PHOENIX, Arizona (Saturday, March 30) – Phoenix Rising FC fell to 1-3-0 on the season with a 1-0 loss to New Mexico United in front of 7,172 fans tonight at Phoenix Rising Stadium.
The team heads to Tulsa next Friday, April 5 for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+. Rising is back in Phoenix on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Colorado Switchbacks SC.
Tonight, Erickson Gallardo got Rising off on the right foot in the eighth minute of the match. The Venezuelan stepped inside and ripped a right-footed shot on goal from 25-yards out. The line drive looked like it would tuck in under the crossbar but Alex Tambakis dove high to his left side to punch away the attempt.
Against the run of play, New Mexico took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when Dayonn Harris tapped in a six-yard shot on the back post after Mukwelle Akale dribbled on the right side and sent a slow and low cross to a pair of unmarked attackers.
Rocco Rios Novo made a trio of saves between the 24th and 37th minutes to keep his team in the match. It nearly paid off in the 41st minute when Panos Armenakas sent the ball out wide to Juan Carlos Azocar. The winger cut inside a hit a dipping shot that sailed just inches over the crossbar.
The second half didn’t begin any better for Rising. Pape Mar Boye was whistled for a handball in the box in the 57th minute and former Phoenix forward Greg Hurst stepped up to take the attempt. Novo read him like a book, feinting to his left before diving far to the post on his right side to push the ball outside of the post.
Rising head coach Danny Stone made four changes in the 61st minute, one of which was the Rising debut of former Juventus Academy player Gio Doratiotto, but the influx of fresh legs didn’t ignite the offense. The team finished with six shots on goal to New Mexico’s 14.
Novo, who had little to do last weekend in Phoenix’s 1-0 win against Oakland, finished the match with eight saves.
Scoring:
NM – Dayonn Harris (Mukwelle Akale) 16
Discipline:
PHX – Dariusz Formella (caution) 13
NM – Mukwelle Akale (caution) 19
NM – Zico Bailey (caution) 36
NM – Micaletto (caution) 45+5
PHX – Pape Mar Boye (caution) 57
PHX – Jose Hernandez (caution) 64
PHX – Gio Doratiotto (caution) 65
PHX –Rocco Rios Novo (caution) 90+12
Lineups:
Phoenix Rising FC – Rocco Rios Novo, Laurence Wyke, Pape Mar Boye, Mo Traore (Gabi Torres 84), Edguardo Rito, JC Azocar, Jose Andres Hernandez (Emil Cuello 61), Renzo Zambrano, Panos Armenakas (Gio Doratiotto 61), Erickson Gallardo (Fede Varela 61), Dariusz Formella (Remi Cabral 61).
Substitutes Not Used: Patrick Rakovsky, John Stenberg, Emil Cuello, Grote, Isaiah Kaakoush.
New Mexico United – Alex Tambakis, Arturo Astorga, Chris Gloster, Talen Maples, Anthony Herbert, Micaletto, Mukwelle Akale (Harry Swartz 73), Zico Bailey, Nicky Hernandez (Will Seymore 90+12), Dayonn Harris, Greg Hurst (Daniel Bruce 90+6).
Substitutes Not Used: Kris Shakes, Jackson DuBois, Nanan Houssou, Jacobo Reyes.
