(PHOENIX, AZ) March 24, 2017 – Phoenix Rising FC kicks off its inaugural home opener at its brand-new soccer-specific stadium on Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. against Toronto FC II. And while the buzz surrounding the match continues to grow (the club announced a sell out on Thursday night) Head Coach Frank Yallop is confident his veteran players will keep their cool.
“They’re not going to be nervous,” Yallop said. “Young guys need to be settled down on a big occasion. It’s going to be a packed house. The pressure’s on. We want to play well and win. So, I feel that the older guys are going to calm our young boys down and just play the game. Don’t worry about the outcome. If you play well and perform well, usually you win.”
The club has no shortage of players with big-game experience. Forward Omar Bravo and midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips have played on the sport’s biggest stage: The World Cup. While fellow veteran defenders Jordan Stewart and Peter Ramage have experience playing in England’s Premier League.
“I see (the older players) putting their arm around people and talking to them individually,” Yallop said. “We have a really exciting young left back in Victor Vasquez. He can run like the wind. And I always see Omar (Bravo) talking to him and just trying to settle him down and get him to play simple when he needs to.”
Bringing in those types of players may have seemed like a challenge 3-4 months ago when the club’s pop up stadium was still just a concept. But Yallop said he sold them “on the dream” as he took them to the empty space where the stadium would eventually rise.
“It was tumbleweed where I pointed to the stadium location when players came in and signed,” Yallop said. “Jordan and Shaun, they didn’t laugh, but they were like, ‘There’s no chance that it’ll be ready.’ But here we are and it looks fantastic.”
Match details
Phoenix Rising FC v. Toronto FC II
March 25, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.
Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex
About Phoenix Rising FC
Phoenix Rising FC is Arizona’s highest level professional soccer club. Established in 2013, the club enters its fourth year in the United Soccer League, which has been awarded Division 2 status by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Phoenix Rising FC is among the 12 finalists currently under consideration for an MLS (Division 1) Expansion Franchise. Beginning in March of 2017, Phoenix Rising FC will be playing in its new, soccer-specific stadium located at the northwest corner of the 101 and 202 freeways in south Scottsdale. For more information on the club, visit the team's website at www.phxrisingfc.com. You can also follow the team on Facebook (PHXRisingFC), Twitter (@PHXRisingFC), Instagram (@PHXRisingFC), Snapchat (PHXRisingFC) and YouTube (PhoenixRisingFootballClub). For tickets call (623) 594-9606 or visit www.phxrisingfc.com.
About United Soccer League
The United Soccer League is the fastest growing professional soccer league in the world with teams in 19 states and three Canadian provinces. Since 2014, the USL has doubled in size and established a sizeable North American footprint with strong ownership, experienced executives and regional rivalries.
In 2016, the USL experienced record growth with a total season attendance of almost 1.5 million, a 33 percent increase from 2015. The average attendance for the league’s top-10 drawing teams was 6,724, a 25 percent increase year-over-year.
Creating an engaging environment for passionate fans, the USL aims to establish all clubs as owners or primary tenants of 8,000-10,000 seat soccer-specific stadiums by 2020. Teams have invested more than $100 million into stadium infrastructure in the last year to enhance the experience for the USL’s passionate fans, 900-plus players and nearly 100 coaches in building a highly-sophisticated league.
Expanding its broadcast reach with ESPN and SiriusXM partnerships, USL “Games of the Week” were available this year on ESPN3 to 99 million households. The USL aired more than 500 games last season through its Match Center. Recently, the USL finalized a $10 million investment and partnership with VISTA Worldlink to create USL Productions, which will create more than 1,000 hours of live match coverage for 2017. Additionally, statistical analysis will be powered by Opta – the world’s leading provider of live, detailed sports data – who will manage and deliver in-depth details for all USL games.
Based in Tampa, Fla., the USL supports its teams with operational excellence through 50-plus employees and 16 departments including Analytics, Competition, Creative, Digital, League Operations, Marketing, Merchandise/Licensing, Team Services, USL Productions and more.
