Written by Zoë Lam
Phoenix Rising opens the month of August on the road with a trip north to face Las Vegas Lights FC, looking to build on the momentum of an unbeaten two-match homestand. After earning four points against Monterey Bay FC and Hartford Athletic, Rising enters the Western Conference matchup with confidence as contributions continue to come from across the roster.
The club has also had the upper hand in the all-time series, holding an 11-5-5 advantage over Las Vegas. While the two sides played to a scoreless draw in their previous meeting back in September, Rising earned a 1-0 victory the last time it traveled to Nevada. Phoenix will look to produce a similar result on Saturday, extending its unbeaten run while opening August with another three points.
“What I’m proud of is two games in a row where we have put on a dominant performance,” Kah said. “One resulted in a victory and the other should’ve resulted in a victory but those points are valuable given how tight the western conference is.”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION –
WHAT: Phoenix Rising at Las Vegas Lights FC
WHEN: Saturday, August 1 (7:30 p.m. PT)
WHERE: Cashman Field (Las Vegas, NV)
HOW TO WATCH: AZFS, ESPN+, Rising Radio (English)
THE FINAL THIRD
Rising enters its road match in Las Vegas with its attack clicking at the right time and more players returning to full health. The club has recorded at least 20 shots in back-to-back matches, continuing to establish itself as a more aggressive attacking team in the conference. Last match against Hartford, Rising controlled 63.1% of possession, outshot its opponent 20-9 and generated 70 entries into the attacking third, consistently dictating play and keeping pressure on the visitors.
The club also put six shots on target which is well above its season average of 4.7 in USL Championship play, and closed out the match by controlling 72% of possession over the final 15 minutes. As Rising heads into its first road match after an unbeaten homestand, it will look to carry that attacking momentum and control into another important Western Conference matchup as the postseason approaches.
“I think we played very well. We had a lot of chances, we just didn’t take the opportunity to score them,” Flores said. “But I think we were very dangerous, and we played better than last game. I think we understood each other very well, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get the goal in the net. But I think we played very well defensively and offensively.”
RISING DEPTH
Rising continues to see contributions from across the roster beginning with Patrick Rakovsky recording his fifth clean sheet of the USL Championship season, while JP Scearce continued his streak of consistency, playing every minute of every match this season.
On the attacking end, Ihsan Sacko led Rising last match with six shot attempts, the most by a Rising player in a league match this season, while Kelvin Arase provided a spark in his first league start of the campaign with three shots and eight touches inside the opponent’s box. Conrad Ambursley continues to make valuable contributions in multiple areas, and Charlie Dennis’ return to the pitch provides another boost as Rising continues to regain full strength.
“We have some of the best attackers in the league and one of the top goal scorers so for me, I’m looking at this game as a great challenge,” Kah said. “Both teams are coming off two games where they’ve won so we’re looking forward to that matchup,” Kah said.
LAS VEGAS LEAPING
Las Vegas enters the matchup riding momentum, currently sitting at 6-7-3 on the season and carrying a three-game winning streak into the contest. The Lights have found success at home with a 3-2-2 record at Cashman Field and have gone 3-2-0 in their last five matches. Most recently, Las Vegas secured a 1-0 victory over Detroit City FC to continue its strong run of form.
The Lights have also picked up notable results away from home, including handing San Antonio FC its first home loss of the season just a few weeks ago. Offensively, Las Vegas is led by Johnny Rodriguez, who has recorded a team-high 10 goals this season, while Oalex Anderson has added five goals to help pace the attack.
“We are just focused on our game,” Flores said. “Obviously it’s important to focus on the opponent, how they play, tactics, but at the end of the day, it’s about how we are going to play and how we are going to attack and defend.”
