Phoenix Rising FC Match Preview presented by NAU
Phoenix Rising (12-9-12) travels to Colorado Springs to face Switchbacks SC (15-13-5) this Saturday, October 14 at 5 p.m. (live on ESPN+ & 3TV).
With playoff positioning in the balance, this final shuffle of the season will determine Rising’s playoff destination – San Diego, Orange County or San Antonio.
“The reality is most of the job has been done,” said Rising Head Coach Juan Guerra. “We have over a week to think about ourselves. Where can we get stronger? Where can we find balance?”
The last time these two teams met on July 22, Phoenix was still ironing out the kinks of a roster redesign that has just three holdovers from its 2022 roster – Carlos Anguiano, Gabi Torres and Darnell King. The 1-1 draw in Phoenix left Rising (6-5-8) in 10th place with 14 matches left to climb into a playoff position – an accomplishment it reached on September 30.
“Over the last nine months, we’ve built something amazing,” said King. “We brought a lot of new guys in and now it’s gelling together.”
Guerra’s ‘turning point’ of the season came just four days after July 22 in a 4-0 loss in Sacramento and the team’s response to bounce back on the road against Monterey Bay. The team then equaled its win total from the first 20 games of the season (6) between July 29 to September 16 (6-3-3). With a playoff spot in hand, Rising is now looking to fine-tune and focus on next weekend’s playoff match, wherever that will be.
“It’s important to finish the year on a good note,” said Guerra. “This game is the end of the regular season. It’s important for us to finish with a performance that leads to a good result. We want everyone to feel confident and rested, physically and mentally. The playoffs are demanding. We need everyone prepared for what is coming.”
Colorado is 4-0-1 in its last five matches, but like Phoenix, it is unable to climb high enough to grab a home playoff game. A win would leave the Switchbacks a point sky of catching fourth-place San Diego. A loss at home to Phoenix would drop it into sixth, but the teams above them could still shuffle depending upon the late results of Orange County/Monterey Bay, Indy/San Antonio and San Diego/Vegas.
“For us nothing changes,” said Guerra. “We’ve kept high standards since day one. We’re not going to change now that we’re in the final stretch. This is 21 new players that came here nine months ago. All of them are now together, pushing towards a common goal. That is unique. We have become one strong team, one strong family. This is a group that understands what it takes. They understand they must do it together. We’re excited for what is coming. We’re close.”
PREVIEW: Final Shuffle, Rising vs. Switchbacks, Saturday at 5 PM