Follow the USL at USLSoccer.com, on USL Match Center, and on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
(PHOENIX, AZ) March 24, 2017 – Phoenix Rising FC kicks off its inaugural home opener at its brand-new soccer-specific stadium on Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. against Toronto FC II. And while the buzz surrounding the match continues to grow (the club announced a sell out on Thursday night) Head Coach Frank Yallop is confident his veteran players will keep their cool.
“They’re not going to be nervous,” Yallop said. “Young guys need to be settled down on a big occasion. It’s going to be a packed house. The pressure’s on. We want to play well and win. So, I feel that the older guys are going to calm our young boys down and just play the game. Don’t worry about the outcome. If you play well and perform well, usually you win.”
The club has no shortage of players with big-game experience. Forward Omar Bravo and midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips have played on the sport’s biggest stage: The World Cup. While fellow veteran defenders Jordan Stewart and Peter Ramage have experience playing in England’s Premier League.
“I see (the older players) putting their arm around people and talking to them individually,” Yallop said. “We have a really exciting young left back in Victor Vasquez. He can run like the wind. And I always see Omar (Bravo) talking to him and just trying to settle him down and get him to play simple when he needs to.”
Bringing in those types of players may have seemed like a challenge 3-4 months ago when the club’s pop up stadium was still just a concept. But Yallop said he sold them “on the dream” as he took them to the empty space where the stadium would eventually rise.
“It was tumbleweed where I pointed to the stadium location when players came in and signed,” Yallop said. “Jordan and Shaun, they didn’t laugh, but they were like, ‘There’s no chance that it’ll be ready.’ But here we are and it looks fantastic.”
Match details
Phoenix Rising FC v. Toronto FC II
March 25, 2017 | 7:30 p.m.
Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex
About Phoenix Rising FC
Phoenix Rising FC is Arizona’s highest level professional soccer club. Established in 2013, the club enters its fourth year in the United Soccer League, which has been awarded Division 2 status by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Phoenix Rising FC is among the 12 finalists currently under consideration for an MLS (Division 1) Expansion Franchise. Beginning in March of 2017, Phoenix Rising FC will be playing in its new, soccer-specific stadium located at the northwest corner of the 101 and 202 freeways in south Scottsdale. For more information on the club, visit the team’s website at www.phxrisingfc.com. You can also follow the team on Facebook (PHXRisingFC), Twitter (@PHXRisingFC), Instagram (@PHXRisingFC), Snapchat (PHXRisingFC) and YouTube (PhoenixRisingFootballClub). For tickets call (623) 594-9606 or visit www.phxrisingfc.com.
About United Soccer League
The United Soccer League is the fastest growing professional soccer league in the world with teams in 19 states and three Canadian provinces. Since 2014, the USL has doubled in size and established a sizeable North American footprint with strong ownership, experienced executives and regional rivalries.
In 2016, the USL experienced record growth with a total season attendance of almost 1.5 million, a 33 percent increase from 2015. The average attendance for the league’s top-10 drawing teams was 6,724, a 25 percent increase year-over-year.
Creating an engaging environment for passionate fans, the USL aims to establish all clubs as owners or primary tenants of 8,000-10,000 seat soccer-specific stadiums by 2020. Teams have invested more than $100 million into stadium infrastructure in the last year to enhance the experience for the USL’s passionate fans, 900-plus players and nearly 100 coaches in building a highly-sophisticated league.
Expanding its broadcast reach with ESPN and SiriusXM partnerships, USL “Games of the Week” were available this year on ESPN3 to 99 million households. The USL aired more than 500 games last season through its Match Center. Recently, the USL finalized a $10 million investment and partnership with VISTA Worldlink to create USL Productions, which will create more than 1,000 hours of live match coverage for 2017. Additionally, statistical analysis will be powered by Opta – the world’s leading provider of live, detailed sports data – who will manage and deliver in-depth details for all USL games.
Based in Tampa, Fla., the USL supports its teams with operational excellence through 50-plus employees and 16 departments including Analytics, Competition, Creative, Digital, League Operations, Marketing, Merchandise/Licensing, Team Services, USL Productions and more.
Follow the USL at USLSoccer.com, on USL Match Center, and on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
