In the club’s final home match of the 2025 regular season, Phoenix Rising prevailed 1-0 in just the fourth victory of the season at 38th & Washington.

Charlie Dennis added to his recent tally with an early first half effort to put Rising ahead, while a weak San Antonio side made it five straight matches without a goal.

Charlie Dennis on form

When he’s been given chances for Phoenix Rising this season, Charlie Dennis has stepped up.

A must-win home match against San Antonio proved no different.

Just 11 minutes into the match, Dennis scored from close range to put the home side up. That goal marked his fourth in as many games, and his seventh league goal of the season. Those numbers came despite a lengthy stint on the touchline through injury, as well as several spells of being used as a bench player rather than a starter.

The different shape remains

When Phoenix Rising’s lineup against North Carolina was announced a week ago, it raised questions. The team answered them, winning 2-0 and stifling any real chances for the opposition.

A week later, a very similar looking lineup came out for Rising against San Antonio.

“The game changes, and you have to be adaptable to what the game gives you,” Rising coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “We’re playing what the game gives us.”

Moving to a formation of three center-backs with wing backs, coupled with a slightly more unorthodox front line, Rising has found success down the flanks as their play looks more direct in nature. Defensively, too, they’ve given away very little.

“If what we want to do is not there, but we have something else that we know can work because of the type of versatility that we have in our players, then it’s for us to adapt,” Kah said.

Now, will Rising stick with a formula that’s bringing them some success?

“Is it best suited to what we have at this moment? Yes,” Kah said. “Can it change next week? It can.”

Playoff picture takes shape

Results elsewhere may not have been kind to Phoenix Rising, but the win on the night meant that those didn’t really matter.

Orange County followed up a midweek win over San Antonio with a dogged 0-0 draw at home against Louisville. Colorado Springs defeated Las Vegas Lights 1-0 in the Rockies, while a Friday evening clash saw Lexington squander a 2-0 lead over Sacramento Republic to draw 2-2.

Meanwhile, El Paso missed its chance to secure a home playoff match by conceding an equalizer against FC Tulsa in the second minute of stoppage time.

The result is that Phoenix Rising does control its own destiny on the final weekend in terms of qualifying for the postseason. However, the team could still finish anywhere from 4th place, which would secure a home match in the opening round of the playoffs, through to 9th place, which would see the club miss the postseason entirely.

Playoff Scenarios:

If Rising wins:

• And El Paso loses (v San Antonio), Rising finishes 4th
• And El Paso draws or wins, Rising finishes 5th (If necessary, El Paso owns the tiebreaker on points per game against in-conference opponents)

If Rising draws:

• Rising finishes 5th (If necessary, Rising owns the tiebreaker against San Antonio and Colorado Springs, both separately and combined, on head-to-head points)

If Rising loses:

• And none of San Antonio (@ El Paso), Colorado Springs (@ Tulsa), Orange County (v Indy) or Lexington (@ Oakland) win, Rising finishes 5th
• And any combination of San Antonio, Colorado Springs, Orange County or Lexington win, Rising finishes between 6th and 9th, behind any of those four teams which win on the final matchday (only Orange County or Lexington could finish exactly level on points with Rising in such a scenario. In any such scenario, Rising would finish below Orange County or Lexington, or both, if tied due to either head-to-head points or head-to-head goal difference)

Owain’s take

Two league wins in a row. Did you remember what that felt like?

The last time Rising won consecutive league matches came back at the very start of June, in a home victory against Orange County. Yeah, that’s how far back you have to go.

What’s interesting is that it isn’t coming off of something just clicking, or Rising finding their rhythm as you may have hoped earlier in the season. It’s actually come from some tinkering with the system,

Let’s be frank: Saturday’s match wasn’t necessarily the easiest on the eye. But this is the late stages of the USL Championship season, and pragmatism is precisely what the doctor ordered. There’s no point in playing beautiful football only to lose. Chasing results, not just ideals, is going to be the key to making it into — and potentially deep into — the postseason.

Featuring a bulkier back line has taken the pressure off of Rising’s wing backs, and reduced the number of times this squad has looked exposed at the back. Playing more directly, and better utilizing wide spaces, has led to less stalling of possession in the midfield. Those two things have been critical to ensure results in each of Rising’s last two games.

It’s important not to get too positive from these matches. Rising has succeeded with its tweaked approach against sides that, to be frank, couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn at the moment. San Antonio’s catastrophic form has left them at real risk of dropping out of the playoffs. Credit Rising’s defense for not giving up much in the way of chances, but in reality, San Antonio simply didn’t look like creating them.

Don’t forget, either, that Rising had a few more chances of their own but simply didn’t take them. Make no mistake that Rising deservedly won the match, but against tougher opposition, they’re going to need to pose more of a threat up top.

Still, those are problems for the coming weeks. For now, Rising fans should take solace in the fact that this team feels very much like they’re going to the postseason. In fact, they do have a real outside chance of even hosting a match in two weeks’ time.

On a night that, with every other result going against them, Rising could have sat below the playoff line… That is a welcome, different conversation.

Top image: Phoenix Rising/Ashley Orellana