Rising Preview Presented by NAU
Phoenix Rising returns to Wild Horse Pass for a rare mid-week home match vs. Rio Grand Valley FC, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Two teams desperately needing points late in the season, RGV and Phoenix are set to face one another twice in the next eight matches. The 12-point swing will likely make or break one team’s season. With the first game of the pair at home, Rising has the ability to set the tone of the set on Wednesday.
“We’ll be in front of our fans,” said Rising head coach Juan Guerra. “We need to make sure we’re on our front foot. I’ll put together a game plan that will give the fans what they want to see from this team at home.”
In Guerra’s first match at the helm, Rising fell, 3-1, to El Paso in Texas on Saturday, August 27. Rising outshot Locomotive 18-12 in the loss but was again unable to put shots on frame. At the opposite end of the pitch, turnovers created issues for the defense and goalkeeper Ben Lundt, who managed to make four key saves in the loss.
“I know we can change this situation,” said Guerra. “What I saw against El Paso is a team that fought until the final whistle. The effort the team gave to represent the organization and one another was there. That’s what I am going to build upon. I saw a lot of positives. Obviously, we have some things to adjust, some little mistakes that made it difficult to achieve our objective against El Paso.”
