Phoenix Rising hosts FC Tulsa at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday in its home opener at Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium, kicking off its 2025 USL Championship campaign.
The players are back. Preseason is over. Starting Saturday night—and every match through next fall—the points count for real.
With a new head coach on the sidelines and a fresh wave of talent, Phoenix Rising FC kicks off its 2025 USL Championship campaign against FC Tulsa at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday at Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium. Four months after falling in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, the club returns with the same lofty goal it sets every season: winning a USL Championship title.
“I think we’re where we need to be,” Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “It’s the first game of the year. It’s always unknown territory what you’re going to face or what you’re going to get, but the preparation has been very good. The boys are ready, and we can’t wait for Saturday to get here.”
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
WHAT: Phoenix Rising FC vs. FC Tulsa
WHEN: 7:00 p.m. (Mountain)
WHERE: Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: 3TV (TV), ESPN+ (stream), KDUS 1440 AM (English), La Onda 1190 AM
TICKETS: Ticketmaster
FIRST LOOK UNDER PA
Saturday marks Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah’s regular-season debut on the touchline. Appointed last November, the former player-turned-coach brings head coaching experience from Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League and North Texas FC in MLS NEXT Pro, as well as assistant coaching experience at Charlotte FC in MLS. With just four months to implement his ideas and playing style, Kah has already brought in 11 new players, many under the age of 25, as he has moved quickly to shape the team ahead of the home opener.
With both Kah and several new players joining the squad, this year’s preseason took on added importance. Rising faced new MLS side San Diego FC in a closed-door exhibition, competed against Los Angeles FC and Charlotte FC in the Coachella Valley Invitational, and hosted exhibition matches against Phoenix College and St. Louis CITY 2.
The club wrapped up its preseason with an intrasquad scrimmage that showcased Kah’s vision of a free-flowing, high-energy playing style. In a 3-3 draw, Team Red and Team Black went toe-to-toe, with Mohamed Traore scoring from outside-the-box and Jearl Margaritha finding the back of the net after a slaloming run down the right wing before Team Black secured a victory in a penalty shootout.
“We have a lot of good lads in the group now—lots of different cultures,” Margaritha said after the scrimmage. “Everybody is getting along well. There’s a good vibe and atmosphere in the group, and I think we’re making good steps toward the first game.”
With a mix of first-team regulars and Academy products rotating in and out of the high-scoring affair, Kah witnessed from the sidelines something he has consistently touched on throughout his first months in charge: depth.
While preseason doesn’t always predict what’s ahead in a grueling 34-match campaign, that night helped show that Rising has the depth and attacking pieces to compete with any team it comes up against.
STARTING STRONG
Phoenix Rising has a chance to take advantage of a friendly schedule to start the 2025 regular season. Two of its first three matches will be played at Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium—against FC Tulsa on Saturday and Rhode Island FC on March 22. Rhode Island, the 2024 USL Championship runners-up (12-7-15, 51 pts), presents an early marquee matchup.
The club’s first three road games will see Phoenix Rising face El Paso Locomotive FC (March 15), Monterey Bay FC (March 29), and San Antonio FC (April 6)—all teams that finished below the playoff line in the USL Championship Western Conference last season.
As teams fight for early positioning in the conference standings, Kah and his squad have a prime opportunity to build momentum before a challenging midseason stretch of road games in the summer.
BRING ON FC TULSA
Phoenix Rising kicks off its 2025 USL Championship season against FC Tulsa, a team that finished 10th in the Western Conference last season (9-14-11, 38 pts). Like Phoenix, Tulsa enters the new campaign with a fresh leader on the sidelines, as the club promoted former assistant Luke Spencer to head coach.
On the field, FC Tulsa strengthened its midfield with the additions of Australian midfielder Giordano Colli, who most recently starred for A-League side Perth Glory, and Serbian-born midfielder Stefan Lukic, the 2019 NAIA Men’s Player of the Year at Oklahoma Wesleyan. Defensively, the club brought in Delentz Pierre, who made 23 appearances (18 starts) for a Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC team that won the 2024 USL Championship title, as well as Abdoulaye Cissoko, a former Seattle Sounders defender. Tulsa also added Taylor Calheira, an MLS NEXT Pro Best XI selection as a forward.
“It’s always an unknown factor,” Kah said. “You haven’t played any games. The scouting isn’t where we want it to be. But we always focus on ourselves, the quality that we have and what we can do.”
Rising is currently on an eight-match unbeaten run against FC Tulsa dating back to the 2017 season. Both teams played to a 3-3 draw in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on April 5, with Rising taking all three points in a 1-0 win on September 6 at home.
