Phoenix Rising returns home to face Detroit City FC at 7:00 p.m. (PT) Saturday, April 12, at Phoenix Rising Stadium
Following consecutive away days, Phoenix Rising returns home to begin a home-heavy April against Detroit City FC. The match is slated to kick off at 7:00 p.m. (PT) and will air on AZFS and CBS Sports Golazo Network. Radio coverage provided by Rising Radio will be available on KDUS 1060 AM, SiriusXM and club socials (English). La Onda 1190 AM will provide Spanish-language coverage.
Rising play three of its next four matches at home, with the only away day in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play against FC Tulsa on Wednesday, April 16, at Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium. The stretch begins this Saturday against Detroit City FC, continues against Sacramento Republic FC on April 19 and concludes against San Antonio FC in the USL Jägermeister Cup on April 26.
“It felt good to get across that line and get the win,” goalkeeper Triston Henry said during his midweek availability. “Hopefully it can propel us forward, but that game is done now. The game on Saturday is the most important, so we have to put last Sunday behind us and focus on the weekend.”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
WHAT: Phoenix Rising FC vs Detroit City FC
WHEN: Saturday, April 12 (7:00 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Phoenix Rising Stadium (Phoenix, Arizona)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: AZFS, CBS Sports Golazo Network (TV), KDUS 1060 AM, Sirius XM (English), La Onda 1190 AM (Spanish)
GETTING HEALTHIER
One month into the 2025 season, Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah and his staff are surely hoping the 11 absences recorded against Monterey Bay FC on March 29 will stand as the highest number on the team’s availability report all year.
It’s a topic that has dominated press conferences and game broadcasts. Just last week, Jearl Margaritha admitted he had never experienced anything so extreme this early in a season. If the numbers are any indication, the six players listed for the April 6 match against San Antonio FC signal a step in the right direction.
Emil Cuello played 90 minutes for the first time in the 2-1 win over San Antonio, while JP Scearce returned to the lineup and started in midfield alongside Noble Okello and Ihsan Sacko. Charlie Dennis and Ryan Flood still may be dealing with longer term injuries, but more players are returning to training every day.
So, when asked on Wednesday about the current injury situation, Kah could only knock on the wooden table and offer a knowing smile.
“You never know when the injury bug is going to get out,” Kah said. “So, for now, we’re very quiet when we speak of (injuries), but that’s football.”
PIECING TOGETHER THE BACK LINE
Through five matches, eight different players have featured in Rising’s back line. On April 6 against San Antonio FC, Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah opted to start four natural fullbacks in defense. Just a week earlier, against Monterey Bay FC, retired fullback and current assistant coach Darnell King was called into action, playing significant second-half minutes. Between injuries and suspensions, figuring out who plays in defense has become a weekly puzzle for Kah.
The only player to log every possible minute for Rising this season is fullback Collin Smith, who Kah trusts to charge up and down the right sideline—contributing to the attack while also tracking back as a dynamic defender. On the left, Kah has alternated between Harvey Neville and Emil Cuello, while captain Pape Mar Boye and Mohamed Traore have been the most consistent center back pairing.
The constant shuffling has opened the door for others to step up. No one has taken advantage more than 18-year-old academy product Braxton Montgomery, who has started and played the full 90 minutes in each of Rising’s last two matches. Nearing 200 total minutes, the high school senior has appeared in four of the team’s five matches so far this season, and against San Antonio, made a critical goal-line clearance to preserve the lead.
“He’s confident in his ability, we’re confident in his ability and we trust him,” Kah said during a midweek media availability. “He has showed it, otherwise we will not have played him. We know what he’s going to give us.”
A defender during his playing days, Kah has already been creative with the back line situation a month into the season. With the schedule picking up and midweek games entering the equation, the forced early rotations likely help with picking future lineups and gives Kah confidence in certain pairings. Still, it has been a less-than-ideal situation for the gaffer in his early days with Rising.
BRING ON LE ROUGE
With eight points and a pair of wins, Detroit City FC is off to a hot start in its second season under Head Coach Danny Dichio. Le Rouge travel to Phoenix on the back of a scoreless draw against Monterey Bay FC on April 5, looking to pick up its third road victory of 2025.
Detroit City finished last season with the second-stingiest defense in the USL Championship, allowing just 32 goals, en route to a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference (15-8-11, 56 pts). Dichio’s team advanced to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rowdies on penalties in the playoff quarterfinals.
“Detroit is a well-organized team,” Kah said. “We’re going to continue to focus on what we can improve daily with our players and they’re going to present a different matchup, which we’re looking forward to.”
Over the offseason, Le Rouge added Morey Doner at outside back. The defender arrives from Monterey Bay FC where he started 101 of 102 possible matches. Additionally, the club bolstered its forward pool, adding Ates Diouf––who finished with 14 goals for Lexington SC a season ago–– as well as Championship stalwart Sebastián Guenzatti, who has 75 regular-season goals to his name. Forward Darren Smith currently leads Detroit City’s attack with two goals, while Jeciel Cedeño has assisted one and leads the team in chances created (eight).
2-1-0 on the road, with its lone defeat coming against perennial powerhouse Louisville City FC, Le Rouge will look to maintain its solid road record when it visits Phoenix for a second time in club history. Rising is undefeated in the all-time series (1-0-1), winning the first home meeting 5-0 on September 16, 2023, and drawing 1-1 on the road on May 11, 2024.
