Rising Become First USL Team to Win Away Against New Mexico United in 2025

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USL Phoenix Rising FC

Rising Become First USL Team to Win Away Against New Mexico United in 2025

May 10, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release


Phoenix Rising picked up its second regular-season win of 2025, dispatching New Mexico United by a score of 2-1 on May 10 at RGCU Field at Isotopes Park. Midfielder Hope Avayevu finished with a goal and assist, while forward Darius Johnson scored his first goal with the club as Rising finished its three-match week with a win.

Following the victory, Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah and Avayevu discussed the result, away success, building momentum and more.

HEAD COACH PA-MODOU KAH

General thoughts on the match...

"I think we controlled the game. I think we were the better team. We should not have made it a thriller; we're going to get better at (not doing that). If you look at the week, you go to Colorado Springs, the home of the champions, and you have an opportunity to win. You come back at home, go 120 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup against an MLS team. You come here in a derby game and you show what you are capable of. I'm so proud of my boys. Yes, we could have been better, but these are the steps you need to take to get to where you need to be."

On the team's game plan defensively...

"Defensively, we know New Mexico is a team that likes a lot of movement, so you want to be compact in the middle and force them to go out wide. I don't think they created a lot of chances. We were the better team with the more dangerous opportunities. We should have scored more in the first half, but then we go 2-0 up and from that moment we did not control the game well. We allowed it to become a transitional game when we had a man up. That's where we have to be calmer, find a free man and kill the match."

On Avayevu's goal...

"With him, everything is possible. Nothing surprises me with him because I know what he is capable of."

On his message to Darius Johnson before he came into the match...

"We know what Johnson can be. He's a huge piece for this team with his speed, with his energy and quality on the ball. We knew what he could do, and this was the right moment after he gave us 60-70 minutes on Wednesday. We needed him to come off the bench and he answered the call. We're very happy with him and he deserved his goal."

On the team picking up a result at the end of a busy week...

"Credit goes out to Devon (Manifold) and Greg (Spence) because they do a wonderful job to get the boys prepared. But the boys also did a good job mentally staying ready, knowing this is a derby. It means a lot to our fans, and this was an absolute must-win for our fans given we haven't had the best of starts to the season. This group is growing, and you can see the growth every single day. To come out here and put out this performance is something to be proud of and I hope this will spur the team to use this momentum to move forward."

MIDFIELDER HOPE AVAYEVU

On his overall thoughts on the match...

"It was a good game. We put in a lot of effort. We came here to win, and we had a win."

On the message from the coaching staff before the match...

"After the midweek game, everybody was down, but that was something in our minds. We've learned from a lot of stuff over the past couple of weeks and we came back with that in mind today."

On what was going through his mind on the goal...

"It's always up to us to finish our chances. At that moment right there I just wanted to finish my chance and I did. It was a tight angle, but I managed to squeeze the ball in there."

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 10, 2025


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