Match Preview Presented by Northern Arizona University
Phoenix Rising (6-5-7) returns to 38th St/Washington to face Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (9-10-1) this Saturday, July 22 (7:30 p.m.) on Christmas in July night.
Rising are coming off a bye week following a 2-1 loss at Miami FC. Rising started the first half in Miami very strongly but unfortunately faded as the match continued. Phoenix has demonstrated it can beat the very best in the USL, but need to find consistency entering the second half of the season according to head coach Juan Guerra.
“We’ve shown in games that we’ve done a very good job but then we’ve had games where we slow down, and we don’t look that good,” Guerra said. “I want to find balance. I want to find consistency. We all want to do that as staff and players. I’m pretty sure we’re going to be able to find that in the second half of the season.”
Injuries and international absences have hampered Guerra’s squad, but with Captain Kevon Lambert back from the Gold Cup and players returning from injury, Guerra feels confident that Rising can maintain form in a critical part of the season.
“The team is looking good,” Guerra said. “We like what we see going forward but we also have to start fixing things. We lost Kev for the Gold Cup and the international matches. So we had to adapt. Now Kevon’s back and I don’t think we’ve had this amount of healthy players since the first day of preseason. Everyone in our squad is healthy besides Baboucarr Njie. This is the first time we have a full squad available for selection and that helps a lot, especially in a week where we have three games. We’re going to play against three teams that are ahead of us in the table. We feel good. We feel strong and confident of where we are in our process. Halfway through the year, we stand in a good place.”
Rising’s opponent this week, Colorado Springs sit fifth in the Western Conference, but suffered a disappointing loss last week, losing 5-0 to San Diego Loyal. That was the first time in club history Switchbacks FC have conceded five goals at home. To make matters worse, Colorado’s leading goal scorer, Romario Williams was given a red card for violent conduct and is suspended for the visit to Phoenix.
“It’s important, he’s scored eight league goals this season,” Guerra said. “When you see their last three games. He is the one that is pressing the hardest up the field, and trying the hardest. It is significant how high he was pressing versus San Diego. Then he gets a red card. I want to see how their behavior changes. Are they going to press high still or are they just going to sit in the mid block and make sure they’re compact and don’t get broken down because his absence makes a difference not just in how they attack, but also how they defend.”
