We didn’t play the way we’re supposed to play. I felt like we deserved to win this game because, I think overall, we’re a better team.”
On the struggle to create chances…
“I feel like the problem was that it was really hard to find the balance. I feel like we need more movement from the front. I know how hard it is, but I feel like we can manage that better. It’s just a game that has already passed. We have to focus on the next one.”
On defending Forster Ajago…
“I feel like we have a big expectation for him, because I know how good he is, but I feel like me and Essengue, we have a good relationship. I mean, it doesn’t matter what I’m playing with, on the back, but I feel like being able to speak French with him makes everything easier.”
