Phoenix Rising now has six shutouts in seven matches and has one consecutive games for the first time this season.
Phoenix Rising (8-9-8) secured their second consecutive win, defeating FC Tulsa 1-0 at home while keeping a clean sheet for the fourth straight match.
“We came in three or four matches we didn’t score, but we held the clean sheet, so we knew once we scored the first goal, we were going to be fine,” said goal scorer Tomas Angel. “I believe in my teammates; I believe in this amazing squad we have and hopefully it’s going to reflect in the results.”
Phoenix Rising dominated the first half in almost every aspect of the game. Rising recorded ten shots, eight touches in the opposition box, 42 final third entries, and had 65 percent possession. In contrast, FC Tulsa managed zero shots, zero touches in the opposition box, and just 13 entries into Rising’s half.
Things started quickly for Emil Cuello and Phoenix Rising. Cuello fired two shots at FC Tulsa goalkeeper Johan Penaranda in the ninth and eleventh minutes, forcing saves. Charlie Dennis was also active, cutting inside to his left foot and curling two shots toward the net, both of which were deflected away.
“We talked about starting very strong in the first 15 minutes and putting them under pressure, and we did a really good job with the ball and with the press and we created a lot of chances,” said Interim Head Coach Diego Gomez. “It’s a pity the goal didn’t come earlier, but we kept pushing and in the end we got a goal from the penalty.”
However, it was Angel’s half. He attempted more shots than anyone else and ultimately opened his scoring account from the penalty spot. Dariusz Formella won the penalty for Phoenix Rising after being tripped by FC Tulsa defender Harvey St. Clair as he cut toward the net. The referee immediately whistled for the foul, and Angel wasted no time stepping up to the penalty spot. He sent Penaranda the wrong way and calmly tucked the ball into the lower left corner, celebrating with a front flip in front of the Supporters Section at the south end of the stadium.
“I had to wait, but thankful the goal came in an important match — we had to win this game, another three points and obviously happy for the first goal, hope it’s the first of many and happy for the fans,” said Angel. “As a striker, every striker in the world, that’s the motivation that’s the way they feed, to have happiness and to keep on running, and it came in the best moment.”
FC Tulsa, needing a second-half goal, came out of the locker room with more purpose. Within two minutes of the restart, they recorded their first shot of the game, with forward Matthew Bell finding space upfield and firing a shot at Phoenix Rising goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, who collected it without much trouble.
Pape Mar Boye was strong on both ends of the pitch for Rising in the second half. He nearly scored his second goal of the season after heading a set piece over the FC Tulsa net. Just six minutes later, he was called into action in the defensive third, making a goal-saving block at the far post to deny FC Tulsa’s Aaron Bibout.
The game balanced out in the final 45 minutes, with both teams recording six shots, though Rising had the better and more dangerous possession. It marked the fourth clean sheet in a row for Phoenix and the sixth in seven matches, as the defense continued to thrive. With the offense gaining confidence, things looked promising for a late push to close the USL Championship season. Rising now sits at 33 points, with two games in hand and just six points away from hosting a playoff match.
“Very happy of course to win in front of our fans again and to get two victories in a row, and also against a direct opponent, but especially to get the win at home; we felt the support last week in Loudoun where you’ve fans traveling across the country to watch us play, today was different,” said Gomez. “To come home and to give them a win — the two victories in a row — was really important to us.”
Next up, Rising travels to Heart Health Park to face second-placed Sacramento Republic. The match will be broadcast live on Arizona’s Family Sports and available to stream on ESPN+.
Scoring:
PHX – 45+4′ Tomas Angel (Penalty)
Discipline:
TUL – 65′ Andrew Booth (Caution)
PHX – 70′ Tomas Angel (Caution)
PHX – 87′ Alejandro Fuenmayor (Caution)
Lineups:
Phoenix Rising FC – Rocco Rios Novo, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Pape Mar Boye, Laurence Wyke, Emil Cuello (72′ Gabi Torres), Renzo Zambrano, Giulio Doratiotto (80′ JP Scearce), Charlie Dennis (72′ Jose Hernandez), Dariusz Formella (79′ Juan Carlos Azocar), Tomas Angel (87′ Remi Cabral), Edgardo Rito
Substitutes Not Used – Damien Barker John, Patrick Rakovsky, Jamison Ping, Christopher Grote
FC Tulsa – Johan Penaranda, Harvey St Clair (65′ Patrick Seagrist), Bradley Bourgeois, Alexis Souahy, Owen Damm, Diogo Pacheco (79′ Stefan Stojanovic), Faysal Bettache, Andrew Booth (87′ Blaine Ferri), Boubacar Diallo, Matthew Bell (65′ Milo Yosef), Aaron Bibout
Substitutes Not Used – Michael Creek, Rashid Tetteh, Sebastian Sanchez
