Kah discusses Rising’s season-ending 1-0 defeat on the road against FC Tulsa
Phoenix Rising’s 2025 season reached its conclusion with a 1-0 defeat to FC Tulsa on November 8 at ONEOK Field in the USL Championship Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals. Following the match, Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah spoke with media about the difficult defeat, his team’s fight and growing into next season.
HEAD COACH PA-MODOU KAH
His thoughts on the match…
“Incredible fight from our boys. It’s a hard one to take because overall we played very well. We limited what (FC Tulsa) threw at us. It was just not meant to be for this time. We’re going to take this lesson and come back stronger next year.”
On the immediate message to the team…
“We have to keep our heads up. It was an amazing job. I’m so proud of these boys and so proud of this club. We knew that this was (Tulsa’s) game, and we couldn’t score the last goal. It’s a tough loss to take, but we’re going to learn from it and get better next year.”
On the performance of the Starting XI…
“I think the starting eleven gave us all we needed. We made the subs at the right moments because we were looking at in case the game went to penalty kicks. The work we did with the boys, its tremendous. It’s always bitter when you lose, but you have to lose to understand how to win. This group has continued to do that, so for me I’m truly proud of the group.
On what he wants to take from this year into next year…
“We have to continue the fight we showed this year. We know next year is going to be totally different, but we’re looking to win the season.”
On his key takeaways from the season…
“This year the group has showed great character and resilience when they faced adversity. They always stood up, they always fought and gave us everything that we asked for. They come hard to represent Phoenix Rising and they have done it with true honor. I’m proud of every player that we have.”
On his message to the fans…
“Our fans have been brilliant. The whole season long. For us, we want to continue to make them proud. To make the club proud. To make the community proud. It’s a tough loss to take, but it’s something that we’re building and we’re going to keep building. Next year is going to be a great year.”
