Written by Zoë Lam
Fresh off a historic 100th regular-season home win, Phoenix Rising enters Saturday’s match with plenty of momentum. Last weekend’s victory over Monterey Bay made Rising just the fifth club in USL Championship history to reach 100 regular-season home victories.
History is also on their side going into the match against Hartford Athletic, as Rising is a perfect 2-0-0 in the all-time series, most recently earning a 3-1 home win in 2023. They’ll be looking to keep the streak alive and celebrate home win number 101.
“Competition. Football is the best competition and it’s the best motivator. Competition,” Kah said. “Because when you compete and you give your best every day, not only are you going to improve yourself, you’re going to improve the players around you.”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION –
WHAT: Phoenix Rising vs Hartford Athletic
WHEN: Saturday, July 25 (7:30 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium (Phoenix, AZ)
HOW TO WATCH: AZFS, ESPN+, Rising Radio (English), 90MasRising (Spanish)
FRONT FOOT FORWARD
Rising enters this matchup looking to build off of the 3-2 win against Monterey Bay. Rising controlled the match from the opening whistle, holding the visitors without a shot until the 40th minute. While Monterey Bay capitalized on its first opportunity, Phoenix never lost control.
Conrad Ambursley made an immediate impact in his club debut, setting up the game-winning own goal, while Dominique Badji scored his first goal for Rising in his first league start. Kelvin Arase continued his strong run of form, contributing to a goal in his third straight home league match. The victory also welcomed back key contributors Collin Smith, Charlie Dennis and Daniel Flores, giving Rising even more depth as they look to carry that momentum into their next match.
“It’s a beauty to be able to look down on the bench and see game changers,” Kah said. “Which has been a struggle for us…so now we just continue the path that we are on and try to get more wins under the belt.”
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Rising has established itself as a tough team to beat at home this season. The club is coming off its historic 100th regular-season home victory, becoming just the fifth team in USL Championship history to reach that milestone. When Rising strikes first at home, it has yet to lose in league play this season, a testament to its ability to dictate the pace and see out results.
Offensively, Phoenix has found the back of the net in four straight USL Championship matches, and it has shown a knack for putting games away late, scoring its go ahead goals after the 75th minute. Notably, eight of Rising’s 18 goals have come in this time frame. As Rising looks for home win 101, it will aim to continue that trend of controlling matches from start to finish.
“This week is much better because everybody tried to work hard because of the four games and no win,” Moursou said. “That game, everybody said that we needed to win. That’s why we saw everybody give their best.”
HARTFORD ON THEIR HEELS
Hartford Athletic comes into the match after a 1-0 loss to Rhode Island FC. Hartford sits 9th in the Eastern Conference with a 4-4-7 record and has been inconsistent away from home, posting a 3-3-2 mark on the road. The club has won just one of its last five league matches, going 1-2-2 during that stretch, but remains alive in the Prinx Tires USL Cup with an impressive 3-0-1 record and 10 points. Offensively, Barry Coffey leads Hartford with three league goals, while Augustine Williams has added two.
“I have the ultimate trust in my coaching staff and the way that we train and the players,” Kah said. “Me not being there is not going to change anything. We’re going to go about our normal process of how we prepare for games and have ultimate trust in Vic leading the team.”
