Phoenix Rising Draws Orange County SC, 1-1, in Home Opener
USL Phoenix Rising FC

Phoenix Rising Draws Orange County SC, 1-1, in Home Opener

Published on March 14, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release


Phoenix Rising's Darius Johnson
Phoenix Rising's Darius Johnson
(Phoenix Rising FC)

PHOENIX - Phoenix Rising played in front of its home fans for the first time in the regular season, holding on to draw Orange County SC 1-1 on March 14 at Phoenix Rising Stadium.

Forward Ihsan Sacko netted his first goal of the season, while midfielder Diego Gómez contributed his first assist as a Rising player as both teams finished the match down to ten men.

"I thought we played well for the most part," midfielder JP Scearce said. "When we were in progression, we did well. We defended well, all the way to the 90th minute. And of course, just a lapse of concentration in added time and (Orange County) punished us, which is a bit frustrating, but we'll take the point and get ready for Tuesday."

Beginning of a Busy Week

Saturday kicked off a stretch of three straight matches in the span of a week at 38th & Washington for Rising. The club will have two days to prepare for its next challenge following Saturday night's draw, as it prepares to begin its 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign against amateur side San Ramon FC on Tuesday, March 17.

"I thought the boys fought very well," Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. "We did well by going up 1-0 and we could've done better in front of goal, just a loss of focus."

Following its Open Cup debut, Rising will have just days to prepare for another USL Championship challenge, against Oakland Roots SC on Saturday, March 21.

Making In-Game Adjustments

Down to 10 men for over 45 minutes, Rising fans got their first glimpse at how Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah and his technical staff handle adverse conditions on the field.

While the lack of a player forced the staff to tweak the formation to emphasize overall solidity, players showed they were ready to step up to the challenge to secure the clubs first point of the season.

"(The situation) didn't change the mentality," Kah said. "You go down a man... what do you do? You have to stay narrow and compact, which we did. I think we dealt with it, and we made the right adjustments. We just couldn't hold on."

GOAL-SCORING PLAYS

PHX - Ihsan Sacko (Diego Gómez), 38th minute: After winning the ball back at midfield, Diego Gómez found Ihsan Sacko, who took a touch with his right foot before unleashing a right-footed shot from outside of the box that found the bottom corner of the net.

OC - Nico Benalcázar (Yaniv Bazini), 90+3rd minute: Yaniv Bazini played a ball into the box from the left that Nico Benalcázar got his right toe on, poking it past Chituru Odunze and into the back of the net.

NOTES

-Saturday marked the 35th matchup all-time between Rising and Orange County SC.

-Rising is now 14-11-10 all-time in the series.

-It is 9-3-5 at home against Orange County SC.

-Forward Juan Carvajal made his Rising debut, picking up the start.

-Saturday kicked off a stretch of three home matches in a week for Rising.

-The club hosts San Ramon FC in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, March 17.

-Ihsan Sacko scored his first goal of the season in the 38 th minute.

-Diego Gomez picked up his first assist as a Rising player on the goal.

Please click HERE to find highlights from tonight's match and HERE to find select photos.

Phoenix Rising (0-1-1, 1pt) vs Orange County SC (0-0-2, 2pts)

March 14, 2026 - Phoenix Rising Stadium (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Goals by Half 1 2 FT

Phoenix Rising 1 0 1

Orange County SC 0 1 1

Scoring Summary:

PHX: Sacko (Gómez), 38

OC: Benalcázar (Bazini), 90+3

Misconduct Summary:

PHX: Smith (caution), 19

PHX: Carvajal (caution), 43

PHX: Carvajal (ejection), 45

PHX: Sacko (caution), 56

OC: Tubbs (caution), 65

OC: Guimaraes (caution), 76

OC: Tubbs (ejection), 85

OC: Brewitt (caution), 87

Lineups:

PHX: GK Odunze, D Biasi, D Pelayo, D Smith, M Scearce ©, M Moursou, M Avayevu (Dennis, 66), M Gómez (Studenhofft, 83), F Johnson, F Carvajal, F Sacko (Vukovic, 83)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Rakovsky, D Czichos, D Ramirez, M Irwin, M Ping, F Hernandez

TOTAL SHOTS: 12 (Multiple Players, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (Multiple Players, 1); FOULS: 10 (Biasi, 3); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 3

OC: GK Rando, D Doghman, Benalcázar, D Brewitt ©, D War (Bunbury, 80), M Hegardt (Bazini, 80), M Kelly, M Palomino, M Partida (Tubbs, 59), F MacKinnon (Guimaraes, 68), F Johnson (Zubak, 59)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Kadono, M Solis

TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Palomino, 3) SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Multiple Players, 1); FOULS: 24 (Multiple Players, 4) OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 3

Referee: Cristian Campo Hernandez

Assistant Referees: Bruno Rizo, Stefan Knoerr

Fourth Official: Jose Lando

Attendance: 6,026

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.

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Images from this story

Phoenix Rising's Darius Johnson
Phoenix Rising's Darius Johnson
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 14, 2026


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