• Slug: Sports–Phoenix Rising Review, 780 words.
• Photo available.

By Cooper Burns
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Just two weeks remain in the United Soccer League’s regular season, and with only a handful of games left to play, the playoff picture is going from murky to clear. One notable team has yet to lock themselves into the playoffs.

That’s right, 2023 USL champion Phoenix Rising FC is still looking to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

Not having clinched a spot with two games remaining may sound the alarm bells in some quarters. But despite the season’s ups and downs, Rising still has a very good shot of making the playoffs.

Currently, Rising sits sixth in the Western Conference standings, four points above the cutoff line, with a magic number of just one. Their playoff bid could come as soon as this weekend, when Phoenix, in its final home match of the regular season, faces off against the Memphis 901 FC Saturday night at Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium, while San Antonio FC is on the road against Louisville City FC.

All Rising needs to do is match or exceed the amount of points San Antonio acquires on Saturday, meaning if Phoenix and San Antonio both draw their respective matches, Phoenix is through. If Phoenix and San Antonio both lose, Phoenix is still through.

With his team close to clinching a playoff spot, interim coach Diego Gomez acknowledged that he has been peeking at the standings.

“We always go game after game, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t check the standings. We know where we are. We know that we need three points in order to mathematically qualify for the playoffs. Regardless of what any other opponents do, we know depending on what others do, we can be qualified,” Gomez said Wednesday.

In June, Rising faced Memphis on the road, losing 5-1. Phoenix fans are hoping the defeat is as distant a memory as the summer heat.

While the past result will always be there, Gomez and the team aren’t worried about it.

“Memphis is a very dangerous team in transition, we know that, we experienced that in the loss against them. The team is also aware of that, and we want to prove that was just a bad game and sometimes those situations happen,” Gomez said.

It will not come easy as Memphis, which secured a postseason spot last weekend with a scoreless draw against Sacramento Republic FC, is playing for a playoff seed. The 901 currently sit one point behind fourth place Colorado Springs and four points behind third place Sacramento.

As it is for so many teams in the West, Memphis could slot itself into a home playoff game with a win. Meanwhile, San Antonio FC faces Louisville City FC, which has clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

This means that despite having two games remaining in the regular season, Louisville may opt to play conservatively and even rest some starters.

As for Rising, if they wind up falling Saturday night, their playoff hopes are still alive even if San Antonio defeats Louisville.

If that scenario plays out, Rising’s playoff hopes could come down to the final match of the regular season, an away game against Louisville on Oct. 26.

Similarly for Rising, Louisville could opt to rest starters in order to stay healthy for the playoffs.

There is, however, one caveat to all of this for both Rising and San Antonio as they gear up for Saturday’s matches.

So far, Louisville has racked up a total of 23 wins in the regular season. The USL record for most wins in the regular season is 24 by Phoenix Rising in 2019. Louisville could elect to play starters and try to break the record for most regular-season wins in USL history.

Despite everything, Rising controls their destiny to get into the playoffs. Win, or get some help and they are in the playoffs.

If Rising makes the playoffs, they could have a wide range of seeds. A win in each of their final two games of the season, coupled with some help around the league, could give Rising a home playoff game.

A loss in their final two games could drop Rising to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, depending on other results.

In the end, Rising could finish anywhere from fourth to eighth in the conference, meaning they would have to go on the road again in this year’s playoffs. But Rising fans remember how that dramatic road journey ended last season, with Phoenix lifting the USL trophy after beating Charleston Battery in a penalty shootout.

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.