Match Preview: Phoenix Rising vs. FC Tulsa, Friday at 5:30PM
Published on April 4, 2024 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release
Phoenix Rising (1-3-0) hits the road for the second time this season, taking on FC Tulsa (1-1-0), Friday at 5:30 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and broadcast the following morning locally on CBS 5 at 9 a.m.
Both Phoenix and Tulsa come into the match having lost, 1-0, the last time out. Tulsa fell in Orange County while Rising lost at home to New Mexico.
"I'm disappointed with the game," said Rising head coach Danny Stone. "We didn't get to grips with the type of game it was or the conditions. We didn't find ourselves in the game, in possession particularly. We competed. We pushed in the second half. We tried to drive the game. We just weren't effective enough to create opportunities. The quality in what we did with the ball was not good enough."
"We changed the system a couple of times during the game," added Stone. "We always came back to the same struggle. We have to ask more of ourselves. However we played, we weren't able to develop the chances we needed."
Saturday's match will be the home opener for Tulsa, which traveled to Vegas and picked up a 3-1 win on March 16. Midfielder Blaine Ferri picked up two assists in that match by winning balls deep in enemy territory and quickly transitioning to offense. Tulsa put more shots on goal in that match, 5-4, despite owning just 28 percent of the possession. Despite losing to Orange County, Tulsa also had more shots on goal by a 6-3 margin.
Despite the frustrating start to the 2024 season, Phoenix should not be deterred. The defending USL Champions started last season with a 0-1-1 record in March. Even during the best season in USL history, Rising went 0-0-3 in March of 2019 before finishing the year with a record of 24-4-6.
[The team knows] they're better than what they showed," said Stone. "We didn't produce enough quality. Give credit to the opponent for their side of it but we look at ourselves. We look at the quality we provide in the game and today, we're disappointed we didn't produce more than that."
Gauging by the best seasons in club history, Rising is right on track.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 4, 2024
- Match Preview: FC Tulsa Hosts Phoenix Rising FC for Their First Home Match of the 2024 Season - FC Tulsa
- Las Vegas Lights FC Host Spokane Velocity in 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - Las Vegas Lights FC
- Preview: Rowdies at Pittsburgh - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Detroit City FC Returns Home on Saturday for Early Afternoon Contest against North Carolina FC - Detroit City FC
- US Open Cup Third Round Pairings Including FC Tulsa Hosting Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC - FC Tulsa
- Indy Eleven to Play Chicago Fire FC II in U.S. Open Cup Third Round - Indy Eleven
- MBFC to Host Irvine Zeta FC in Third Round of U.S. Open Cup - Monterey Bay FC
- Memphis 901 FC to Host Miami United FC in U.S. Open Cup Third Round at AutoZone Park on April 17 - Memphis 901 FC
- LouCity's U.S. Open Cup Run Starts with April 16 Home Game - Louisville City FC
- Match Preview: Rhode Island FC vs. Charleston Battery: April 6, 2024 - Rhode Island FC
- Rhode Island FC to Face Charlotte Independence in Third Round of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup - Rhode Island FC
- Match Preview: Memphis Hosts Top Side Orange County SC - Memphis 901 FC
- Preview: Hounds vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- United Soccer League to Debut First-Ever Theme Music During Historic CBS Broadcast - USL
- Republic FC and SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union Honor Indomitable Educators from Wheatland Union High School - Sacramento Republic FC
- Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club Announces Partnership with West Oakland Based Mandela Partners - Oakland Roots
- Match Preview: Republic FC at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC - Sacramento Republic FC
- Match Preview: Phoenix Rising vs. FC Tulsa, Friday at 5:30PM - Phoenix Rising FC
- Charleston Battery, Color World Painting Announce Multi-Year Partnership - Charleston Battery
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.
