Phoenix Rising FC (1-0-4, 7 pts., 14th in West) at Autin Bold FC (1-2-1, 4 pts., 18th in West)
5:30 PM (MST), Wednesday, Bold Stadium, Elroy, Texas
TV: CW 6 & 61.1
Live Stream: ESPN3 (cable or satellite subscription required)
MatchCenter: #AUSvPHX
Series History: First meeting between the teams
Phoenix Rising FC looks to complete a Texas-two step with a win at Austin Bold FC on Wednesday.
Phoenix Rising last match: Phoenix Rising traveled to take on expansion side El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday. Following an early mistake from El Paso keeper Logan Ketterer, Junior Flemmings jumped on the mistake and scored what will probably be Phoenix Rising’s easiest goal of the season seven minutes in to give Phoenix Rising the early 1-0 lead. Phoenix kept the pressure up and in the second half, Ben Spencer became the recipient of a beautiful Solomon Asante pass. The substitute slotted the ball past Ketterer for a his first goal of the season giving the good guys a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish. The defense played solid the entire night and gave goalkeeper Zac Lubin his second clean sheet of the season and Phoenix Rising’s first win of the season.
Phoenix Rising notes: Defender A.J. Cochran has become the latest to earn Team of the Week honors. Cochran had four interceptions, eight recoveries, won five of seven duals and had seven recoveries in Saturday’s win. Cochran joins Junior Flemmings, Solomon Asante and Jon Bakero as earning team honors this season. … Lubin’s second straight clean sheet has tied him with Carl Woszczynski for consecutive clean sheets with two. Woszczynski had clean sheets last year against St. Louis FC and and Reno 1868 FC before losing the streak to Fresno FC. … The win Saturday extends the season-opening unbeaten streak to five. It’s previous best was three matches. … The 10 goals in five matches also puts the team on a record pace better than last year’s. The club scored seven goals in the first five matches last year. …Amadou Dia is the lone player to play every minute so far this season. Asante and Adam Jahn has played in all five matches, but both were substituted out of Saturday’s match, leaving Dia as the team’s Ironman at the moment.
Austin update: Austin last played on Apr. 6, losing 1-0 to Sacramento Republic FC, giving up the game-winner five minutes from time. The team has scored just two goals in four matches, both by Kleber Giacomazzi. The team has only taken 44 shots, third-worst in the USL Championship. Midfielder Xavier Baez became the team’s first player to be named to the Team of the Week in Week 5. Austin is led in net by goalkeeper Diego Restrepo, who previously played with San Antonio FC. He has only allowed two goals in four matches and has a pair of clean sheets to his name. Defender Jermaine Taylor leads the backline. The former Minnesota United defender played 17 matches in their inaugural season and played prior to that with the Portland Timbers and Houston Dynamo. A player with former Arizona ties is defender London Woodberry. The former Arizona United defender played in 2014 with the club, and was then signed by the New England Revolution of MLS, spending three years with the club before spending last season with Nashville SC. Another player to watch is forward Krys Tyrpak, who also spent last season with Nashville. Tyrpak has also spent time with with Austin Aztex, Swope Park Rangers and San Antonio FC in the USL Championship.
Match notes: This is the first ever meeting between Austin Bold and Phoenix Rising. Phoenix and Austin though are not strangers in the USL Championship, as the teams faced each other as Arizona United and the Austin Aztex. Phoenix and Austin split four matches in 2015. This is also Phoenix Rising’s final match against an expansion team for the first time this season. Phoenix Rising is 1-0-1 in those matches so far (draw with New Mexico United FC, win over El Paso Locomotive FC).
Predicted Lineup
