A match up of 2023 champs, Rising kicks off against North Carolina FC
Phoenix Rising FC Match Preview Presented by Mayo Clinic
Phoenix Rising FC (6-8-8) will host USL Championship newcomers North Carolina FC (7-8-8) this Saturday at 8:00 p.m. at Phoenix Rising Stadium. The match will be broadcast on Arizona’s Family Sports and available for streaming on ESPN+.
This past week gave Phoenix Rising a much-needed break, marking their first weekend off since mid-July and only their second bye week of the season. Currently sitting just one point outside the playoff bubble with two games in hand, the 2023 USL Championship winners will face the 2023 USL League One champions at home this Saturday.
“We know what it’s going to take to make the playoffs is performing every single week — the table is very tight right now so we don’t have to look so far in the distance,” said Interim Head Coach Diego Gomez. “We know we have to win many games to get into the playoffs and its about getting the results on the weekend, because if you get a result this weekend you are into that playoff position.”
North Carolina FC was on the road last week, facing San Antonio FC. North Carolina entered that match on a high, having secured all six points from its previous two games, including a decisive 4-1 victory over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in Cary, North Carolina. Oalex Anderson recorded his first brace of the season in that match, bringing his career total with North Carolina FC to 30 league goals, including six this season. Three North Carolina players were also named to the USL Championship Team of the Week after a performance that showcased the team’s dominance on both sides of the ball.
Phoenix Rising has been a tough team to break down lately, with three clean sheets in its last four matches. The backline has also contributed offensively, particularly by attacking down the wings in their last home match against Tampa Bay, creating chaos in the final third. In that match, Rising tallied 15 total shots, including nine from inside the box, and hit the woodwork twice. However, Rising has failed to score in its last three games and is due for a goal. The last time Rising went four consecutive games without scoring in USL Championship play was between September 12, 2015, and March 27, 2016.
“We liked how the team performed against Tampa and what we talked about since then is trying to take a step forward and not be complacent at that level, because obviously we played a good game, but we didn’t score any goals,” said Gomez. “So we kept that mentality, improving and doing things better through the bye week and we felt we took another step forward last week and then again this week we have to take a step forward and play that same style we saw against Tampa but hopefully now materialize in goals.”
Phoenix Rising faced North Carolina FC earlier this year in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where Phoenix claimed a 2-1 victory in extra time. Tickets for this Saturday’s match are available now at phxrisingfc.com/tickets, starting at just $15.
“They play the same system they did when we met earlier, but they have changed their performance,” said Gomez. “When we played them in the Open Cup they were bottom or second to bottom in the East, but now they are doing much better.”
“They have a lot of quality on top with Anderson and Conway — two players that are very dangerous in different ways,” continued Gomez. “Conway has the capacity to drive at players and Anderson attacks space, so we’ll need to be very aware of them. When they get into a low block it’s difficult to break them down, so we need to be very good on the ball and take our opportunities when we have the ball in midfield.”
