Phoenix Rising Hosts Monterey Bay

October 2, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release

Phoenix Rising (9-9-11) hosts Monterey Bay (7-9-14) in its penultimate home match of the 2024 regular season in Central Phoenix. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m., and it’s Dollar Beer Night! Fans can enjoy $1 Modelo beers at concession stands throughout the stadium. Tickets are available now at phxrisingfc.com/tickets. Fans can also watch the game live on Arizona’s Family Sports or the CBS Sports GOLAZO channel.

Week 30 of the USL Championship was disappointing for Phoenix Rising. After gaining three points and significant momentum with a four-goal performance against San Antonio in Week 29, the team went on to lose both a home and an away match. Six points would have lifted the team to 6th place in the Western Conference standings, just one point away from hosting a playoff match. Instead, Rising now sits in 7th place, just two points above the playoff line.

“The results [last week] were not what we intended, but now the only way to progress is to look forward, we have a very important game on Friday, and this is what we’re looking toward,” said Interim Head Coach Diego Gomez. “It was a difficult week – it started well against Orange County and then we had a setback, and we had a good game against Las Vegas given the conditions, a very tough game with hot weather and tired legs, and then to lose it in the 96th and 98th minute, there is frustration when you lose that way. Now, it’s about waking up and moving past the last game. We need three points against Monterrey.”

The two matches Phoenix Rising played in Week 30 were vastly different. In their away match, Rising dominated possession, fired off ten shots, and maintained consistent pressure in the opponent’s final third. Despite the control, they managed only one shot on target and conceded twice in a 2-0 loss. Back at home, Rising registered just six shots-its lowest total in a USL Championship match in 2024-while holding only 41% possession, but did manage to score.

“The team is focused on the next game, with just five games left in the competition we need to lock in to make the playoffs, so above all we are focused on that goal,” said Gomez. “We continue to look at things one game at a time, now more than ever, because the reality is that every game is key right now and in order to move up the table and to be successful or make the playoffs, we need to win this game and after this game we need to think about winning…