SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Saturday, July 6) – Phoenix Rising FC suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against San Antonio FC on Saturday night in its 18th match of the USL Championship regular season. The match marked the debut of Interim Head Coach Diego Gomez following the recent departure of Danny Stone.
The home side took the lead in the 39th minute when Juan Agudelo volleyed in a free kick from Jorge Hernandez. Despite controlling 57% of the possession in the first half, Rising was unable to break through San Antonio’s defense.
Rising found a response in the second half, leveling the score in the 58th minute. Dariusz Formella’s precise cross found Federico Varela, who headed the ball into the top left corner for his third goal of the season.
San Antonio reclaimed the lead in the 81st minute with Agudelo’s second brace in as many matches. A penalty was awarded after Formella fouled Hernandez in the box. Agudelo calmly stepped up, side-footing it past the outstretched hand of Rocco Rios Novo diving to his left.
Phoenix Rising pushed for an equalizer late in the match, with Edgardo Rito and Formella both coming close, but San Antonio’s defense remained resolute, and goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega made key saves to preserve the lead.
The match featured eight minutes of stoppage time, during which Phoenix Rising continued to press forward. San Antonio nearly extended its lead in the 97th minute when Hugo Mbongue’s shot forced a diving save from Rios Novo.
Phoenix Rising has now scored five goals in its last six matches, underscoring its recent offensive struggles. With a record of 5-6-7, they are just more than halfway through the season, clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Scoring:
SAN – Juan Agudelo (Jorge Hernandez) 39’
PHX – Federico Varela (Dariusz Formella) 58’
SAN – Juan Agudelo (penalty) 81′
Discipline:
PHX – Pape Mar Boye (caution) 38’
PHX – Emil Cuello (caution) 90+5’
SAN – Hugo Mbongue 90+9’
Lineups:
Phoenix Rising – Rocco Rios Novo, Laurence Wyke, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Pape Mar Boye (Mohamed Traore 73’), JP Scearce (Giulio Doratiotto 82’), Renzo Zambrano, Jose Hernandez (Emil Cuello 68’), Gabi Torres (Juan Carlos Azocar 67’), Fede Varela, Dariusz Formella, Remi Cabral (Edgardo Rito 83’).
Substitutes not used: Patrick Rokovsky, John Stenberg.
San Antonio FC – Pablo Sisniega, Mitchell Taintor, Nelson Flores Blanco, Kendall Burks, Luke Haakenson, Jake LaCava (Machop Chol 72’), Jorge Hernandez, Jorge “Bura” Nogueira, Juan Agudelo (Hugo Mbongue 88’), Shannon Gomez, Kevon Lambert.
Substitutes not used: Trova Boni, Hendall McIntosh, Hameron Lacey, Gid Padilla, Izaiah Garza.
