Phoenix Rising FC (0-0-3, 3 pts., 15th in West) vs. Fresno FC (1-0-2, 5 pts., 11th in West)
7:30 PM (MST), Saturday, Casino Arizona Field, Scottsdale
TV: CW 6 & 61.1
Live Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required)
MatchCenter: #PHXvFRS
Series History: 0-1-1

Phoenix Rising looks to break its streak of draws as Fresno FC visits Casino Arizona Field.

Phoenix Rising last match: Phoenix Rising welcomed Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC last week and in the beginning, it was the work of Colorado Springs goalkeeper Abraham Gonzalez that kept Phoenix Rising off the scoreboard while Jordan Burt scored to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Joe Farrell scored on a header to give the home side life at the end of the half, making it 1-1. Adam Jahn gave Phoenix Rising its first lead of the season in the 86th minute on a beautiful header off a cross from Solomon Asante, only to have that lead disappear in the first minute of stoppage time when Ismalia Jome placed a perfect free kick in the upper 90 past Carl Woszczynski to give Colorado Springs and Phoenix Rising a 2-2 draw.

Bakero earns honorable mention Team of the Week: After joining the club just days before on loan from Toronto FC, midfielder Jon Bakero earned the team’s third honor of the season, named to the USA Championship Team of the Week honorable mention. Bakero completed 84.3 percent of his 51 passes and created seven chances while notching an assist in the club’s 2-2 draw with Colorado Springs.  Bakero joins Solomon Asante and Junior Flemmings to earn honors this season.

Follow @firebirdsite on twitter for an upcoming feature on Jon Bakero!

Phoenix Rising, Galatasary SK join forces: Phoenix Rising and Turkish soccer powerhouse Galatasary SK made a landmark agreement on Friday.
The agreement includes cooperation on soccer operations, commercial projects, discovery and training of youth soccer players, international exhibition matches, tournaments, training programs for coaches and players.  The partnership will also help introduce more Galatasaray products in the United States.

Phoenix Rising loans MF Vega to FC Tucson: In the first of many expected moves between the clubs this season, Phoenix Rising loaned MF Devin Vega to FC Tucson. “When I call Darren (Sawatzky, FC Tucson coach), I say, ‘What do you need each week?’ And then it comes down to what we have available each week. And he asked for a No. 10 and and Devin was ready to go and it worked out perfect. It’s not just me saying you’re going down to Tucson because of match fitness, it’s a club decision that one, helps Tucson and benefits the player.” Vega scored the lone goal in Tucson’s 3-1 loss to South Georgia Tormenta FC.

Fresno report: Fresno is coming in off a 1-1 draw in their last match with Reno 1868 FC on Mar. 23. An own goal by Thomas Janjigian gave Fresno the early lead but Raul Mendiola squared it up 11 minutes later and the teams shared the points. Midfielder Arun Basuljevic leads the team with two goals.

Fresno made some big acquisitions in the offseason, grabbing Mickey Daly, Juan Pablo Coffa, Jackson and Renato Bustamonte as some of the big names. C.J. Cochran is the team’s No. 1 keeper, starting all three matches so far this season. Seth Moses and Christian Chaney are the team’s ‘frequent foulers’ with Chaney being particularly susceptible to discussions

Starting Lineup Prediction

For a view from the other side, check out our feature “Across Enemy Lines” or our comprehensive Firebird Soccer Western Conference Preview!