Sports stats



USL Phoenix Rising FC

Phoenix Rising Travels to Oakland

October 10, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release


Phoenix Rising (10-9-12) heads to Oakland Roots (12-5-14) for the second leg of its road trip, with kickoff this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Catch the action live on Arizona's Family Sports or stream it online on ESPN+.

Rising spent Wednesday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico, facing top-seeded Western Conference rival New Mexico United. With their playoff hopes on the line, Phoenix secured a 2-1 victory, overcoming adversity and finishing the match with ten men. Charlie Dennis and Tomás Ángel scored, bringing Rising's season point total to 39, tied with Orange County and four points clear holding the final playoff spot with three matches remaining in the regular season.

Midweek matchups around the league worked in Rising's favor. The team started the night needing 11 points to secure a postseason spot, but by the end of the night, that number was reduced to just six. Tulsa dropped in the standings with a 2-0 loss to North Carolina, while both San Antonio and Monterey drew 2-2, each losing two points in the race for the final playoff spot.

Tulsa and San Antonio play again on Saturday against teams that have already clinched playoff berths and are now aiming for higher seeds to secure home-field advantage in conference play. Losses from both teams, combined with a Rising win, could nearly clinch a playoff spot for Phoenix.

Rising's Saturday opponent, Oakland Roots, needs just a win and a draw in its final three matches to secure a playoff spot, sitting in a slightly more comfortable sixth position. However, form has been an issue for Oakland lately. Aside from a draw this past Saturday against Memphis 901, Oakland had lost four straight matches, with its last win coming from a 1-0 victory over New Mexico in late August. During that stretch, Oakland failed to score a single goal while conceding nine times.

Phoenix has historically performed well against Oakland since the latter joined the league in 2021. The club boasts four wins, three draws, and just two losses, with the most recent loss occurring toward the end of the 2022 season. The two clubs last faced off in March of this year, with Rising winning 1-0 after Panos Armenakas finished off a well-worked play, assisted by the one-touch passing of Dariusz Formella and Juan Carlos Azocar.

As the season comes to a close, every remaining game has a playoff atmosphere, and with just two points separating Phoenix Rising from Oakland Roots, this match could have significant playoff implications.

Check out the Phoenix Rising FC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...

United Soccer League Championship Stories from October 10, 2024


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