PREVIEW: Win and We’re In

Phoenix Rising Match Preview Presented by NAU

Rising (12-8-11) can lock up a playoff spot with a win against Orange County (14-11-5) this Saturday, September 30 (7:30 p.m.). Tied at 47 points apiece, this match is likely to determine which team holds home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs next month.

Phoenix earned a 1-0 win in Orange County on May 20 thanks to a great induvial effort from Manuel Arteaga in the 67^th minute. Arteaga stretched to bring down a long pass from Daniel Krutzen, then recovered to shield a defender off the ball, turn and run at goal. The forward finished off the chance by ‘megging the goalkeeper and finishing low to the back post.

“We had a very tough game against [Orange County] earlier in the season,” said Rising Assistant Coach Danny Stone. “We feel like we didn’t perform as well as we could have that day even though we came away with three points. They will be very keen, I’m sure, to come here and make amends for that.”

Rising held a 57-43 edge in possession that match, but was outshot 16-8, forcing goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo to make four key saves in his first shutout of the season. OC rounded into form a month later, winning eight games in a row from July 1 to September 2 and shooting up the table. Fortunately for Phoenix, they have cooled as of late, failing to find the back of the net in three straight games. OC drew El Paso, 0-0, and fell, 1-0 to Colorado at home before losing 4-0 on the road to San Antonio last weekend.  

“Orange County has still performed quite well in their last couple of games,” said Stone. “We don’t expect to see a team that is dropping off in form at all. It doesn’t happen by accident that teams find a consistent run of form over several months. A couple of games where results don’t quite go their way is certainly not an excuse for us to become complacent.

Where the league table stands now, it’s an important game for both teams. I don’t expect any drop-off in performance from them. They’ve had an excellent run of form over the last couple of months. Credit to them. That happens through work and not by accident. They’ll be a very tough opponent this weekend.”

Phoenix has felt both sides of a 1-1 draw in the past two weeks. Up late vs. Indy Eleven, the team gave up a stoppage-time goal to drop two points on September 20, but pulled one back with a very late goal on the road in El Paso on September 23. The draws pushed Phoenix’s unbeaten run to seven games, the longest since a historic 20-game win streak in 2019.

“The team mentality is good,” said Stone. “They’ve earned that in the way they have performed in the last couple of weeks. The mood in the dressing room is a very positive one. Collectively the group is together. We see that and we feel that when we walk in, in the morning. It’s no surprise that as they have come together as a team in the past couple of weeks, results have followed. We’re pleased with that and confidence breeds performance and vice versa.”