• Slug: Sports–Phoenix Rising FC, 740 words.
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By Sebastian Mondaca Sepulveda
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – After suffering its third straight loss last Friday, Phoenix Rising FC’s season was in jeopardy. Interim coach Diego Gómez was unable to propel his team to a needed victory, and everything looked dim for the club.

Despite the loss to Monterey Bay FC in front of Rising’s dejected but loyal fanbase, Gómez had a couple of words to share heading into Wednesday’s crucial matchup on the road against rival New Mexico United.

“Win,” Gómez said. “We need to win on Wednesday. We need to shake it off and push. The most important thing right now is our mentality and continue to work after this.”

With plenty at stake, Rising invaded Albuquerque and snatched a 2-1 victory against New Mexico United, the No. 1 seed of the Western Conference, at Rio Grande Credit Union Field. It was a historic victory for the Rising, as they secured their first win while coming from behind this season and did so in a hard-fought battle.

Rising snapped a three-game losing streak and put them back on track in the Western Conference. After scoring the winner, Phoenix midfielder Charlie Dennis shared his emotions about the team moving in a much better position.

“Great feeling for the goal, but more importantly, three points because we needed that after three-straight defeats,” Dennis said. “To pick ourselves up, come here to the top of the league, a tough place to get three points, especially going one goal down. I hope the fans enjoyed it more than we did.”

During the first 20 minutes of the first half, the Rising started with the same lackluster effort that has defined their season. There was hardly any pressure, only one shot on target and Phoenix had only maintained nearly 30% of possession during that time.

Rising conceded minutes later at the 28-minute mark, with New Mexico’s Talen Maples scoring a penalty. Trailing 1-0 early, Phoenix hasn’t won a game in which it conceded first.

Despite history against them, Rising pulled level right before halftime, with loanee Tomas Ángel scoring a penalty from the box.

Heading into the second half, Rising came out firing on all cylinders and found themselves with the lead, with Dennis scoring the go-ahead goal at the 59-minute mark.

The goal would be the difference, as New Mexico never found the back of the net in the second half. It was a defensive battle for Rising, as they spent the last 15 minutes in their own half of the field. They were left with 10 men in the final minutes of stoppage time, but that wasn’t enough for New Mexico.

After suffering two defeats at home in their three-game losing streak, Rising fans have something to cheer for once again. Rising still controls their destiny in the Western Conference, with another opportunity Saturday to pull off another much-needed win on the road, this time in Oakland against the Roots.

Despite Wednesday’s victory, Phoenix still has a tough road ahead. Upsetting New Mexico and denying the team a chance of celebration for securing home field advantage is only just the start, as the remaining three Rising matchups are against playoff teams. It’s a short week with little rest, but after their match against Oakland, they will return to the Valley Oct. 19 to host Memphis 901 FC in its final home game of the season.

Gómez will aim to use the latest victory as a momentum shift for his squad after his team fought together and showed glimpses of last year’s team that made a run to the USL title.

Rising earned a needed victory and hope to keep this form for the rest of the season as they fight for a postseason berth. The club can clinch a playoff spot Saturday if it beats Oakland, Tulsa draws/loses at home to New Mexico, and San Antonio draws/loses away to Colorado Springs.

“Before the match, we wanted to show character and show that the team is still believing,” Gómez said. “The guys showed that character and fought until the very end against the No. 1 seed. Now we need to keep going. Work is not done. We have a short turnaround to Saturday and we must keep working. Nonetheless, I’m proud of the guys.”

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