The postgame press conference with Rick Schantz is always an interesting experience after a heavy loss. Phoenix Rising’s defeat to Tampa Bay Rowdies was all of that.
The stone-faced coach approached the backdrop and waiting cameras. It wasn’t hard to tell that he had no desire to be doing so, and understandably so.
As he settled into his place, Schantz was asked for his general thoughts on the match.
“I don’t have any,” was the curt reply.
It was more than just a disappointing display. At 5-1, it was the heaviest loss for Rising at home since May 2017, when a then-interim coach Schantz saw his first professional game end in a demolition at the hands of Reno.
It was also the first time that Rising has ever conceded five goals at home. Yes, that includes the dismal days of Arizona United.
Despite the opening remark, Schantz did share some thoughts on the match.
Rising changed up its formation, with Schantz sending out three center-backs in Manuel Madrid, Sivert Haugli and Joe Farrell. That meant there were just two central midfielders: Joey Calistri and Luis Manuel Seijas.
According to Schantz, that was to counter the typical two-striker Tampa Bay approach.
So why didn’t it work?
“It did,” Schantz insisted.
But didn’t the team lose 5-1?
“That has nothing to do with the formation,” he said.
Maybe you could put an argument forward for that, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t valid questions to be asked about the formation choice. Playing with three center-backs frees up the two wing-backs to attack with greater abandon than in a typical back four. In some ways, it almost requires it.
One of Rising’s biggest weaknesses over the years has been getting caught on quick breaks with fullbacks too high up the field. Without James Musa or Kevon Lambert on hand, did the back three ever have enough to keep up with the forwards in that kind of situation?
Instead of the formation, though, Schantz blamed “individual errors.”
That’s become something of a trend. After reflecting on a 3-0 loss to LA Galaxy II, Schantz insisted that Rising could take positives out of their overall showing. Then, following a 2-0 loss in midweek to Sacramento Republic, the losing performance was described as “fantastic.”
After a 5-1 home drubbing by a side that had won just one in seven league games prior, once again the blame wasn’t placed on anything wider than just individual mistakes and performance.
Well, one individual mistake that could be pointed to time and time again: bad discipline. For the first time in club history, Rising had one of its players sent off in three successive league matches. Each of those red-card challenges was simply unnecessary, and while none may have cost the team substantially on the night, that doesn’t mean they were harmless.
After all, can you truly complain about injuries interfering with squad selection when you continuously shoot yourself in the foot by picking up needless suspensions?
Beyond that, yes, individual mistakes have been evident in how Rising has played. But when you drop games in the manner that Rising has, the problems extend beyond anything that’s acceptable to write off so simply.
Schantz did ultimately accept that he has a task on his hands to work out how his team should be pieced together, and how exactly he’s going to get them to perform individually. That’s an issue that still needs resolving nearly a third of the way into the season.
It feels almost as though we’ve been here before this year, doesn’t it?
Perhaps we all fell down the Ted Lasso-esque trick of being goldfish, forgetting the patterns of early season and allowing wins to paper over the still persisting cracks. Now, only as the team loses again, do we notice those cracks were there all along.
We’ve seen slow starts before, though, I hear you say. In 2019, Rising claimed just 14 points off of its opening 10 matches. That side then went on to claim the regular-season title.
Of course, they did so by winning 20 games straight. There’s a reason that an American club had never accomplished that feat before. It’s hard to achieve, and you can’t ever bank on anything remotely like it happening again.
Knowing that that kind of form likely won’t rear its head again, it’s time to see some urgency now.
It’s time to stop seeing the same questions posed with seemingly no real, long-term answers provided on the field.
It’s time for Schantz to step up and find the solutions to Rising’s issues.
With a squad capable of results against any team in the league, it’s time for Phoenix to actually look like it.
We know they can. We’ve seen Rising bounce back from stumbles before. Now they need to do it, and finally kick into top gear.
Rising has played a home-heavy schedule to date, and even then it is dropping points. As Schantz has readily admitted on multiple occassions, it’s hard to win away from home in USL. Continued losses at home only add to the pressure to find points on the road.
Those road games are coming now. First up, it’s New Mexico, followed by a trip out east to Hartford.
Perhaps that pushes the urgency more than anything else. Next weekend isn’t just another match: it’s a clash against a close neighbor, and one that Rising fans take great pleasure in pointing out has never beaten Phoenix.
Rising’s fans are notoriously demanding, not least because of the expectations the club has created. You can see that clearly on social media week in, week out.
So what if Rising looks like this again on Sunday when taking on New Mexico? I’m not sure that’s something any of us want to think about.
