Phoenix heads into first-round clash on the road after season finale defeat to Louisville City FC
Phoenix Rising fell 4-1 to Louisville City FC in its final regular-season match. After a hard-fought season, Rising now heads into the USL Championship playoffs to face the Western Conference’s top seed, New Mexico United. The matchup kicks off on November 3 at 6:00 p.m., marking the start of Rising’s championship title defense.
Louisville started strong, with the first of its 12 first-half shots arriving in just the 4th minute. Wilson Harris, Louisville’s top scorer with 17 goals this season, received the ball deep in Phoenix Rising’s penalty area. Turning quickly, he aimed a left-footed shot that narrowly missed the far post.
However, it was Rising that opened the scoring. After defending a corner, Edgardo Rito surged forward, finding space behind Louisville’s back line. Staying composed, Rito sent a pass past goalkeeper Damian Las to Jearl Margaritha at the back post, who tapped in his second goal of the season since joining the club in mid-August.
Louisville, a team that has thrived at home all season, has proven resilient even when trailing; they’ve lost only once and won four times after conceding the first goal. Relentless in attack after going behind, they ultimately capitalized on their chances. Harris secured a first-half brace, first by controlling a Kyle Adams cross and firing into the top of the net, then just minutes later, heading in an Adrien Perez cross.
Rising maintained strong possession throughout the match, controlling 66 percent of play, but Louisville was ultimately too dominant on the day. Despite a slow start to the second half, Louisville added two more goals before the final whistle. Ray Serrano scored the first, finding space between Rising’s center backs and chipping the ball over goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo from just inside the 18-yard box. Phillip Goodrum added another in stoppage time, heading in a corner kick to close the match.
With a loss in its final regular-season match, the path forward is now clearer for Rising. The club will travel one state over to face the top-seeded team in the Western Conference, New Mexico United, in the first round of the USL Championship playoffs. The match is set for November 3, with kickoff at 6:00 p.m.
Scoring:
PHX – 8′ Jearl Margaritha (Edgardo Rito)
LOU – 24′ Wilson Harris (Kyle Adams)
LOU – 28′ Wilson Harris (Adrien Perez)
LOU – 66′ Ray Serrano (Kyle Adams)
LOU – 90+2′ Phillip Goodrum (Jake Morris)
Discipline:
PHX – 81′ Alejandro Fuenmayor (Caution)
Lineups:
Phoenix Rising FC – Rocco Ríos Novo, Emil Cuello, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Mohamed Traore, Laurence Wyke (79′ JP Scearce), Renzo Zambrano, Edgardo Rito (67′ Damien Barker John), Federico Varela (66′ Dariusz Formella), Charlie Dennis (79′ Jose Hernandez), Jearl Margaritha, Tomás Ángel (46′ Remi Cabral)
Substitutes Not Used – Patrick Rakovsky, Darius Johnson
Louisville City FC – Damian Las, Kyle Adams, Sean Totsch, Wes Charpie, Jake Morris, Elijah Wynder, Taylor Davila (87′ Niall McCabe), Aiden McFadden (76′ Manny Perez), Ray Serrano (87′ Sam Gleadle), Wilson Harris (76′ Phillip Goodrum), Adrien Perez (69′ Jansen Wilson)
Substitutes Not Used – Danny Faundez, Amadou Dia, Hayden Stamps
