Match Preview: Phoenix Rising at Sacramento Republic FC
USL Phoenix Rising FC

Match Preview: Phoenix Rising at Sacramento Republic FC

Published on September 10, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release


After settling into home rhythms over the last three weeks, Phoenix Rising must now return to the road where it faces Sacramento Republic FC in the California Capital at 7:00 p.m. (PT) Saturday, September 13, at Heart Health Park. Currently in second place in the Western Conference and putting some distance between itself and its competitors as the season winds down, Sacramento provides a formidable road challenge for Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah and his squad as it chases a home playoff match.

"It's a beautiful challenge," Kah said. "You always want to play the best teams. This year, when you look at the West, anyone can beat anyone. We have to focus on ourselves, how we prepare and how we go into the games."

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

WHAT: Phoenix Rising FC at Sacramento Republic FC

WHEN: Saturday, September 13 (7:00 p.m. PT)

WHERE: Heart Health Park (Sacramento, Calif.)

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: AZFS, ESPN+, Rising Radio (team socials)

SETTLING IN

With the addition of four new players over the last month, Kah and his coaching staff have spent the last several matches slowly fitting together new pieces into the bigger puzzle that is his team. Defenders Rafael Czichos and Daniel Flores as well as forward Kelvin Arase have already shown fans a glimpse of what they bring to the group.

Both Arase (2 assists) and Flores (1 assist) picked up their first Rising goal contributions in the club's 3-3 draw against El Paso Locomotive FC on August 30. Czichos, meanwhile, picked up his first home start in Rising's recent home match against Las Vegas Lights FC on September 5 and showed some of his leadership chops. Even once substituted out of the match, he consistently was talking to teammates on the field and provideing an extra set of eyes from the sidelines. Following the match, goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky discussed what the first few matches with Czichos at the back have been like.

"(Czichos) has been great," Rakovsky said. "He's really experienced in a lot of games from Germany and here. He's definitely what we expect and what we need in the back. Also, he's a leader on the field and off the field. We're just excited that he's here now."

Rising's most recent addition, who has yet to make his USL Championship debut, is Cameroonian midfielder Jean-Éric Moursou. The 20-year-old joins Rising with 41 appearances accross four different French competitions, including the Coupe de France (7 apps.), Ligue 2 (8) and Championnat National (15).

STRINGING TOGETHER RESULTS

Rising's 0-0 draw against Las Vegas Lights FC on September 5 marked a fourth consecutive result for the club. It's a run that dates back to August 16 and has seen Rising pick up five vital points in the West. Notably, Kah's side scored eight goals during the four-match stretch and conceded just five.

Now tasked with taking down a pesky Sacramento Republic FC side on the road, Rising will need to bring every bit of its form to Heart Health Park on Saturday to sustain the momentum it has recently built up at home. With only seven games left in the season, three away and four at home, the match is critical for Rising as the regular season quickly waynes.

CLASH IN THE CAPITAL

With 37 points already racked up this season, Sacramento Republic FC is slowly pulling away as one of the West's more solid teams. Head Coach Neill Collins side has won its last two regular season matches by a score of 2-0 and has suffered defeat just once in its last 11 matches in all competitions dating back to July 4. Notably, Sacramento has shown consistency throughout the season, having the most clean sheets of any team in the competition.

Rising is 7-8-10 in regular-season competition against Sacramento all-time, with its last road victory in the series coming in 2022 when it won 1-0 on September 28 of that year. The two teams last faced off on April 19, when Rising rallied from down 2-0 to draw 2-2, inflictung Sacramento's lone defeat.

"You can't put too much thought into the past, but you look at the last game we played (Sacramento) at home. There's a lot of positives that we can take away from that game. We're further now as a team and so are they, so I'm very much looking forward to the game on Saturday."

Rising will have the benefit of playing an opponent on short rest come Saturday, with Sacramento coming off a high-intensity match against Rhode Island FC in the USL Jäeger Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Even more beneficial is that the match will be played in Rhode Island, requiring the Sacramento side to travel all the way back across the country for the weekend match.

On the field, Sacramento is led by forward Russell Cicerone with six goals and four assists, and midfielder Rodrigo López, who has five assists and four goals.

Check out the Phoenix Rising FC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 10, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central