Needing 5 goals to take 1st place or at least a win to claim second, Phoenix Rising got neither on Saturday night in a 1-0 loss with their upcoming playoff opponent, Portland Timbers 2.
After Orange County fell 3-1 to Reno earlier in the night, Phoenix knew it needed a win of at least five goals in order to finish Western Conference champs.
To try and make up that goal difference, Head Coach Rick Schantz trotted out an attack heavy 4-1-4-1 formation, with a midfield of Johnson, Vega, Lambert, Drogba, and Asante. Phoenix started out on the front foot, with Drogba and Johnson both firing near misses in the first 5 minutes, but that would just be a precursor to how the night would go. Phoenix would end the match with 22 total shots, but only 2 of those were on target. Portland held on while Phoenix brought the onslaught for the first 30 minutes and found themselves able to sit back and wait for Phoenix and try to break on the counter. Phoenix was never seriously in danger from this style of play but the frustration only grew after each failed possession.
That same frustration continued in the second half. Phoenix again found themselves in ok-to-good spots in the attack but the final ball was lacking. The best chance of the night came in the 60th minute, with Johnson driving down the left side and squaring the ball back for Asante. Asante appeared to have an open net but his touch bounced up and his shot was blocked. Awako and Brewer Jr. were brought on to try to strengthen the attack but while the chances kept coming, nothing was going right in the final third. In the 85th minute, Timbers 2 broke the camel’s back when Augustine Williams was left free in the box and headed home the opening goal. Phoenix continued to attack from were unable to find any chances and were not helped by the referee. Twice Joe Farrell looked to be fouled outside the Timbers 18 and both times the referee swallowed his whistle. The final whistle was met with a chorus of boos from the sellout crowd but at that point, nothing could be done.
After the match, Rick Schantz was clearly upset with the officiating, saying:
“It’s getting difficult to play against 12 players all the time. I’m sick and tired of the inconsistencies of the referees. At the end of the game, they gave us a bunch of fouls that shouldn’t have given to us. It’s awful. That means he’s trying to make up for something, I can’t stand it. It’s disgusting. These guys are pros are out here working their butts off and we get local referees that just come out here and you know, they want to be important and I’m getting tired of it. For some of us, this is our livelihood and this is you know, our future and for these guys, it’s just a Saturday night game and it’s ridiculous. So yeah, I’m pissed off we didn’t score and play these teams and just sit back and defend and they’re afraid of us and this is the kind of crap that we get from referees. So, I’m sorry guys.”
With the result, along with Sac Republic’s win over Las Vegas, Phoenix dropped to third in the Western Conference and will face Timbers 2 in a win-or-go-home rematch again next Friday, October 19.
Goals
85’- Williams, POR (Barmby Assist)
Starting Lineups
Phoenix Rising: Woszczynski, Dia, Farrell, Mala (Da Fonte 46), Abdul-Salaam, Lambert, Johnson, Vega (Awako 71), Drogba, Asante, Frater (Brewer Jr. 82)
Portland Timbers 2: Mangels, Smith, Diz Pe, Jadama, Farfan, Lewis (Ornstil 88), Zambrano, Asprilla, Loria, Barmby, Langsdorf (Williams 79)
