Preview: Rising at Memphis, Tomorrow at 5:30 PM

June 27, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release

Phoenix Rising FC (5-5-6) travels East to face Memphis 901 FC on Friday, June 28. The match will be broadcast live on Arizona's Family Sports beginning at 5:30 p.m. local time.

Rising's defense secured its fifth shutout of the season last time out, dipping below the franchise record of 1.06 goals against shared by the 2019 and 2020 squads. Phoenix also secured its fifth clean sheet of the season on June 22, a mark the team did not reach until September of 2023.

Much like Rising, Memphis had a slow start to the 2024 campaign. 901 went 1-5-0 before recovering with a 4-0-2 stretch from April 27 to May 25. Lately, Memphis has been drawing a lot of matches, going 1-1-3 since June 1. Rising is also similar in this regard, with a 3-1-5 record in its last nine games.

Memphis (6-6-4) sits fifth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Rising. The West is wild, with just four points separating Orange County (6-6-3) in the final playoff position and Sacramento (6-2-7) in second place.

901 is also the highest scoring team in the West with 24 goals scored in 16 matches. Phoenix boasts the second-best defense in the conference with 16 goals allowed in 16 matches.

Memphis is coming off a 1-1 draw in Nevada vs. Las Vegas Lights on June 22. Bruno Lapa, one of 901's two leading scorers netted a 70-yard bomb to give the visitors a first-half lead, but as in many of Memphis' matches, there were late goals. Vegas was awarded a penalty that was converted in the 80th to give Memphis its third draw in its last four games.

Three of Phoenix's next four games are on the road in Memphis, San Antonio and Loudoun. Rising's lone home match between June 22 and August is First Responders' Night at 38th Street and Washington on Friday, July 19 (8 p.m.).

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