Phoenix Rising drew for the fourth time this season last Saturday night against Fresno FC. Unlike the previous three goal-filled affairs, Phoenix collected their first clean sheet of the season and because of this, it is no surprise that the top three players ranked are from the defense. So who performed best, according to our readers? Check out the top three below!
1. Amadou Dia (7.8)
86.4% Passing Accuracy, 9/10 Duels Won, 2 Chances Created, 3 Interceptions
Leading the way for the first time this season is Amadou Dia. The workhouse, one of only two Rising players to play all 360 minutes so far (Adam Jahn), hasn’t had the best start to the season but showed against Fresno why there is no doubt in his starting position. Dia has quickly connected with Junior Flemmings to create an dangerous left side of the attack, ensuring that defenses are unable to crowd either side of the field.
2. Zac Lubin (7.4)
3 Saves, 87.5% Passing Accuracy
Lubin made his first start of the year and performed admirably when called upon. He was called upon twice in the first ten minutes to stop Fresno, including getting down to his right to prevent a long-range effort from finding the net. It will be interesting to see how Schantz goes about his keeper selection, mentioning post-game,
“I pick the team each week based on how they perform in training, and not just how they did in the games. He came in, it was up for competition and Zac was kind of the same. I told Zac we needed him to step up and maybe the change would do something for us defensively and I thought Zac was fantastic tonight.”
3. Tristan Blackmon (7.1)
80.4% Passing Accuracy, 4 Duels Won, 2 Chances Created, 2 Interceptions
Blackmon hasn’t missed a beat in his return to Phoenix Rising this year. Even in a new position, Blackmon brings a calm, steady presence to the backline, wherever he plays. Though his offensive contributions may not be at the level brought by other options, it would be wise to keep Blackmon in the right back spot.
The Rest: A.J. Cochran (7.0), Joe Farrell (6.9), Solomon Asante (6.1), Kevon Lambert (6.1), Colin Fernadez (5.9), Joey Calistri (5.9, sub), Jason Johnson (5.8, sub), Adam Jahn (5.5), Ben Spencer (5.4, sub), Jon
Coach: Rick Schantz (3.7)
Season Totals
What do you think? Do these ratings come close to your own thoughts? Let us know below!
