Phoenix Rising FC players celebrate on the sidelines during their match against Sacramento Republic FC Saturday in Phoenix after rebounding from a two-goal deficit to post a 2-2 draw. (Photo courtesy of Phoenix Rising FC)
PHOENIX – Thirty-five minutes into their seventh league match, Phoenix Rising FC found itself down by two, and the halftime whistle couldn’t blow fast enough. It was the team’s third match in eight days, and the Arizona sun was beating down on everybody.
But something shifted. The Rising fought back and clawed their way to a 2-2 draw against Sacramento Republic Saturday – which felt more like a victory than just a single point.
For Rising coach Pa Modou Kah, who was hired in November, it had been a tough week for his club. After the grueling schedule across eight days, the players had to earn the draw, but points are points and one will always be better than none.
“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for you. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We know what we signed up for and this is part of the game,” Kah said. “You always want three points at home, but this point will go a long way after the long week we have had.”
At this point of the 2025 USL Championship season, Phoenix Rising FC is still looking to form an identity. A 1-3-3 record places the club at the bottom of the table, but the season is 30 games long and the players and coach know work remains.
Rising forward Remi Cabral, the team’s top goal scorer who also assisted twice this past Saturday, still relays a positive mindset in the locker room.
“We know this is our job,” Cabral said. “Some weeks are harder than others. I’m proud of everyone because it’s not easy to play in the afternoon in the sun. It was good to keep the momentum right and now we’ll come back next week.”
The resilience after a long week of soccer is exactly the attitude the Rising need moving forward, treating each game as an opportunity for players to grow but more importantly for the team to connect and develop an identity.
Alongside Cabral is forward Damian Rivera, who scored the match equalizer this past weekend. Rivera has been battling an injury, but that did not stop him from being the supersub Saturday.
“I had a little bit of a knock in my thigh,” Rivera said. “I have been managing it the last few weeks. Pa told me to come in and make a spark today, and I did.”
Rising forward Remi Cabral, the team’s top goal scorer, said “some weeks are harder than others” but feels the team has momentum. (Photo courtesy of Phoenix Rising FC)
In the upcoming weeks, the Rising travel to San Antonio for an away match in the Jagermeister Cup, and then they are back on the road again to play the Switchbacks in Colorado. Both teams on the schedule are tied for last alongside Rising so the games ahead represent a strong chance to get back on track.
Ultimately, all eyes are set on May 7 when Phoenix hosts the Houston Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup match. That match will be the one circled on calendars by all players, fans and coaches as the Rising will be tested playing an opponent who currently play in the MLS, the division above the Rising.
The clash of these teams among the divisions is a long-standing tradition. Now in its 110th season, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the third-longest continuously run national cup tournament in the world. In 2025, the stakes reached a new height with a $600,000 prize pool. The Rising will be seeking to be the last surviving team among their USL Championship peers as the final USL team standing walks away with a $50,000 bonus.
For the Rising, it marks their 11th season in the Open Cup, with 2012 being their debut year, when they were formerly known as Arizona United SC. It will be only the third time the club has faced off against an MLS opponent when it meets Houston. In previous matches versus MLS opponents, Rising lost to the Seattle Sounders in 2024 and to the LA Galaxy in 2014.
The Rising’s most recent match in the Open Cup was against FC Tulsa on April 16, a tough match that ultimately was decided in penalties and saw Phoenix advance to the round of 32.
For the Rising, the win this past week in penalties was exactly the type of statement victory players and coaches were seeking.
“Things didn’t go the way we wanted it, but these are the victories that will push the team forward,” Kah said. “We’re going to use it as momentum for us going forward.”
Anchored in the back by Pape Mar Boye, the team’s leader in clearances, and joined in midfield by Casey Walls and Noble Okello, Phoenix is seemingly shaping a play style that mixes defensive toughness in the back and pure ability of forwards like Cabral and Hope Kodzo Avayevu up top.
While the fight continues on two fronts – the USL Championship playoff race, and a shot at Open Cup glory – the Phoenix Rising will look to continue building on momentum they have started to develop.
“No trophies are given out in March,” Kah said, “So we just keep going and we’ll make sure we’re there in November.”