Rising is on the road to face El Paso Locomotive FC for the first time in 2026
Phoenix Rising looks to return to winning ways as it closes a busy three-match week on the road against El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday, June 13, at Southwest University Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (PT) and will air on AZFS, ESPN+ and Rising Radio (English).
Saturday marks the conclusion of Rising’s final scheduled triple-match week of the season, its fourth of 2026. Additionally, it will be the first of two scheduled matches between Rising and El Paso Locomotive FC.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION –
WHAT: Phoenix Rising at El Paso Locomotive FC
WHEN: Saturday, June 13 (6:00 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Southwest University Park
HOW TO WATCH: AZFS, ESPN+, Rising Radio (English)
A LOOK AT THE TABLE
With 12 league matches played, Rising is nearly halfway through its 30-match USL Championship schedule.
At 4-4-4 (16 pts), the club is tied for third place in the Western Conference and just three points off second. With unbeaten streaks of three and four matches already in the early campaign, Rising has picked up points in quick succession since kicking off in March.
“I think we’re an incredibly stubborn team,” Head Coach Pa-Modou 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.”
Notably, Rising has lost just once at home in league play (2-1-3) and has beaten two cross-conference foes in Miami FC (3-0) and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (1-0). In defense, Rising has allowed more than three goals just once in league play, and has kept four clean sheets.
Of Rising’s remaining matches, nine come at 38th & Washington, two come against Eastern Conference opposition and there will be two more stretches of each back-to-back home and back-to-back road matches.
CHECKING IN ON THE ATTACK
Phoenix Rising has outshot its opponents 41-18 in each of its last two USL Championship matches. Offensively, forward Ishan Sacko continues to lead the way with eight goals this season, while JP Scearce ranks second on the team with two. 12 players have scored for Rising across all competitions, with five scoring multiple goals.
“One of the things we’ve been working on a lot is that fluidity — just everyone filling in spaces, making the other team move around and try to chase shadows,” Scearce said following the match against Louisville City FC. “I thought we did well in the second half. We found some pockets inside and broke them down, but just weren’t good enough in the final third.”
Rising will look to correct that come Saturday in El Paso.
FÚTBOL IS LIFE
Saturday marks Rising’s first and only scheduled trip to El Paso in 2026. The last time both teams squared off at Southwest University Park came in the 2025 Western Conference Quarterfinals, with Rising winning 1-0 to advance to the second round of the playoffs. All-time in regular season play, Rising is 5-2-4 against the West Texas side.
Rising has continued to find success in the matchup and enters Saturday on a six-game unbeaten streak against El Paso Locomotive FC across all competitions dating back to Aug. 27, 2022. Rising has also earned a result in three of its last four away matches (1-1-3).
Forward Rubio Rubín leads the Locomotive with five goals, while Amando Moreno has netted four. On the field, El Paso Locomotive started the season on a seven-match unbeaten streak (6W, 1L), but has struggled in recent weeks as it has dropped down the table, without a win dating back to April 11 (0-5-2).
“It’s a three-game week,” Scearce said. “We have to be smart in our recovery, and this game’s over now. We just have to focus on the next game, and El Paso is one of our rivals, so it’s always a good game against them.”
