After conceding early, Rising comes from behind to beat its Southwest rival – earning its first victory of the season from a losing position
Phoenix Rising FC (10-9-12) secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory on the road against rivals New Mexico United, overcoming early adversity and playing the final minutes with ten men. In a match defined by high pressure, physicality, and a flurry of second-half cards, Rising’s resilience earned them a crucial three points in their push toward the playoffs.
Phoenix Rising started on the front foot, with smooth play out of the back between Alejandro Fuenmayor, Emil Cuello, and Darius Johnson, successfully breaking New Mexico’s high press and pushing forward with numbers. Opting to take it on himself, Charlie Dennis unleashed a strong left-footed shot from distance, but New Mexico goalkeeper Alexander Tambakis collected it at the center of the goal for the first shot on target of the match.
Rising had another chance just a few minutes later from a corner delivered by Dennis into the box. Pape Mar Boye out-jumped his defender and directed a header toward the far corner, but a New Mexico defender cleared it away. Fifteen minutes in, Rising had two attempts with one on target while preventing any opportunities for New Mexico, despite the home side controlling nearly 70 percent of possession.
Rising continued to seek counter-attacking opportunities but were undone when Mukwelle Akale stepped in front of Laurence Wyke, then collapsed to draw a penalty. Talen Maples stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball into the lower left corner, opposite a diving Rocco Rios Novo, giving New Mexico the lead.
After the goal, Rising increased the pressure and held more possession, aiming to exploit New Mexico’s high press by switching the ball from side to side and challenging defenders on the wings. As halftime approached, Rising closed the possession gap and managed to equalize just before the break.
Cuello was pushed in the back by Nanan Houssou after receiving a chipped ball into the box, earning Rising a penalty. Tomas Angel, who had converted Phoenix’s last penalty about a month earlier, confidently stepped up again and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, placing the ball low to the left to level the score at 1-1.
Phoenix Rising continued to press the attack as they came out of the locker room for the second half, with Johnson creating an early chance for the visitors, though he was unable to direct it on target. Giulio Doratiotto and Cuello also got involved with shots in the 53rd and 56th minutes, respectively, but neither effort posed a threat to goalkeeper Tambakis.
Rising took the lead in the 59th minute through Dennis. After a series of chances, a rebounded ball fell to Doratiotto, who struck it powerfully and low. The shot appeared to be heading wide until Dennis stuck out his boot, deflecting it into the roof of the net to put Rising ahead.
After a strong start to the second half, Phoenix Rising found themselves under pressure following their go-ahead goal. New Mexico tried to exploit Rising’s advanced positioning of their outside backs and wings, working the ball from the outside in. By the 75th minute, New Mexico had kept nearly 42 percent of the action in Phoenix Rising’s defensive third.
The pressure continued to build as New Mexico pushed more players forward in search of an equalizer. However, shots from Sergio Rivas, Mukwelle Akale, and Kalen Ryden all failed to hit the target.
With just two minutes left in regulation, Phoenix Rising defender Juan Carlos Azócar was shown a red card for his second bookable offense within six minutes, forcing Rising to finish the match with ten men. The game saw its fair share of cards, with nine shown in total, most in the second half—a typical feature of a rivalry match.
Despite conceding first and facing their Southwestern rivals on the road, Phoenix Rising emerged victorious, taking all three points from Albuquerque. It was the first time this season Rising won after conceding the opening goal, and it marked their third consecutive match scoring at least one goal. For New Mexico, it was their first loss after scoring the opening goal since August 2023.
Phoenix Rising now heads to Oakland for a quick stop before returning home for their final home match of the season on October 19. As part of a double matchweek, the club kicks off this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at CSUEB Pioneer Stadium. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+ or broadcast locally on Arizona’s Family Sports.
Scoring:
NM – 28′ Talen Maples (Penalty)
PHX – 45+3′ Tomas Angel (Penalty)
PHX – 59′ Charlie Dennis (Giulio Doratiotto)
Discipline:
PHX – 14′ Renzo Zambrano (Caution)
PHX – 19′ Charlie Dennis (Caution)
NM – 45+2′ New Mexico Bench (Caution)
NM – 51′ Nanan Houssou (Caution)
NM – 61′ Talen Maples (Caution)
PHX – 67′ Tomás Ángel (Caution)
PHX – 89′ Juan Carlos Azócar (Caution)
PHX – 90′ Emil Cuello (Caution)
PHX – 90+5′ Juan Carlos Azócar (Ejection)
Lineups:
Phoenix Rising FC – Rocco Ríos Novo, Giulio Doratiotto (70′ Mohamed Traore), Pape Mar Boye, Alejandro Fuenmayor, Laurence Wyke, Renzo Zambrano, Darius Johnson (78′ JP Scearce), Emil Cuello, Charlie Dennis (78′ Juan Carlos Azócar), Edgardo Rito (90+3′ José Hernández), Tomás Ángel
Substitutes Not Used – Federico Varela, Patrick Rakovsky, Dariusz Formella
New Mexico United – Alexander Tambakis, Christopher Gloster, Kalen Ryden, Talen Maples, Arturo Astorga (85′ Will Seymore), Sergio Rivas, Nanan Houssou (85′ Nicky Hernandez), Jacobo Reyes (71′ Daniel Bruce), Mukwelle Akale, Harry Swartz (61′ Marco Micaletto), Greg Hurst
Substitutes Not Used – Anthony Herbert, Kristopher Shakes, Marlon Vargas, Jace Sais, Derek
