Rising Keeps Clean Sheet Against Vegas
USL Phoenix Rising FC

Rising Keeps Clean Sheet Against Vegas

Published on September 6, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release


Phoenix Rising finished its recent three match homestand undefeated as it played to a 0-0 draw against Las Vegas Lights FC on September 5 at Phoenix Rising Stadium. Goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky finished with two saves, leading Rising to its third clean sheet of the regular season.

"Over the last two games, we put in seven (goals)," Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. "If Hope (Avayevu) put that opportunity that he played a one-two with, maybe that changes the outcome of the game. But it was a 0-0 game. When you look at the overall picture of the game, we had more possession, but it was not that we created unbelievable opportunities."

With the additional point, Rising remains fifth in the West, but only four points back of Sacramento Republic FC, which currently sits in second.

ANOTHER CLEAN SHEET

Rising went 180 minutes this season without allowing a goal against Vegas. In the first matchup, Rakovsky had to make a late stop from the penalty spot to preserve a 1-0 win on May 28. On Friday, the German shot-stopper kept another clean sheet to help Rising earn a valuable point in its push for the playoffs.

"Obviously last week was very disappointing for me," Rakovsky said. "It was a good feeling for me to keep the team in the game tonight. That's why I'm here, to keep a clean sheet."

Notably, two of the club's three clean sheets have come at home, with the other coming against Monterey Bay FC on May 17. Friday night's shutout was enough for Rising to ensure it claimed at least a point in its eighth home match of the 2025 regular season.

ASSESSING WHAT'S NEXT

Rising will look to continue gaining ground in the Western Conference when it faces second place Sacramento Republic FC on Sept. 13. The match marks one of the club's final three road matches of the regular season, and last in the Pacific Time Zone. Both clubs played to a 2-2 draw back on April 19 in the Valley earlier in the season.

Following the trip to the California Capital, Rising returns home to kick off another three-game homestand, playing Loudon United FC, Oakland Roots SC and New Mexico United. Points are there to be had, and Kah and his squad know they must take full advantage of the home-heavy end to the season.

"We have two East Coast games, but we still also have a lot of home games, so we definitely want to win every one," Rakovsky said. "It's nice we didn't have to travel (the last several weeks). We were happy to be home and wanted to have nine points and not five. I feel like we're ready for the final stretch."

GOAL-SCORING PLAYS

None

NOTES

-Saturday marked the conclusion of a three-match homestand for Rising.

-Rising went undefeated during the stretch, racking up five points (1-0-2).

-The club will play four of its seven remaining matches at home.

-Defender Rafael Czichos picked up his first start in the match.

-Rising kept its third clean sheet of the regular season in the match (5/17 v. MB; 5/28 @LV).

-Notably, Rising didn't allow a single goal against Vegas across the two matchups in 2025.

-The club has now picked up at least a point in eight of its 11 regular season home matches.

NEXT GAME

Rising next hits the road to face Sacramento Republic FC at 7:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, September 6, at Heart Health Park. The game will be broadcast on AZFS and ESPN+ with radio coverage available via Rising Radio (team socials).

Phoenix Rising (7-7-9, 30pts) vs Las Vegas Lights FC (6-11-6, 24pts)

September 5, 2025 - Phoenix Rising Stadium (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Goals by Half 1 2 FT

Phoenix Rising 0 0 0

Las Vegas Lights FC 0 0 0

SCORING SUMMARY:

None

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

LV: Smart (caution), 29

PHX: Avayevu (caution), 73

LV: Covil (caution), 75

LV: O'Driscoll (caution), 81

PHX: Rizzo (caution), 83

LV: O'Driscoll (ejection), 90+2

Lineups:

PHX: GK Rakovsky, D Flores (Flood, 45), D Mar Boye ©, D Czichos (Smith, 78), D Rizzo (Capetillo, 90+5), M Scearce, M Emmers (Formella, 78), M Avayevu, F Sacko, F Cabral (Dennis, 65), F Johnson

Substitutes Not Used: GK Henry, M Balanzar de la Cruz

TOTAL SHOTS: 5 (Multiple players, 1); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Multiple players, 1); FOULS: 8 (Multiple players, 2); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 2

LV: GK Arozarena, D Nigro ©, D Herbert, D Gärtig, D Boudadi, M Gaines (Stojanovic, 70), M Pearson (Probo, 55), M McNamara, M Leal, F Pickering (Smart, 26; Covil, 55), F Rodriguez (O'Driscoll, 71)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Ammeter, D Jones, F Stojanovic

TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Smart, 2) SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Multiple players, 1); FOULS: 16 (Boudadi, 3) OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 2

Referee: Cristian Campo Hernandez

Assistant Referees: Noah Kenyawani, Devon Dieckman

Fourth Official: Alan Martinez Espinoza

Attendance: 4,158

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.

Check out the Phoenix Rising FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from September 6, 2025


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