Rising face Miami FC at Pitbull Stadium looking to pick up consecutive victories for the first time this season
Written by Zoë Lam
Returning to regular season action following a midweek Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matchup against the San Jose Earthquakes, Phoenix Rising now travels 3,000 miles to the opposite coast to take on Miami FC to close its third three-match week of the 2026 season. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, April 18, at Pitbull Stadium and will be broadcast on AZFS, ESPN+ and Rising Radio (English).
The two sides have met just three times, with Rising holding a 2-1-0 edge in the all-time series. Rising earned the first win in 2022 at Phoenix Rising Stadium and is unbeaten at home against Miami. On Saturday, the club will look to pick up its first-ever victory in South Florida and pick up a second straight win for the first time in 2026.
“You keep doing the things that you’ve been doing prior,” Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “You don’t need to change anything. It’s just making sure that again you stay consistent in the work that you do.”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION –
WHAT: Phoenix Rising at Miami FC
WHEN: Saturday, April 18 (4:00 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Pitbull Stadium (Miami, FL)
HOW TO WATCH: AZFS, ESPN+, Rising Radio (English)
A STRONG WEEK FOR RISING
Rising had a strong Week 6 of league play, highlighted by both team success and individual recognition following its dominant 3-0 win over New Mexico United on April 11, the club’s first league victory of the season.
Forward Ihsan Sacko and midfielder JP Scearce were both named to the USL Championship Team of the Week after playing central roles in the result – Sacko scored twice, including an early penalty and a late composed finish, while Scearce added a goal from distance along with an assist to help put the match out of reach.
Additionally, defender Adrian Pelayo was featured in the USL Championship’s Week 6 Young Player Spotlight, recognized for his influence from box-to-box and his ability to control tempo and contribute defensively.
Together, the honors reflected a breakout week for Rising, with established attackers producing decisively and younger players continuing to emerge as key contributors across the roster.
“I’m very happy and proud of seeing these boys every day coming to work and putting in their maximum best,” Kah said following the win over New Mexico. “Today we got rewarded for the work. So when I see that, that makes me happy. I’m just proud of how we’ve been continuing to play with guys out, players filling in. There’s no pouting, there’s nothing. And that just shows the resilience and the character of this team.”
RAMPING UP THE PRESSURE
After picking up its first three points against New Mexico United, Rising has shown clear improvement in its press, something the team has emphasized in training. The win moved Rising up to sixth in the Western Conference and reflected a more organized, aggressive approach.
That carried over into the U.S. Open Cup match against San Jose in which Rising held 64% possession. The press led to winning the ball higher up the field, evident especially against New Mexico, leading to longer stretches in possession and more attacking opportunities.
“I think it starts from training,” Scearce said. “We worked on the defensive press and all those tactics throughout the week. Honestly, when we have been chasing the game, we went to that man-to-man press, and we had success off it, even though sometimes we didn’t get the result. We decided this week to start in that direction. Start with the man press and it looked good.”
A TOUGH TEST IN THE 305
Miami enters the match unbeaten in its last five matches, with recent draws against San Antonio FC and Hartford Athletic. It currently sits fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 2-1-3 record.
Miami’s attack is spread out with Alessandro Milesi, Arney Rocha and Mathieu Ndongo each scoring two goals, while Rocha also leads the team with two assists. Goalkeeper Eloy Room has recorded three clean sheets this season.
“Goals change games,” Kah said in San Jose. “There were two goals we could have dealt better with. We can’t change that, but what we can change is that we are going to go to Miami, we are going to battle for three points.”
