• Slug: Sports-Phoenix Rising Postseason, 1,000 words.
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By Cooper Burns
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – On a cold November night in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, in 2023, history was made in the United Soccer League. In a memorable match that still resonates with Valley soccer fans, Phoenix Rising defeated the Charleston Battery for the team’s first USL title.

Throughout the 2023 season, Rising was one of the best teams on paper statistically behind striker Daniel Trejo, Manuel Arteaga and Dariusz Formella – and that was just on the offense. Likewise, the defense was stacked with goalie Rocco Rios Novo, alongside defenders Darnell King and Eddie Munjoma.

While Rising had a talented roster, the team had to navigate through one of the deepest USL leagues in recent memory and finished the regular season in sixth place.

To put into context the competitiveness of the conference, sixth place and 11th place were separated by just seven total points. In a league where a win is worth three points while a draw is worth a singular point, Rising snuck in by a mere three wins.

Fast-forward to 2024 and Rising’s roster returns just 10 players, with a combined 261 appearances.

Returners
Number of appearances in 2023

Rocco Rios Novo (Goalie)
36 appearances

Rocco Rios Novo (Goalie)
2 appearances

Mohamed Traore (Defender)
24 appearances

Alejandro Fuenmayor (Defender)
35 appearances

Jose Hernandez (Midfield)
34 appearances

Federico Varela (Midfield)
26 appearances

Emil Cuello (Midfield)
21 appearances

Renzo Zambrano (Midfield)
35 appearances

Panos Armenakas* (Forward)
27 appearances

Erickson Gallardo* (Forward)
21 appearances

*Players with a star began with the team in 2024 but have since moved on.

Despite having a low return rate for players, Rising has once again found themselves in playoff contention.

Oddly enough, with their roster changes, Rising has not dropped off in performance three quarters through the season. Phoenix sits seventh on the Western Conference ladder and two points above Orange County SC for the final playoff spot with a 8-9-9 record and eight matches remaining in the regular season. Rising play San Antonio FC on the road Saturday night.

Here is a comparison of key stats from 2023 and 2024:

While records and position in the table may be the same, Rising certainly have not played the same from year to year. For most of the 2023 season, Rising was one of the best offensive teams in the league. This season has not nearly been the same offensive production as last year. Luckily for Rising, the defense has stepped up in a big way to keep them in games.

Across all 38 games that Rising played last season they averaged:

1.6 goals per game
8.76 shots per game
3.84 shots on target per game
1.4 goals given up per game
Seven clean sheets (total number not per game)
2.76 yellow cards per game
55% possession rate

A change of pace

Compared to last season, Rising have done a 180-degree turn in the statistics department.

Through 26 games Rising are on pace to have:

0.88 goals per game (45% decrease)
9.79 shots per game (11.8% increase)
4.29 shots on target per game (11.7% increase)
1.38 goal given up per game (2.9% decrease)
15 clean sheets (total number not per game) (114% increase)
2.26 yellow cards per game (18.1% decrease)

Ups and downs

Rising interim coach Diego Gomez, who took over after the firing of Danny Stone in June, highlighted one area his players need to improve if they want to make the postseason.

“The scoring. We need to do better in the final third to get a little bit more clear on what we want to do and to get better decisions in the final third so we are scoring more,” he said.

While the goals may not be coming at a very high clip, Rising have had their chances.

Through Rising’s 26 games, they are fifth in the league in passing and first in passing accuracy. So far, Rising have completed 11,726 passes and have completed a league best 85%.

Despite producing the highest pass accuracy rate in the league, Gomez still wants to see those chances converted into goals.

“We are happy with the chances we are creating, but we are ambitious to create more,” Gomez said.

No lack of confidence

Rising players and coaches remain confident about their abilities in the remaining games. Just ask Rising defender Pape Mar Boye, who gave a short but sweet answer about how the team is doing mentally.

“We are actually doing good, even though we are traveling we have a good vibe,” Mar Boye said.

While Gomez was not coaching with the team last season, Gomez gets the feeling that his players, along with the staff who were with the team in 2023, believe that they have the exact same tools to repeat as champions.

“The players from last year feel confident on the last stretch and the last bit of play,” he said. “There are many players that feel that they can do it again, that they know what happened last year. We have the confidence around the locker room that we can do it again.”

One of the main reasons they are confident is the fact that each game they are going out and putting no pressure on themselves. Despite being just above the cutline, Rising live freely.

“Winning these two games have helped a lot, you can see everyone is working hard and pushing but with a little more smiles on their faces,” Gomez said when his team was on a two-game winning streak before falling to Sacramento Republic FC, 2-0, last Saturday.

Seemingly, Gomez’ confidence and calm nature has transferred to the players, who appreciate how it helps ease their nerves in critical moments.

“I do not get nervous, someone can tell if you get nervous. I just go outside and do what I love to do. I just enjoy the game and do what I have to do,” Mar Boye said.

Push to the postseason

Overall, it may seem that Rising is not in a great place statistically, but they are living in the moment, one game at a time.

“Now that every game is important, it makes it more interesting for us, and also it makes us more motivated, we don’t need to move forward or check the playoff standings because every game for us is a crucial game,” Gomez said.

With four games remaining at home and four on the road, the postseason isn’t a lock. But after a sputtering start to the 2023 season, Phoenix ended it on the highest of notes, beating Charleston Battery 3–2 on penalty kicks following a 1–1 tie in regulation time to capture the Rising’s first USL Championship.

The memories from that memorable night in South Carolina still linger, as the Rising look to replicate postseason magic in 2024.

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