Rising seeks breakthrough in Virginia, having held opponents scoreless in four of its last five matches
Phoenix Rising FC Match Preview Presented by Mayo Clinic
Phoenix Rising FC (6-9-8) is back on the road this Saturday, traveling to Virginia to kick off against Loudoun United FC (9-7-8) at Segra Field. The match will be broadcast on Arizona’s Family Sports and available for streaming on ESPN+.
While goalscoring has been a challenge in August, the month has brought changes that should leave Phoenix Rising optimistic as they head into the final stretch of the season. Several players, including captain John Stenberg and leading scorer Remi Cabral, are close to returning after long absences. These reinforcements come alongside an active transfer window that saw the addition of two European players, Jearl Margaritha and Darius Johnson, young MLS talent Tomas Angel, and USL All-League standout Charlie Dennis. The club also enters this Saturday’s match having held opponents scoreless in four of the last five games.
“I came in [Saturday] to stretch the field, create depth, and go one-on-one with the defenders, taking action to try to score a goal,” said Margaritha. “I had a warm welcome, so I felt great — we didn’t win, so that’s a pity, but it’s going well.”
“Jearl gave us what we were expecting as a player, he gave us quality in the final third, good in one-on-ones, aggressive, and his first intention is to attack defenders,” said Interim Head Coach Diego Gomez. “He’s player that is going to help us and help the team to create.”
Loudoun United FC enters the match following a 0-0 draw with Rhode Island this past Saturday. The game featured the seventh- and eighth-seeded teams in the Eastern Conference, both vying for a more secure position in the standings and determined to maintain their playoff spots. After a slow first half with only two shots, Loudoun picked up momentum in the second half, recording seven shots, three of which were on target. They had a chance to take the lead in the final moments but were denied by a Koke Vegas save—and an overall performance that earned him a spot in the USL Championship Team of the Week.
“[Loudon] is a different team right now, it has changed from being a second team for D.C. United to opening now completely independent, so their ambition as a club and quality on the field is different,” said Gomez. “They’re good at home, they play from the back, and Zach Ryan is in really good form so it’s going to be a difficult game. We need to keep building from our defense, which has been very good in the last games — four clean sheets in the last five games — and work on scoring that goal, that first goal, that lets us breath a little bit and builds confidence in the team that we can get three points.”
Phoenix Rising continues to press forward but is struggling to break out of its scoreless drought, which now stands at 416 minutes and spans four games. Tomas Angel appears poised to end the drought this weekend, as he has led the team in shots and shots on target since joining the club in early August. Jearl Margaritha also showed promise in his first minutes with the club, entering early in the second half and leading the team in touches inside the box. One thing is clear: Rising needs to convert its chances. With positive movement in the final third and a defense that has carried the load over the last five matches, some scoring support could help lift Rising up the table during this crucial stretch.
“We feel like the goals will come, [Tomas] is working well, his movement is good, he’s pressing well on defense, he’s committed,” said Gomez. “We feel, as a team, that we’ve created chances and would have expected more than zero goals from the last four games. The chances have been there, but we haven’t put the ball in the back of the net, or when we have it been called millimeters offside. Tommy and the rest of the team need the same thing, we need that one goal to gain some confidence, relax a little bit and move forward.”
This is the first meeting between these two teams this season, with each holding one win in the overall series. The last match between Phoenix Rising and Loudoun United ended in a 3-1 victory for Rising, with goals from Jose Hernandez, Manuel Arteaga, and Baboucarr Njie. It was Hernandez’s first goal for the club and his only goal scored in 2023. Catch the match live on Arizona’s Family Sports or ESPN+ and join Phoenix Rising as it returns home on September 6 for Dollar Beer Night against FC Tulsa.
