Rising returns to the road to face Oakland Roots SC on Saturday, July 12th, at the Coliseum
Written by Emma Dinnan
Phoenix Rising will play at historic Oakland Coliseum for the first time when it travels to the Bay Area to face Oakland Roots SC at 7:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, July 12, in Oakland, California. It will be the 10th all-time matchup between the two sides in regular-season play, with Rising currently holding a 4-2-3 advantage in the series. The match will be streamed on AZFS and ESPN+ with radio coverage available on Rising Radio (team socials/English) and La Onda 99.5 FM (Spanish).
“Points are important, but especially now,” forward Jearl Margaritha said. “I think for our own feeling, it’s good to win some games. When you lose, everybody’s feeling a bit down. So I think if we start winning games, everybody will feel good again. The spirit is there. The belief is still there.”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
WHAT: Phoenix Rising FC at Oakland Roots SC
WHEN: Saturday, July 12 (7:00 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Oakland Coliseum (Oakland, Calif.)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: AZFS, ESPN+, Rising Radio (team socials), La Onda 99.5 FM (Spanish)
BACK ON THE ROAD
Following its lone July home match last weekend against Lexington SC, Rising returns to the road for nearly another month. The club won’t return to the Valley until August 2nd when it faces Birmingham Legion FC.
The club’s next trip takes it to Oakland, California, to face Oakland Roots SC (Apr. 12), El Paso, Texas, for a second matchup against Locomotive FC (Apr. 19) and finally to Irvine, California, where it will face Orange County SC. Notably, the upcoming road stretch marks the clubs’ final three-game trip of the 2025 season.
Kah’s squad has found success on the road so far this season. It has taken at least a point from six of its eight regular season road matches (3-2-3). Notably, only three other USL clubs have taken as many points away from home as Rising’s 12 (LOU, TUL, CHS). When it comes to the team’s attack, Rising has scored four more goals away (19) than it has at home (15) and is undefeated in non-league play. It also knows how to close matches away from the confines of Phoenix Rising Stadium, where the club is 3-0-0 in one-goal games.
MID-SEASON CHECK-IN
Saturday’s game marked the halfway point of the 2025 season for Rising. Currently 5-5-5 (20 pts), the club sits sixth place in the Western Conference and just five points out of first. The next month will be important for the team to reset their bearings and quickly accumulate points following two consecutive league defeats.
“We are a good team in this league, but I think we can become a greater team,” Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said during Wednesday’s media availability. “That’s going into the second half of the season where we take better care of our opportunities and the chances we create. Those are the two key things we have to push ourselves forward to, because if we do that we become an even tougher team.”
ROUNDING INTO FORM
Rising travels north to take on an Oakland team in the midst of a season-best, three-match winning streak. During its run, which dates back to June 21, Head Coach Benny Feilhaber’s team has conceded just one goal and has scored five.
“That’s a beautiful challenge that we’re looking forward to,” Kah said. “Oakland is doing well, but so are we. I know the boys will fight.” I have no worries about us not scoring goals.”
The Roots currently sit tenth in the Western Conference, with a 5-8-2 record (17 pts). Forward Wolfgang Prentice leads Oakland in goals (5), closely followed by forward Peter Wilson (3). Notably, Wilson also leads the Roots in assists (3) and total goal contributions (6). Following the weekend, both teams will face off one more time at Phoenix Rising Stadium, on September 27.
