#3 Phoenix Rising FC vs. #7 Swope Park Rangers

7:30 p.m., Friday, October 26th, Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex

TV: Cox 4 (SD) and 1004 (HD) in Phoenix, Cox 7 (SD) and 1007 (HD) in Tucson

Live Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required)

Radio: El Patron 97.3 FM (Spanish) / FOX Sports 910

MatchCenter: PHXvSPR

Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr. (1st Rising Match)

Keys to the Match

Tidy Start

In playoff matches especially, it is important to have a clean first 20 minutes of a match. Phoenix, even though T2 had a majority of the ball, did just that last week. The Timbers 2 threat died down and allowed Phoenix to control the match once Drogba gave Rising the lead. This week will be not different. Phoenix will likely allow Swope Park to control possession and the opening 20 minutes will offer some insight into how the rest of the match may go. Will Phoenix stay organized while keeping tabs on Kharlton Belmar and Tyler Blackwood or will the defense be stretched and find themselves making last-ditch tackles?

The Midfield

If there was one thing to take away from Swope Park’s 1st round win over Sacramento Republic, it was the fact that Swope Park is vulnerable to turnovers in the middle of the field. Time and time again, Sac Republic jumped on loose balls and lazy passes around the midfield circle most of the night. Tonight will be a huge match for Kevon Lambert, especially if James Musa is unable to go. Lambert’s aggressiveness should match up well to Swope’s midfield but he has to also be careful to keep an eye on the aforementioned Swope Park attackers, remember it was Belmar’s run through the midfield and defense that silenced Rising fans back in April.

Composure and Cleanliness

As always, the referee will likely play some role in the match.  Guido Gonzales Jr. is a strict disciplinarian, and has no qualms about cautions.  Gonzales Jr. was at the center of a controversy in the 2017 season between FC Cincinnati and the Rochester Rhinos, which found an 8-2 disparity in cards between the team.  FCC’s leading scorer received two of those cards by the 42nd minute, holding the hosts to 10 players for over a half.  The match featured three penalty kicks and two ejections.  Alltogether, transfermarkt.co.uk reports that the man in yellow has issued 170 cautions with 10 ejections and 26 penalties in only 45 appearances.  With Swope Park being a pass-heavy team, Rising FC will have to be clean in their tackles, or face the wrath of a heavy-handed center-referee.  And when facing the inevitable foul calls, the Firebird captains will need to maintain their composure and avoid playing on tilt.

Possible Defensive Fill-in?

Hmmm….. he is playoff eligible … pic.twitter.com/YJb7nhiJPz

— Aaron Blau (@FitbawFoto) October 25, 2018

We might (MIGHT) see the return of Tristan Blackmon to the lineup tonight as some sleuthing from our own Aaron Blau makes it probable that Blackmon is at least in the building. He is playoff-eligible, having appeared in 5 matches in the regular season with Phoenix Rising. This is not to say that Blackmon is for sure playing but it’ll be interesting to see the lineup at 6:30.

Projected Starting Lineup

Rising FC isn’t likely to change much from last week.  If Blackmon returns to the lineup, it will likely mean that Mike Dafonte will be the odd-man-out, and will take Doeugoui Mala’s spot on the bench.

G – Carl Woszczynski
D – Saad Abdul-Salaam, Joseph Farrell, Tristan Blackmon, Amadeu Dia
DM – Kevon Lambert, Collin Fernandez
AM – Solomon Asante, Didier Drogba, Jason Johnson
F – Chris Cortez

Bench: Zac Lubin, Mike DaFonte, Gladson Awako, Devin Vega, Shaft Brewer, Kevaughn Frater, Billy Forbes