Phoenix Rising Prepares for Final Road Match of 2019
October 4, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release
Phoenix Rising plays its final road match of 2019 when the club travels to take on Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and will air on Your PHX CW (channel 6 on cable and 61.1 on satellite & over-the-air) as well as ArizonaSports.com.
The club ensured it wouldn't have to travel again this season following a 2-2 draw with New Mexico last Saturday that clinched the 2019 USL Regular Season Title. Phoenix Rising will now have home-field advantage throughout the entire USL Playoffs. The club is currently unbeaten at home with a 12-0-3 record.
Heading into the final road match of the season, Phoenix Rising's road record has been nearly as stellar. The club is 10-3-3 away from home in 2019. During the team's record-shattering 20-game winning streak, Phoenix Rising won nine straight matches on the road.
Timbers 2 comes into the match needing points to keep its playoff hopes alive. The club currently sits at 12th on the table with 38 points, three points behind San Antonio FC who sit in the 10th and final playoff spot with 41 points. Portland dropped its last match 2-1 to Austin Bold at Providence Park. For the 2019 season, Portland is 5-6-4 at Providence Park, matching its record away from home.
This will be the final match of the season series between the two clubs. Phoenix Rising downed Portland 4-2 in thrilling fashion at Casino Arizona Field on June 29th. In that match, Rising trailed 2-1 before scoring three unanswered goals (two of them in stoppage time) to come away with the win.
Phoenix Rising will be hosting two official watch parties for Saturday's match. Fans can go to La Paz Cantina in downtown Phoenix or Topgolf in Gilbert where five bays will be reserved for free golfing for Rising fans.
PHXvPOR Series
This will be the 11th all-time league meeting between the two clubs, with PHX's record being 4-5-1.
PHX has won four of the last five matches, including their meeting on June 29 this season.
A Little Bit About Portland Timbers 2
The club's leading scorer is Dairon Asprilla with 9 goals in only 9 appearances. Foster Langsdorf and Ryan Sierakowski are second in goals with seven apiece.
Eryk Williamson leads the team with 8 assists, followed by Foster Langsdorf with 7.
Portland is 5-4-3 at home this season.
Portland is currently 12th in the Western Conference, battling for a playoff spot.
A Little Bit About Phoenix Rising
Per Opta, the team's 7.0 team rating is tops in USL Championship.
PHX has scored three or more goals in 17 of its 31 games this season.
PHX's 80 goals scored is tops in USL Championship. Solomon Asante leads all of USL Championship in goals (22) and assists (15).
Zac Lubin leads the league in clean sheets (13).
Per Opta, Asante has the best average player rating at 8.22. He's the only player currently above 8. PHX has two of the top four rated players in the league (Asante and Flemmings).
Regular Season Title Winners
Phoenix Rising officially became the 2019 Regular Season Title winners on Saturday and will now have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Phoenix remains unbeaten at home this season with a 12-0-3 record.
Win, Win, Win, No Matter What...
Phoenix Rising has 22 wins on the season and have already broken the club record for wins in the regular season (19). With three matches remaining on the schedule, the club is on the verge of breaking the USL Championship record for wins in a season (23), set by FC Cincinnati last season.
Chasing Records
Phoenix Rising has already broken the club record for points in a season (63, set in 2018). With 72 points, PHX now has the chance to break the USL Championship record for most points in a season (77), set by FC Cincinnati last season.
Spreading The Wealth
On the season, 14 different players have scored a goal. The club record for most players to score in a season is 17, set in 2017.
Difference Makers
Not only is Phoenix Rising leading USL championship in goals (80), but the club's goal differential is also the best in the league by a wide margin. The club currently has a +50 goal differential, 19 goals better than the next highest total.
Iron Man Watch
Defender Amadou Dia remains the club's minutes leader with 2,520 minutes played. He's followed by Adam Jahn (2,502), Solomon Asante (2,485), Zac Lubin (2,430), and Mustapha Dumbuya (2,013) to round out the top five. 15 players total have logged 1,000 or more minutes this season.
Man on Fire
Solomon Asante has 37 combined goals and assists on the season, breaking a USL Championship record (32) set last year by FC Cincinnati's Emmanuel Ledesma, who recorded 16 goals and 16 assists in the regular season. Asante's 22 goals are three off the league's regular-season record of 25, set in 2018 by Louisville City FC's Cameron Lancaster. His 15 assists are one off the league's regular-season record of 16, set in 2018 by Ledesma.
Clean Sheet King
Zac Lubin has 13 clean sheets on the season, leading USL Championship and setting a new club record for clean sheets in a regular season (previously was 12, set by Carl Woszczynski last season). He is also two clean sheets off the league record for most shutouts in the regular season (15, set last year by Ottawa Fury FC's Maxime Crépeau).
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