Phoenix put a whooping on the Las Vegas Lights this past Saturday, in one of the most complete displays we have seen on the field this season. But who shined the brightest? According to you, the fans, here are the three best performences from the 4-0 win.
1. Junior Flemmings (8.7)
1 Goal, 1 Assist, 4 Chances Created
Although Flemmings was the last to get on the scoresheet Saturday night, his previous 90 minutes were MotM worthy. Junior had a hand in the two earliest chance for Phoenix inside the first 12 minutes, both denied by poor shot location. Not included in the stats above is the fact that Flemmings had 12 recoveries in the match. Increasingly important as part of the in-form front four for Rising, Flemmings will be a huge absence if he ends up on Jamaica’s final Gold Cup roster.
2. Kevon Lambert (8.4)
1 Goal, 5 Interceptions, 3 Tackles,
As Joe Lowry mentioned in his Rising Tactics Recap, Lambert was a part of rotating midfield, each given the opportunity to attack and defend when needed. Lambert took full advantage of that concept, maintaining his midfield domain while also pushing forward, as seen with his well-placed goal. Personally, I prefer Lambert in a more roaming role in the midfield, which allows him to get forward, not only to provide an extra attacking threat but also to start the line of confrontation when the ball is turned over. Creating turnovers in the midfield or higher created 3 of the goals Phoenix scored and while most teams will not be as sloppy as Las Vegas was, Rising have created a system to catch teams off-guard and create chances. Like Flemmings, Lambert will be sorely missed if he makes the Jamaica Gold Cup roster.
3. Solomon Asante (8.3)
1 Goal, 1 Assist, 5 Chances Created
He’s back babyyyyyyyyyyy. If you look at Asante’s two appearance since he came back from his father’s death, you’ll see 9 chances created in only 127 minutes. That’s pretty good. After that, there is not much else you can say about the winger that hasn’t already been noted. One thing to look out for is where Asante both takes his touches and where he is when he passes. It appears from my eye that he is drifting a tad more central in some situations, which will creat nightmares for defences already trying to control Jahn, Bakero, Aguinaga, Flemmings, and Lambert.
The Rest: AJ Cochran (8.1), Adam Jahn (7.8), Jon Bakero (7.7), Joey Farrell (7.4), Jose Aguinaga (7.3), Austin Ledbetter (7.3), Kyle Bjornethun (7.2), Doeugui Mala (7.1), James Musa (7.1, sub), Joey Calistri (6.9, sub), Zac Lubin (6.3)
No One Knows Award: This award will be going to the player with the most disagreement over their rating (as measured by standard deviation). This weeks winner is Zac Lubin with 2.45 and saw ratings between 3 and 9 this week.
Special shoutout to Kyle Bjornethun and Austin Ledbetter in their full debuts with Rising. You could tell they were comfortable in the system being played, which is great news for the PHX-Tucson relationship.
Up Next: Phoenix travels to Salt Lake City to take on Real Monarchs SLC in their first matchup of the year. Game starts at 7:00pm and can be seen on ESPN+ and CW Phoenix.
