Rising closes a three-match away week in the California capital
Written by Zoë Lam
Rising concludes its week of three away days when it travels to face Sacramento Republic FC at 7:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, April 4, at Heart Health Park. Unbeaten in five straight matches and coming off a 2-1 win in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play against Orange County SC, Rising travels to California one last time looking to maintain its unbeaten streak and pick up its first win of the USL Championship season.
“This is a positive step in where we want to go in our season,” forward Darius Johnson said following the match in Orange County. “The boys showed the character we have been searching for. Hopefully we keep growing from this game going into Sacramento this weekend.”
Rising holds a 7-8-11 record against Sacramento across all competitions dating back to 2014. Last season, the meetings ended in a pair of 2-2 draws, both home and away. While Rising has earned a result in 13 of its last 15 regular-season matches, the club is still searching for its first victory at Heart Health Park since 2022.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION –
WHAT: Phoenix Rising at Sacramento Republic FC
WHEN: Saturday, April 4 (7:00 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Heart Health Park (Sacramento, CA)
HOW TO WATCH: CBS 5, AZFS, ESPN+, Rising Radio (English)
PUSHING FOR THREE
During its hard-fought win at Championship Soccer Stadium, Rising finally put forth the type of performance it has been chasing. The squad flashed its team identity built on resilience, evident when it gave up the game-tying goal late but then retook the lead swiftly in extra time.
That mindset, combined with the overall work rate and quality on the ball, keeps Rising competitive in every match. Still, the team recognizes that relying on comebacks isn’t sustainable as the next step is becoming more clinical and decisive. Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah’s overall philosophy is built around controlling matches from the start rather than having to respond.
“We have a ‘never say die’ spirit,” Johnson said, “We may concede, but we always bounce back. That has always been our spot.”
Following the California contest, Rising will return home on April 11 for a match against rivals New Mexico United at Phoenix Rising Stadium.
EARLY RETURNS
Of Rising’s 11 goals scored in all competitions, three players have found the back of the net more than once: Juan Carvajal, Gunnar Studenhofft and Aleksandar Vukovic. Notably, all three were brought into the club over the offseason and their presence is already evident on the goal sheet.
Both forwards have now scored in USL Championship and U.S. Open Cup play, with Studenhofft scoring Rising’s opening goal in the 35th minute of Wednesday night’s match in Orange County. Vukovic has scored both his goals in the U.S. Open Cup.
“We’re an incredibly stubborn team,” Kah said. “We don’t know the word ‘give up.’ It doesn’t exist in our vocabulary. We’re a hard-working team with a lot of quality on the ball, and we know we can always score goals. For us, it’s our mentality, our will to keep pushing.”
The early season returns of Studenhofft, Carvajal and Vukovic – all new to Kah’s system – are a positive sign for a Rising attack looking to improve on the 61 goals it netted across all competitions a season ago.
A TRIP TO THE CAPITAL
On the other side of the field, Sacramento Republic FC enters Saturday with mixed momentum. The club is riding high after a dominant 4-0 U.S. Open Cup win over Valley 559, but recently suffered its first regular-season defeat, a 2-1 home loss to El Paso Locomotive FC on March 28th.
Offensively, Sacramento has shown depth with Michelle Benítez, Freddy Kleemann, Forster Ajago and Kyle Edwards all finding the back of the net, while Arturo Rodrigo leads the side with two assists. Despite that scoring talent and a solid structure at home, Sacramento remains within reach for a Rising team looking to turn its resilience into results.
“We want to be a team on the front foot and win as many games as possible,” forward Charlie Dennis said. “Making sure we’re doing everything to prepare for games – doing the small details – because at this level, that’s what it comes down to.”
