Phoenix Rising struck early and held on for a 2-1 win against Indy Eleven on Saturday night at Phoenix Rising Stadium, extending its unbeaten streak to three matches and moving Rising within two points of the playoff positions in the Western Conference. Rising wasted little time taking control of the match, opening the scoring in the fifth minute when Ihsan Sacko found Dominique Badji at the top of the 18-yard box.
“The fight and the work, this is what we need the remainder of the season from the boys,” Kah said. “They were fantastic and taking seven out of nine (points) for the last three games, I think that shows the character of the team.”
Rising heads back to California to face Monterey Bay FC for the second time this season after earning a 3-2 victory over the side at 38th & Washington back in July. Monterey Bay currently sits at the bottom of the Western Conference standings where Rising will look to bring back three points to Phoenix.
UNBEATEN THROUGH THREE
Phoenix Rising heads to Monterey Bay unbeaten in its last three matches, earning seven of a possible nine points with wins over Colorado Springs and Indy Eleven and a road draw against Sacramento Republic. The recent run has also seen contributions across the roster, with Ihsan Sacko leading the way after scoring three goals in the Colorado Springs and Sacramento matches.
Dominique Badji, Danny Flores and Gunnar have also found the back of the net, including Flores’ first goal in a Rising uniform this season. Diego Gomez and Sacko continue to lead the team with four assists apiece as Rising looks to carry its momentum into Monterey Bay.
“Honestly, we had a lot of responsibility to play well today,” Torres said. “Every match, I think all the matches from today until next Saturday are against direct rivals. It’s important to stay right there to stay close to the playoffs, which is where we want to be and where Phoenix deserves to be.”
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Phoenix Rising has made 38th & Washington a difficult place for opponents this season, posting a 5-2-4 home record. Rising has won three of its last five matches at home while earning a draw and dropping just one, with that lone loss coming back in June. The club’s strong home form has helped create a difficult environment for visiting teams and given Rising confidence heading into each home match. With Rising finding its form at home, the club will look to carry that confidence onto the road against Monterey Bay.
“I didn’t expect a stadium like this,” Torres said. “But the truth is that support from everyone is very important for us—that the fans keep supporting us every match, especially here at home.
GOAL-SCORING PLAYS
PHX- DOMINIQUE BADJI, 5: Right footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner, assisted by Ihsan Sacko.
IND- OWN GOAL, 7: Cross in from the right side of the field inside the six-yard-box which ricocheted off of the right foot of Pape Mar Boye into the lower left side of the goal.
PHX- DANIEL FLORES, 28: Off of a free kick from the right side of the field with a left footed shot to the center of the goal through a group of players.
NOTES
- Rising has not beat Indy Eleven in the all time series (0-1-1)
- Rising have scored 6 goals in their last 5 matches,
- Dominique Badji scores his second goal of the season.
- Danny Flores scores his first goal this season for Rising.
- JuanDavid Torres makes his debut for Rising.
- Phoenix Rising have scored in their last 3 games in the USL Championship, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 4 games from 14th June 2026 to 19th July 2026.
- Ihsan Sacko has contributed to goals in his last 3 games in the USL Championship (3 goals, 1 assist).
- Ihsan Sacko has assisted 4 goals in the USL Championship this season (1 in this game), no Phoenix Rising player has more.
- Phoenix Rising are undefeated in their last 3 games in the USL Championship, their last joint longest unbeaten streak was from 19th July 2026 to 2nd August 2026.
Phoenix Rising (5-6-6, 21 pts) vs. Indy Eleven (8-7-4, 28 pts)
Goals by Half 3 0 FT
Phoenix Rising 2 0 2
Indy Eleven 1 0 1
Scoring Summary:
PHX: Badji, 5
IND: Own goal (Boye), 7
PHX: Flores, 28
Misconduct Summary:
PHX: MOURSOU, (caution); 24
PHX: SMITH, (caution); 46
IND: HERBERT, (caution); 59
IND: LINDLEY, (caution); 64
PHX: SACKO, (caution); 87
Lineups:
PHX: GK Rakovsky, D Flores (Schmitt, 64), D Czichos (Torres, 63), D Boye, D Smith, D Biasi, M Scearce, M Gomez (Irwin, 93), M Moursou (Pelayo, 45), F Sacko, F Badji (Studenhofft, 78)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Odunze, F Ambursley, F D. Rivera
TOTAL SHOTS: 12; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 15; OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 3
IND: GK Dick, D Mirtano (Rasheed, 70), D Craig (Barry, 88), D Herbert, D Hafferty, M Quinn, M Lindley, M O’Brien (Omar, 71), F Rendon (Henry-Scott, 70), F Kizza (Mesanvi, 64), F Blake
Substitutes Not Used: GK Charles-Cook, F Sing
TOTAL SHOTS: SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 3; FOULS: 13; OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 2
Referee: Ben Meyer
Assistant Referees: Brendan Lucas, Stefan Knoerr
Fourth Official: Trevor Wiseman
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
