Rising travels to Pittsburgh for its final match of the regular season
Written by Emma Dinnan
Following its 1-0 win over San Antonio FC on October 18, Rising is heading back to the East Coast for its final match of the regular season against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. The match, scheduled to kick off at 4:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, October 25, at Highmark Stadium, will determine whether or not Rising will receive a home match for the playoffs and set a tone for the race to the championship title.
“We’re not done yet, but obviously, from where we started to where we are now, again, it’s process that we built with the boys,” Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “What you need in that process is adversity, resilience and character. (The players) have shown it from day one, and they keep showing it constantly. The technical staff, the players, the whole club, we hold ourselves to a high standard and hold each other accountable and challenge each other. That will help us grow in the process. That’s why we are where we are now.”
The formula for the playoffs is simple: win, and the club is in. A win with some help from El Paso Locomotive FC and the club could finish in the top four and host a playoff match back at Phoenix Rising Stadium. A draw also ensures safety, but would see Rising hit the road for its first playoff match. A loss, however, will see the club have to rely on the results of Lexington SC and Orange County SC to learn its fate.
“We have one foot in (the playoffs), but we’re not satisfied,” Kah said. “We have to keep going because there’s another game next week.”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
WHAT: Phoenix Rising FC at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
WHEN: Saturday, October 25, 2025 (4:00 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Highmark Stadium (Pittsburgh, PA)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: 3TV, AZFS, ESPN+, Rising Radio (team socials)
DENNIS’ RUN OF FORM
Charlie Dennis cannot stop scoring. For Rising fans, it has been quite a welcome sign as the club makes one final push to the postseason. The Englishman now has a four goals across the club’s last four matches and five goal contributions (4G, 1A) dating back to September 20.
Additionally, Dennis has picked up two league-wide recognitions in the past month. On September 30, the midfielder was named Player of the Week after he netted a brace to spur Rising’s three-goal comeback against Oakland Roots SC on September 27.
“(Dennis) is a player who’s going to give you goals and assists,” Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said following his team’s 4-1 win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on August 23. “He’s a very saavy player when he’s on the ball and you know in his mind that he’s thinking that he wants to create for the team.”
BLOOMING RESILIENCE
With its 1-0 win over San Antonio FC on October 18, Rising will oficially finish the 30-match regular season without dropping back-to-back matches. the team never lost two consecutive games. Additionally, when the club travels to the Steel City this weekend, Rising has the opportunity to do something it hasn’t done since May: string together three consecutive victories.
The streak began on October 10 with a 2-0 victory on the road against North Carolina SC. Kah’s side built on the momentum with the 1-0 shutout victory over San Antonio FC at Phoenix Rising Stadium. Defender Collin Smith (1G) and Dennis (2G) are responsible for the goals in the run, ensuring the club’s consecutive clean sheets didin’t go to waste. Now it looks to build even more momentum with a positive result on the season’s final day.
“I think right now we’re focused on the present,” Okello said. “Being focused on pushing for playoffs and trying to find ways to win, trying to find the right balance in how we attack and how we try to build up… I think right now we’re just trying to focus our best to get over the line here and get to the playoffs and hopefully get a playoff game here at home.”
A LOT ON THE LINE IN PITT
Saturday doesn’t just present a high-stakes matchup for Rising; Pittsburgh has a lot to play for as well. For Kah’s side, a win or draw secures a spot in the 2025 postseason. In the Eastern Conference, the Riverhounds sit only one point behind third-place Hartford Athletic. A victory Saturday will secure a home playoff match for the team and help morale going into single elimination matches. A draw or loss for the hosts puts the location of its opening-round series up in the air.
Augustine Williams leads all Riverhounds players with nine goals in regular-season play. Notably, three other players have scored at least four goals for the club this season in Daniel Griffin (5G), Charles Ahl (4G) and Robbie Mertz (4G). Pittsburgh’s attack relies on a spread-out attack with five players currently on two assists. In goal, Eric Dick has made 63 saves and has led the Riverhounds to 10 of its 11 cleansheets in the 2025 regular season.
The cross-conference foes will face off for the fifth-ever time in the regular season this weekend, with Rising looking for its first win in the series since September 2014. Pittsburgh enters the weekend 4th in the East on the back of consecutive victories.
