MIAMI, Florida (Saturday, July 8) – Phoenix Rising FC (6-5-7) fell, 2-1, tonight at Riccardo Silva Stadium to Miami FC (3-8-7).
Danny Trejo scored his seventh goal of the season, and Panos Armenakas recorded his third goal contribution in five games. Rising is on a bye next week. The team returns to 38th St/Washington on Saturday, July 22 for Christmas in July. Tickets for that match are available here or by calling 623-594-9606.
Rising started the game strongly, recording three shots and winning three corners within the first 10 minutes. Danny Trejo’s rasping drive from the edge of the box in the fifth minute was the closest of these half-chances to producing a goal for Rising, but Miami goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas was able to make the save.
Miami nearly struck back in the 14th minute on the counter attack. Curtis Thorn crossed to the back post, where Joaquin Rivas volleyed the ball into the ground, forcing Rocco Rios Novo to make a save.
Against the run of play Kyle Murphy scored the opener for Miami FC in the 15th minute. Moises Hernandez played the ball forwards toward Murphy. Daniel Krutzen missed the ball when trying to clear it, which allowed Murphy to get in one-on-one against Rios Novo, and he finished calmly into the top corner.
Rising nearly answered instantly, Renzo Zambrano found Erickson Gallardo with a ball over the top of the defense in the 17th minute. Gallardo took the ball past the keeper but with two Miami defenders in the way he hit the post from a tight angle.
Despite losing 1-0, Rising were dominating proceedings and winning the ball a lot in dangerous areas of the pitch. In the 22nd minute Carlos Harvey won the ball and played in Gallardo, who fired just wide.
Rising had a golden opportunity in the 24th minute. Eddie Munjoma drove at the defense, and squeezed the ball through to Trejo in the box. Trejo tried to bend the ball into the bottom corner but his shot went the wrong side of the post
Trejo equalized in the 44th minute after Panos Armenakas drove at the defense and then found Trejo behind the defense with an exquisite through ball. Trejo skipped past the challenge of two Miami defenders and slipped the ball past the keeper into the bottom corner.
Rising nearly took the lead just before halftime in the 49th minute. Darnell King found Arteaga on the edge of the box who flicked it up and drilled it hard at the goal, but Zendejas at full-stretch managed to tip the ball round the post.
Miami came out of the blocks quickly in the second half. They nearly scored in the 52nd minute. Rios Novo spilled a cross after he collided with Harvey and was caught out of his goal, but he was able to shepherd Thorn out of play for a corner.
Miami regained the lead in the 55th minute through Christian Sorto. Mark Segbers drove at the Rising defense from midfield, and slipped in Sorto who finished past Rios Novo at the near post.
Miami nearly got a third in the 59th minute when Stanley chipped in a threatening ball to Michael Salazar, whose shot from near the penalty spot was just wide.
Harvey tested the goalkeeper with a fierce shot in the 70th minute after twisting and turning past several Miami defenders on the edge of the box.
Rios Novo kept Rising in the game with an excellent save in the 71st minute. Hernandez passed the ball upfield to Salazar, who flicked it on with his head to Murphy. Murphy was one-on-one with Rios Novo, who rushed forward and saved Murphy’s attempt on goal.
Manuel Arteaga came close in the 75th minute after a corner, but his close-range effort was blocked. He had another opportunity ten minutes later from a set piece, after Fuenmayor headed the ball into the box. Arteaga headed the ball, but it was contested by several defenders and it was an easy save for Zendejas.
Ex-Rising Forward Claudio Repetto had a couple of chances at the end of the game to secure the victory for Miami. In the 89th minute he rushed onto a loose ball on the edge of the box, cut back and shot from a tight angle but it was easily saved by Rios Novo. In the 93rd minute Ryan Telfer got behind Rising’s defense and squared it to Repetto, whose shot was straight at Rios Novo.
Rising nearly snatched an equalizer in the dying embers of the game. Fuenmayor had a shot blocked in the 97th minute, and then got on the end of a corner in the 98th minute at the back post but his header was just wide.
Scoring:
MIA – Kyle Murphy 15
PHX – Danny Trejo (Panos Armenakas) 44
Discipline:
PHX – Carlos Harvey (caution) 28
PHX – Darnell King (caution) 41
PHX – Manuel Arteaga (caution) 44
MIA – Aedan Stanley (caution) 44
MIA – Christian Sorto (caution) 44
PHX – Renzo Zambrano (caution) 79
MIA – Mark Segbers (caution) 84
Lineups:
Phoenix Rising FC – Rocco Rios Novo, Eddie Munjoma, Daniel Krutzen, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Darnell King (Mo Traore 73), Carlos Harvey (Jose Andres Hernandez 73), Renzo Zambrano, Danny Trejo, Erickson Gallardo (Fede Varela 78), Panos Armenakas, Manuel Arteaga,.
Substitutes Not Used: Patrick Rakovsky, Carlos Anguiano, Emil Cuello, Henry Uzochukwu
Miami FC – Adrian Zendejas, Mark Segbers, Paco Craig, Moises Hernandez, Aedan Stanley, Curtis Thorn, Dennis Dowouna (Gabriel Cabral 46), Michael Salazar (Ben Mines 88), Christian Sorto (Ryan Telfer 64), Joaquin Rivas (Florian Valot 76), Kyle Murphy (Claudio Repetto 76)
Substitutes Not Used: Jake McGuire, Lorenzo Di Mercurio
