• Phoenix Rising FC Recap

    Rising sneak by Rio Grande Valley 1-0 on Asante Goal

    Mark Murray
    Team MVP Candidates Solomon Asante and Carl Woszczynski wait to come on the field before matching up against Orange County SC (Aaron Blau)

    Solomon Asante scored on Phoenix’s first shot on target, cleaning up a failed RGV clearance in the 61st minute and Phoenix held on for a 1-0 win Wednesday night.

    Phoenix struggled in the first half trying to break down a well-organized Rio Grande defense, who allowed the Rising to have possession but strangled them once they got close to the penalty box. As a result, Phoenix was left to attempt individual efforts from Asante and Billy Forbes down the wings. This proved ineffective as well and Phoenix went into the half with a shot on target. RGV was able to find a couple of dangerous moments that forced Carl Woszczynski into a couple of saves. In the 26th minute Carlos Small sent a curling effort to the far post that Woz had to dive for and again in the 44th minute on a rocket of a shot from Small.

    The second half did not start all that differently, RGV taking and also converting the first chance of the second half. The Toros broke out on a 2-v-1 break after a Mike Da Fonte missed tackle but Tristan Blackmon was in the right place, right time to deflect the shot off the goal line.  Just minutes later, Phoenix was able to find the goal they had been seeking all night. A Rio Grande defender whiffed on a clearance from a Billy Forbes cross allowing Solomon Asante to gather and fire a shot into the roof of the net.

     

     

    The Rising relaxed with the goal lead and were able to create a  few chances, one coming for Phoenix debutant Josh Perez. The winger controlled the ball in the midfield before making a run through the center of the pitch and taking a shot from the top of the box that went just high. Woszczynski was called to action one more time in the 89th, stopping another Carlos Small shot. Chris Cortez came back with one last attempt off a header but it went wide and the full-time whistle came soon after.

    With the win, Phoenix Rising moves up to a tie for 1st place in the Western Conference, although they lose the tie-breaker to Real Monarchs on total wins. They also secured their 4th straight shutout with tonight’s clean sheet to go with their 11 goals in the same 4 matches.

    Quotable Quotes: 

    Head Coach Rick Schantz:

    “We got a little impatient, I thought, at the end of the first half and the start of the second half.  I was upset with the guys.  We had a good game plan, we had some good ideas.  We were creating chances, we just weren’t getting on the end of crosses.  I knew they wanted to allow us to play in the wide areas and not open up the middle.  So it was just a matter of which one was going to break first.  Solo [Asante] had a great finish, of course it was coming off a back post of a cross. ”

    “The guys have a mission right now, and you can see it.  You can see their determination, you can see their focus.  We’ll end up wherever we end up.  I told ownership that I promised a home playoff game, so it better be in the top four.”

    Solomon Asante:

    “Sometimes, if we are not scoring, you don’t know what to do, you’re frustrated.  You want to push, and if you don’t take them, things will not go a way for you.  I was telling the team to calm down, to relax.  It’s soccer.  Everything can happen.  We score just in a second, not a minute, in a second.  So we should take our time.  The goal will come.”

    Tristan Blackmon:

    “I love it.  It’s great to be down here, and get minutes with the team.  I’m trying to help them win a championship. so I’m happy to be down here.”

     

    Stat of the Night: Phoenix is currently on a 380-minute shutout streak, going back to the 67th minute against Orange County on August 11th.

     

    Starting Lineups

    Phoenix Rising: Woszczynski, Abdul-Salaam, Da Fonte, Blackmon, Dia, Waldrep (Fernandez 87), Musa, Vega, Asante (Perez 61), Frater (Cortez 61), Forbes

    Unused Subs: Lubin, Wakasa, Farrell, Awako

     

    Rio Grande Valley FC Toros: Deric, Donovan, Adams, Greene (Padilla 31), Sullivan, Wharton, Perez, Enriquez, Gil (Hernandez 80), Small, Jones (Etim 69)

    Unused Subs: Conti, James, Morales, Ontiveros

    Next Up: Phoenix travels to San Antonio FC for the start of a three-game road trip. The match is Saturday at 5:30pm and you can find it on ESPN+ and Cox 4

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