Match #6: Phoenix Rising FC vs. Swope Park Rangers
7:00 pm, Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex, Scottsdale, AZ
TV: Cox 4 (SD) and 1004 (HD) in Phoenix, Cox 7 (SD) and 1007 (HD) in Tucson
Live Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Fox Sports 910 AM (TV Simulcast-English), El Patron 97.3 FM (Spanish)
USL MatchCenter: PHXvSPR
Last Week: In their last match, Didier Drogba saved an otherwise mundane match in an 1-0 victory over La Galaxy II. There were the typical solid performences from Carl Woszczynski, Solomon Asante, and Amadou Dia who earned a USL Team of the Week honor.
What to look for from Phoenix Rising: Hopefully the couple of extra days off has given Phoenix time to practice their finishing. The attack has been fine in getting in good positions but unable to produce goals since the match against OKC.
Swope Park Rangers Scouting Report: Swope Park has been one of the stronger MLS 2 sides in recent history and the start of this season has been no different. Even with a surprising loss to expansion side Las Vegas, Swope has made quick work of Reno, Seattle, and Colorado Springs. Their fast start has been headlined by the attack of Kharlton Belmar and Hadji Berry while Graham Smith has has played every minute of the year anchoring the backline. For more info on Swope Park, we talked to Chad Smith of The Blue Testament and you can see his answers to our questions here.
Season Form:
Swope Park Rangers (3-1-1, 10 points, 5th): W-W-L-W-D
Phoenix Rising: (3-1-1, 10 points, 4th) D-W-W-L-W
2017 Results:
April 23rd: Phoenix Rising 4 Swope Park 3
June 18th: Swope Park 2 Phoenix Rising 2
October 21st (Playoffs): Swope Park 1 (4-2p) Phoenix Rising 1
Possible Starting XI (4-3-3/4-1-4-1): GK-Carl Woszczynski ; D- Amadou Dia, Doueugui Mala, Mike Da Fonte, Devante Dubose; DM- Kevon Lambert; CM- Gladson Awako, Collin Fernandez; F- Billy Forbes, Didier Drogba, Soloman Asante
Possible Subs: GK– Zac Lubin; D-Kody Wakasa, Joe Farrell; M- Evan Waldrep, Jason Johnson, Alessandro Riggi; F– Chris Cortez
Match Prediction: 2-1 Phoenix, Drogba gets one in his starting home debut and the backline stays strong enough to limit Swope’s damage.
