• Matches Phoenix Rising FC Recap Uncategorized

    Phoenix Stifled at Home in 0-0 Draw

    Mark Murray
    Team captain Didier Drogba holds court with the starting 11 prior to taking the field against Reno 1868 FC. (Aaron Blau/Firebird Soccer)

    For only the second time all year, Phoenix Rising was shutout at home in a 0-0 draw with Reno 1868 FC.

    Coach Rick Schantz made only one change from last week’s 2-0 win over Saint Louis FC, preferring Jason Johnson over of Shaft Brewer Jr. on the left wing. Reno 1868 FC surprised some, leaving their leading goal-scorer Brian Brown and leading assist-man Antoine Hoppenot on the bench to start the match. Both would enter the match in the second half but neither were dangerous in their limited time, a relief to Rising fans everywhere.

    Jason Johnson comes up short on an opportunity to score against Reno 1868 FC (Aaron Blau/Firebird Soccer)

    The first half did not provide much in term of highlights. Rising did have a chance in the 35th minute when Didier Drogba sprung Jason Johnson free down the middle of the field but the Reno defense was able to catch up and block Johnson’s attempt on goal. Phoenix did have multiple players go down in the box, including Awako in the 6th minute, Asante in the 41st, and Asante again in the 81st but the referee swallowed his whistle each time.

    Phoenix wasted no time at the start of the second half, with Awako ripping a shot inside the opening minute that went just over the bar. That would be the story of the night overall for Phoenix, racking up 26 shots with only 4 on target. In the 51st minute, Carl Woszczynski was called into action, forced to come out and block a Reno attempt after van Ewijk moved free in the Phoenix box.


    Phoenix’s best chance of the night came in the 82nd minute when Solomon Asante and substitute Devin Vega combined to find Billy Forbes free seven yards from goal. Forbes’ shot skirted past a Reno defender but found the hand of Reno keeper and Valley product Matt Bursano at the far post. Phoenix found a couple of opportunities in the remaining 10 minutes but none found the back of the net in Rising’s first scoreless match since July 14th at Fresno. Overall Phoenix out-shot Reno 26-8, 17 of them coming from inside the box, with shots on target going 4-2 to Rising. 

    The draw prevented Phoenix from securing a top-2 finish in the West, at least for tonight. The road to the top seed also became more difficult thanks to Orange County’s last-minute 2-1 win over Sounders 2. Phoenix can still secure the top seed, thanks to their game in hand, but will need help from this same Reno team next Saturday when they host Orange County, or a significant scoring run to close the goal differential. This is also dependent on Phoenix grabbing all six points in their remaining two matches, first at Las Vegas on Wednesday and then back home next Saturday versus Timbers 2. Phoenix is combined 3-0-0 against those two teams on the season.

    Injury Notes

    James Musa exited the match in the 86th minute due to an injury to his right foot/ankle. Coach Schantz said after the match that scans would be done on Sunday and the hope was that it was a sprain at worst.

    Quotable Quotes

    “I thought Kevon Lambert, I told him I thought that was one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play. He was an animal defensively and offensively. He was my man of the match for sure.” – Carl Wozczynski

    “”We created a ton of chances.  We had two breakaways in the first half.  We had a couple of really good opportunities.  Their keeper was spectacular, he did a really good job.  At the end of the day, I think for us this is good, we just have to keep moving forward.  Not getting scored on is important.” – Rick Schantz

    “There are no easy games this week. Every game is a challenge, so we have two games to get up for playoffs. That’s our main goal, to win the championship in November. We’re going to use these last two games as tune ups and hopefully we hit the ground flying come the first round of playoffs.” – Joe Farrell

    Starting Lineups

    Phoenix Rising: Woszczynski, Dia, Da Fonte, Farrell, Abdul-Salaam, Musa (Cortez 86), Lambert, Awako (Vega 63), Johnson (Forbes 67), Drogba, Asante

    Reno 1868 FC: Bersano, Richards, Lacroix, Janjigian, Griffiths, Wehan (Brown 72), Marie (Hoppenot 72), Abend, van Ewijk, Seymore, Thiaw (Mfeka 88)

    Next Up: Phoenix turns around quick with their second trip of the season to Las Vegas to take on the Lights Wednesday night at 8 pm.

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