Rising Makes Statement in 4-1 Win Over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
USL Phoenix Rising FC

Rising Makes Statement in 4-1 Win Over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

Published on August 24, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release


Phoenix Rising FC's Remi Cabral on game night
Phoenix Rising FC's Remi Cabral on game night
(Phoenix Rising FC)

PHOENIX - Phoenix Rising returned home to kick off a three-game homestand with a flurry of early goals, securing a 4-1 victory over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on August 23 at Phoenix Rising Stadium. Forward Rémi Cabral, midfielder Hope Avayevu and defenders Pierce Rizzo as well as Ryan Flood all found the back of the net as Rising picked up three crucial points at home.

"Today we took our opportunities, but we still could have taken more," Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. "That's me being greedy for (the players), but it was a great win. Now we have to continue, sustain momentum and improve."

Cabral kicked things off early with a goal in the 6th minute, his first in USL Championship play since April 6 against San Antonio FC. Five minutes later, Rizzo scored his second goal in as many games. After a goal from Colorado's Zach Zandi to make it 2-1, Avayevu scored off a rebounded shot to cap off a fast start and give Rising an insurmountable lead.

"The thing that I'm most proud of is that (Colorado Springs) pushed back, but our players sustained the pressure and at the right moment we turned the momentum into our game," Kah said. "We had multiple chances to go up even more, but I'm very proud of the boys because of the work they put in."

Rise of Rizzo

18-year-old defender Pierce Rizzo scored his second goal in as many weeks, putting a sliding effort into the back of the net in the 11th minute. The goal capped a stretch of two goals scored in the first 15 minutes for Rising, the earliest the club has scored two goals in a match this season.

Rizzo recently was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Matchday 24 after becoming the youngest-ever Rising player to score a goal with his second-half strike against Tampa Bay Rowdies on August 16. Against Colorado Springs, Rizzo showed that performance was no fluke as he went another 90 minutes, making a positive contribution.

"(Rizzo) understood when it was his time to go forward and he took his chances," Kah said. "We want him to showcase his quality, and he did that. He has improved and the biggest thing with him is his mindset. His mentality is unbelievable."

Arase Debuts

Not even 12 hours after being announced as the newest addition to Rising's squad, forward Kelvin Arase made his USL Championship debut. Checking in 71 minutes into the match, the Austrian proved a nuisance for Colorado Spring's defense, putting two shots on frame and forcing a save.

While he didn't get on the scoresheet in his debut, Arase showed his adeptness when it comes to getting into dangerous, goal-scoring positions. His teammates and coaches are positive that those chances will soon find the back of the net.

"(Arase) can create a lot for us," Sacko said. "He loves to go behind, loves to dribble, and I think it will help us. He's from Europe, he has a good IQ, he knows how to play, he knows when you have to turn, when you have to dribble, so it will be easier for us as strikers."

GOAL-SCORING PLAYS

PHX - Rémi Cabral, 6th minute: A driven shot by forward Ihsan Sacko forced a save in the box, but only to the feet of forward Rémi Cabral who pounced and used his left foot to fire the ball into the roof of the net.

PHX - Pierce Rizzo (Ihsan Sacko), 11 th minute: Sacko played defender Pierce Rizzo into the right half-space, who took a touch before sliding to get a shot off with his right foot that found the far post.

COS - Zach Zandi (Juan Tejada), 16th minute: Sprung down the right side, midfielder Zach Zandi used his right foot to send a shot into the roof of the net.

PHX - Hope Avayevu, 26th minute: Pouncing on a saved shot, midfielder Hope Avayevu leapt into the air and used his right foot to fire the ball back across his body and into the opposite side of the goal.

PHX- Ryan Flood (Charlie Dennis), 78th minute: After being sprung down the right half-space, midfielder Charlie Dennis sent a ball across the box and into the path of defender Ryan Flood who used his right foot to slot the ball into the bottom-right corner.

NOTES

-Saturday night kicked off a stretch of six home matches in Rising's next seven matches.

-Forward Rémi Cabral's goal in the 6th minute marked the earliest goal Rising has scored all season.

-The goal was Cabral's first since he netted against San Antonio FC on April 6.

-Notably, Rising's hadn't scored in the first 15 minutes of a match all season until it did so twice against Colorado Springs.

-Defender Pierce Rizzo scored his second goal in as many games with his strike in the 11th minute.

-Forward Ihsan Sacko notched his 6th assist of the season on Rizzo's goal.

-Notably, Sacko became the second player to surpass 10 regular-season goal contributions (4G, 6A), joining midfielder Hope Avayevu.

-Avayevu scored his sixth regular-season goal in the 26th minute.

-He now has 14 goal contributions (6G, 8A) in USL Championship play.

-Saturday marked the first time Rising has scored three goals in a half this season.

-Defender Daniel Flores picked up his third appearance for Rising and first start at home.

-Forward Kelvin Arase made his Rising debut, checking into the match in the 71st minute.

-Defender Ryan Flood scored his second goal of the regular season with his 78th-minute strike.

-The assist from midfielder Charlie Dennis was his first of regular season play.

-The Englishman now has eight goal contributions in all competitions.

-Rising has now scored four goals in a match three times this season.

-Rising's three-goal win marked its largest margin of victory so far this season.

NEXT GAME

Rising continues its homestand against El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday, August 30, at 7:30 p.m. (PT) at Phoenix Rising Stadium. The game will be broadcast on AZFS and ESPN+ with radio coverage available on KDUS 1060 AM (English) and La Onda 99.5 FM (Spanish).

Please click HERE to find highlights from tonight's match and HERE to find select photos.

Phoenix Rising (7-7-7, 28pts) vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (6-8-6, 24pts)

August 23, 2025 - Phoenix Rising Stadium (Phoenix, Ariz.)

Goals by Half 1 2 FT

Phoenix Rising 3 1 4

Colorado Springs 1 0 1

Scoring Summary:

PHX: Cabral, 6

PHX: Rizzo (Sacko), 11

COS: Zandi (Tejada), 16

PHX: Avayevu, 26

PHX: Flood (Dennis), 78

Misconduct Summary:

PHX: Okello (caution), 13

PHX: Flores (caution), 23

Lineups:

PHX: GK Rakovsky, D Flores (Flood, 70), D Sainté (Mar Boye 83), D Essengue, D Rizzo, M Scearce ©, M Okello (Arase, 71), M Avayevu, F Rivera (Emmers, 62), F Cabral (Dennis, 45), F Sacko

Substitutes Not Used: GK Henry, GK Shaw, D Cuello, F Formella

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Sacko, 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 10 (Sacko, 3); FOULS: 11 (Rivera, 3); OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 3

COS: GK Beaudry, D Clegg (Real, 61), D Rocha, D Ward, D Metusala, M Echevarria (Micaletto, 45), M Creek (Vassell, 62), M Zandi (Adams, 55), F Huerman (Johnson, 45), F Fjeldberg (Hanya, 62), F Tejada

Substitutes Not Used: GK Herrera

TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Fjeldberg, 3) SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Multiple players, 1); FOULS: 7 (Multiple players, 2) OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 10; SAVES: 6

Referee: Thomas Snyder

Assistant Referees: Justin Fillmore, Salvador Reyes

Fourth Official: Edwin Jimenez

Attendance: 4,118

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.

Check out the Phoenix Rising FC Statistics

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Images from this story

Phoenix Rising FC's Remi Cabral on game night
Phoenix Rising FC's Remi Cabral on game night
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 24, 2025


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