Phoenix Rising hosts Oakland Roots this Saturday at Phoenix Rising Stadium. The match will begin at 7 p.m., 30 minutes earlier than normal to allow the club to broadcast its first match on CBS 5 in Arizona. Rising fans that cannot make it to the game can tune in to catch the defending USL Champions immediately following CBS’ coverage of the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament.
At 38th St/Washington on Saturday, Rising will be looking to improve on its 3-2-3 record all-time against Oakland, a franchise which has quickly established a contentious vibe with Phoenix since joining the league in 2021. Rising won three of the first four matches in the series, outscoring Roots 6-3, but since July of 2022, Phoenix is 0-1-3 vs. Oakland.
“We need bravery and confidence on the ball,” said Rising Head Coach Danny Stone. “We were uncharacteristically casual in possession against Monterey Bay. That will be a focus area for us this weekend. It’s not just from our sixes that we ask players to break lines. We have players that can break lines everywhere, even on our back line or even our goalkeeper but it depends on the game, where that comes from.”
Oakland conceded possession to its opponent at a rate of 60-40 in its 2-1 win on March 9, then doubled down on the tactics, owning just 33% of the ball in its 1-1 draw against Charleston on March 16. More of a possession-based team, Rising has averaged over 50% of the ball, barely, in its first two games. The stone in Phoenix’s show has been its inability to find the back of the net at it continues to see players returning from early season knocks.
“We’re very aware we need to score that first goal,” said Stone. “When that first goal comes, you’ll see shoulders relax a bit. We’re very close. We’re not panicked. I know the players we have in the locker room – a lot of talent, a lot of quality, I believe very, very much in them. When you have these very slight moments of adversity early in the season, you need to stick together and not forget the identity of who we are and what we want to be.”
Rising Faces Roots, Saturday at 7 PM
