Phoenix Rising Prepares to Face Louisville City
July 19, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release
Phoenix travels to Louisville City for an early, 4 p.m. kickoff this Wednesday, July 20 on ESPN 2.
Louisville has won five straight including a 2-1 win against Memphis 901 on Saturday, July 16. The Eastern Conference leaders are 8-1-1 at Lynn Family Stadium this season and rank first in the Championship with 42 goals scored.
Phoenix did have a chance to regroup this past weekend with no matches scheduled. Rising hopes the break will allow the club to get another key piece back in injured center midfielder Arturo Rodriguez, who has been out since suffering an injury in a U.S. Open Cup match in Sacramento on May 11.
Last time out, Rising faced the same Memphis 901 team, falling 3-1, on July 9. The bright spot in that match for Phoenix was goalkeeper Ben Lundt, who made seven saves.
"There were a couple fantastic saves," said Rising head coach Rick Schantz following the match. "We know that is what he is capable of... The last goal on the set piece, maybe he could have gotten to it, but the other two were just defensive breakdowns. He kept us in the game. That's the only reason we still had a chance at 2-1. We made too many mistakes defensively in the first half. Once again, we were better in the second half, but it was just not good enough.
It took us a while to get our rhythm going. That seems to be our problem right now. We haven't been up for the fight in the first 15 minutes. Once the game settles down, we're good. We've got to get tougher. We've got to get meaner."
Seven points out of a playoff position with 16 matches remaining in the regular season, Phoenix hopes it can pull off a huge upset and get a result in Louisville. The team returns to Wild Horse Pass for a pivotal game against Sacramento, which currently occupies the seventh and final playoff spot in the West this Saturday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 19, 2022
- Join Republic FC, New Partner Primal Pet Foods for Keep the Pint Night at at Ease Brewing Co. - Sacramento Republic FC
- Climate Night Is this Saturday - Oakland Roots
- San Antonio FC Lands Four on USL Championship Team of the Week - San Antonio FC
- Ryan James Named to USL Championship Team of the Week - Birmingham Legion FC
- NYRB II Defeats Indy Eleven, 1-0, Behind Rafanello's Second Half Goal - New York Red Bulls II
- Rowdies' Dayonn Harris Earns USL Team of the Week Spot - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Phoenix Rising Prepares to Face Louisville City - Phoenix Rising FC
- Hadji Barry, Michee Ngalina Named to USL Championship Team of the Week; Elvis Amoh Named to Bench - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
- Kai Greene Earns USLC Team of the Week Honors - Monterey Bay FC
- Las Vegas Lights FC's Abraham Romero earns Player of the Week after eight-save shutout - USL
- Atlanta United 2 Signs Toni Tiente - Atlanta United 2
- Rising and Defender Manuel Madrid Mutually Part Ways - Phoenix Rising FC
- FC Tulsa Inks 19-Year-Old Christopher Pearson to First Professional Contract - FC Tulsa
- What to Watch for with LouCity vs. Phoenix Rising FC - Louisville City FC
- SD Loyal Adds Three Points with 3-0 Win vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC - San Diego Loyal
- Switchbacks FC Play with Nine Men in Final Minutes against San Diego Loyal SC - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
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.
Other Recent Phoenix Rising FC Stories
- Rising Downed on the Road
- Rising Downed on the Road
- Match Preview: Phoenix Rising at Charleston Battery
- Goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky, Defender Ascel Essengue Named to USL Championship Team of the Week 15
- Rising Claim Another Road Result in 1-1 Draw Against FC Tulsa at ONEOK Field
