Fresh off its second win in a row, Phoenix Rising travels to Sacramento Republic this Saturday to kick off against the second placed team in the Western Conference.
Phoenix Rising FC Match Preview Presented by Mayo Clinic
Phoenix Rising FC (8-9-8) travels to Heart Health Park this Saturday to kick off against Sacramento Republic FC (11-8-6). Watch the match live on Arizona’s Family Sports or stream it on ESPN+.
Two goals in two matches have added up to six points for Phoenix Rising these past two weeks, thanks in large part to the stellar play of the Phoenix Rising back line which has now conceded just one goal in its previous six matches. Despite its struggles in late July and through August, the defense has remained resilient, making Phoenix one of the toughest teams in the league to break down. However, the club has lacked a finishing touch in the final third.
“There is a lot of communication in the backline and teammates supporting each other, and we’ve gone four games in a row without the other team scoring a goal, but we just need to keep doing the work and doing things like we have been,” said defender Pape Mar Boye. “The atmosphere in the group is good, even when we travel, we have good vibes.”
Only this weekend’s opponent, Sacramento FC (12), and Charleston Battery (13), have kept more clean sheets than Phoenix Rising’s 11 this season. Phoenix is also approaching a club record, having gone four consecutive USL Championship matches without conceding a goal. The current record stands at five games, achieved between July 21 and August 7, 2022.Finally, with the goals coming, Rising is moving up the table, now in seventh position and within reaching distance of the top four.
“We still have to make progress, and there are many things that we can improve, but I’m very happy with the way that the team is improving, and the guys are implementing the concepts and growing as a team and individually,” said Interim Head Coach Diego Gomez. “We need to make better decisions around the box, in these last moments and put the ball in the back of the net, but now we have scored two games in a row, we hope that it builds confidence.”
Standing in the way of that record is a Sacramento Republic team that hasn’t been shut out since August 3. Prior to its weekend match, Sacramento was on a run of a month of play picking up points. In a matchup that pitted the second to top team in both the Western and Eastern Conference, Sacramento Republic traveled to Charleston, scoring early but conceding twice to drop three points on the road. It was the first time Sacramento had lost after leading at halftime since its matchup on November 5, 2023, the Western Conference Final, against Phoenix Rising FC. Rising’s Emil Cuello scored in the second minute of stoppage time in that match to book the club’s journey to the USL Championship Final.
“I watched the [Western Conference] Final against [Sacramento] last year and that was a big game for Phoenix Rising, and for me I’m just learning for everything,” said Mar Boye. “When I step on the field and need to be focused and ready to defend as well as I can — that’s all I have on my mind, to be ready for that game and to keep the clean sheet, and we know that’s what we have to do.”
Sacramento Republic is a familiar opponent for Phoenix Rising. This is the 24th time these two teams have matched up against one another since 2014. The series is split evenly, with each team claiming victory seven times and the final whistle being blown as a tie nine times, including the last matchup which finished as a 1-1 draw at Phoenix Rising Stadium. In that match, Rising was denied at the penalty spot early before Sacramento pulled ahead. It was Remi Cabral who evened things up for Rising, rifling a shot off the crossbar and into the back of the net to close things out.
“Sacramento is a very good team, they have very good players and a lot of intensity playing — they press hard, good center backs on the ball, control the midfield, and a lot of power on top with really good players,” said Gomez. “So, it’s always a difficult challenge, they make things difficult for every team because they have so many different threats, even off the bench they have players that can make a difference and score goals.”
Tune in as Phoenix Rising kicks off away from home in Sacramento this Saturday on Arizona’s Family Sports and streaming on ESPN+. Phoenix Rising is back at home Saturday, September 21, in its Hispanic Heritage match. Tickets are available now, starting at $15. Visit phxrisingfc.com/tickets for more information.
