Phoenix Rising FC returns home this weekend after earning a point on the road in California, extending its unbeaten streak to four matches as the club continues its push toward the playoffs. With Rising sitting just one point outside of the playoff picture behind Lexington SC (31 points), every point becomes increasingly important as the regular season winds down.
Now, Rising turns its attention to FC Tulsa, a familiar opponent that sits deadlocked with Phoenix in the all-time series at 1-1-4. The two sides last met in March, playing to a 1-1 draw, and Rising will look to claim all three points this time around as the playoff push intensifies.
“Obviously, we wanted to take the three points from that match, but still gaining a point, that’ll serve us well in the long run,” Smith said. “So, of course, we’re not satisfied with that point… but all we can do is take it for what it is, move on, keep working this week, and look on to the next game.”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION –
WHAT: Phoenix Rising vs FC Tulsa
WHEN: Saturday, September 12 (7:00 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium (Phoenix, Arizona)
HOW TO WATCH: AZFS (3TV), ESPN+, Rising Radio (English), 90MasRising (Spanish)
FINAL FOUR
Rising returns to 38th & Washington ready to close out the season strong on its home turf, with just four home matches remaining on the schedule. Phoenix has established itself as a difficult team to beat at home this season, posting a 5-2-4 record in front of its home crowd. Rising has earned points in four of its last five home matches, including three wins and a draw, with its lone defeat coming in June. Daniel Flores and Dominique Badji both found the back of the net in Rising’s most recent home match, and the club will look to carry that momentum into the final stretch at 38th & Washington.
“The mindset is always to win every game possible,” Kah said. “But again, it’s a two game home stretch games coming up against Tulsa, which is going to be a very important push for us to go where we need to be. So that’s our focus right now and the mentality and the focus is we’ve got to take care of business at home.”
RISING RECOGNITION
Rising’s recent run of form has not gone unnoticed, with three players earning league recognition following the club’s latest stretch of matches. Patrick Rakovsky reached a career milestone, recording his 250th regular-season save on top of X clean sheets, while captain Pape Mar Boye registered his first goal contribution of the season against Monterey Bay and was named to the Week 27 USL Championship Team of the Week. Flores has also continued to make an impact, finding the back of the net in back-to-back matches and earning a spot among the top four goals featured in the Week 27 USL Championship Goal of the Week.
“I think if you look at {Sacko}, he’s one of the best players in the league this year. So we’re hoping that he can keep his form and spur the team in the right direction,” Kah said, “But also, we’re going to need everybody… We’re going to need distribution, and we’re going to need everybody to be part of it and help us get to the finish line.”
TURNING TO TULSA
FC Tulsa enters Saturday’s matchup sitting fourth in the USL Championship Western Conference with a 10-6-6 overall record. Tulsa has been strong both on the road this season and at home this season, posting a 4-3-3 away record, and comes into the match riding a three-game unbeaten streak. The club is 2-2-1 in its last five matches and is coming off a scoreless draw against San Antonio FC at Toyota Field. Tulsa’s attack is led by Arquimides Ordonez, who has six goals this season, followed closely by Rémi Cabral with five.
“I’d say just having our back line ready to attack those balls, getting secondary numbers, midfielders coming to support… being prepared to attack first and second balls, and then whatever else that’s in the game plan, being able to go out there, execute, and implement everything that the staff tells us to do,” Smith said.
