IRVINE, Calif – Another three-goal haul for Phoenix Rising kept the team’s playoff hopes alive going into the final week.
A draw against Orange County would have eliminated Rising from contention, but a first half header from Pape Mar Boye and a brace from Ihsan Sacko confirmed that Phoenix can guarantee a postseason spot with a win over Lexington SC next week.
Phoenix Rising keeps the goals coming
Against Las Vegas Lights a week ago, Phoenix Rising took a first-half lead of 3-0.
Facing Orange County in Irvine, they once again found a way to set the tone with three unanswered goals to open up the game.
Pape Mar Boye started the scoring with a header off a set piece before Ihsan Sacko capitalized on a Nico Benalcazar giveaway to double the visitors’ advantage.
Later, Ihsan Sacko added a third courtesy of a header.
“As a coach, you can look at it and look at many things, but it’s credit to the boys,” Rising coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “The boys understand the moment and they live in the moment and they’re taking their moment. Again, credit to them.
“As a coach, you’re as good as your players and what our players have been showing throughout the year has been unbelievable. There’s a lot of things, a lot of injuries, but the way they’re showing up now is unbelievable and we have to carry that into the next game.”
Orange County had chances of their own as Ousmane Sylla turned a penalty kick over the crossbar to miss an opportunity to kickstart a comeback. Yaniv Bazini brought one goal back in the 76th minute, but it was too little, too late for the hosts.
Fans on the road
Phoenix Rising marked the last road match of the regular season with a bus trip provided to its season ticket holders.
Two busloads of fans made the trip to Championship Soccer Stadium and were in fine voice as the team earned its first away win against Western Conference opposition in the 2026 regular season.
“I was loving every minute of it,” Rising goalkeeper Chituru Odunze said. “I love our fans. This was the loudest section in the whole stadium and that says something. That shows how much they love us and we can only appreciate what they do by showing up on the field, and I think we’ve done that these last few weeks and we’re going to want to keep doing that.”
Clinching scenarios take shape
The path to the playoffs for Phoenix Rising is growing simpler as the team enters its final match.
Currently, Rising sits in 9th place, on the same points as Orange County in 8th. However, the team is currently behind Orange County based on the first tiebreaker of in-conference wins. San Antonio, the other team currently in the playoff places but at risk of falling out, is three points ahead in 7th place.
Both San Antonio and Orange County will face each other in the final match of the regular season in Texas, simplifying some of the potential outcomes.
If Phoenix Rising wins in its final home match against Lexington, the team will finish in eighth place, travelling to face the top seed in the West. As it stands, that team would be El Paso Locomotive (Friday, Oct. 30, 7p.m. local) should they win their final match against New Mexico. If United wins that match, the road in the West will run through Albuquerque (Sunday, Nov. 1, 4p.m. local). If the two sides draw, and Sacramento beats Oakland, Rising would be heading to Northern California.
If Phoenix Rising loses in its final home match against Lexington, the team will be eliminated from playoff contention, with both San Antonio and Orange County guaranteed to finish ahead of Rising.
If Saturday’s match against Lexington ends in a draw, things will get more complicated. Phoenix Rising qualifies in eighth place with a draw as long as San Antonio defeats Orange County, and Oakland Roots fail to win on the road against Sacramento Republic. If either of those two results goes against Rising, only a win will do to confirm a place in the postseason.
Owain’s take
A couple of weeks ago, Phoenix Rising were on the brink.
Now, it’s back in their own hands.
Two wins. A first away win in-conference. Six goals scored over that period.
The path forward from here is clear: win against Lexington, and you’re in. Lose, and you’re out. Draw, and you’re waiting to see how others do.
The best case scenario is a likely trip to El Paso or Albuquerque, although Sacramento could also be a possibility.
So what can we take from these two matches?
We’re seeing improvements from Phoenix Rising, and it’s good to see players like Ihsan Sacko finding his form at a time of the year where failing to win isn’t an option.
But Lexington is going to be a completely different challenge in the final game of the regular. Lex is a squad in the ascendancy, set for a home playoff match for the very first time.
Compare that to Las Vegas – a side eliminated from playoff contention this weekend – and Orange County – a side trapped in a freefall that has seen them fire head coach Danny Stone and turn from top seed contenders to a team at serious risk of falling out of the playoffs altogether.
At the end of the day, Phoenix Rising can only beat the teams in front of them. The fact the two opponents in this stretch have been mediocre is a critique of them, not of Rising. But it’s important not to lose sight of it either. Phoenix can step up and play well, but Saturday will be a completely different challenge.
Still, a critical home match that you know can guarantee a playoff match?
Two weeks away, you’d have bitten someone’s hand off to be given that opportunity. Now, it’s reality.
The only question left is: can Phoenix Rising take their chance?
Top image via Phoenix Rising FC
