Sitting on the bench for a Phoenix Rising home match wasn’t a new feeling for Braxton Montgomery. At 17 years of age, the youngster had already done so on four occasions in 2024.

What happened next, though, was new territory.

“Coming into the game, I knew I had a chance of playing,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t know how big of a chance, but I was mentally getting ready, mentally getting prepared. Then, once I saw Floody go down, I was like ‘oh, I get to go in.’

“I was excited, so it was just pure excitement… and nerves. A lot of nerves too.”

Subbed on for an injured Ryan Flood in the home opener against FC Tulsa, Montgomery became just the seventh player to make their competitive debut for Rising before the age of 18.

“If they’re good enough, they will play,” Rising coach Pa-Modou Kah said of the team’s youngsters earlier in preseason. “If they train well, I will play them. For me, it’s about Phoenix Rising. Age is nothing but a number. If they’re good enough, they’re old enough.”

Montgomery’s first team debut marks the culmination of a long process, having spent years within Rising’s youth academy setup.

“I started playing club in maybe fourth or fifth grade, then came to Rising around a year later,” Montgomery said. “Then, I just stuck with Rising the whole time.”

As a younger child, Montgomery tried out various sports, including a stint as a defensive back in American football. However, it was having the ball at his feet that captured his imagination.

“Growing up, we didn’t really watch soccer,” Montgomery said. “I’ve progressively watched more and more.”

Montgomery credited his parents’ support for his development, saying that every weekend without a game, his father would take him out to train.

He also credited Andy Chapman, one of his academy coaches, for progressing him through the ranks.

“He’s given me opportunities which have progressed my development and he’s just trusted me,” Montgomery said. “And, yeah, he’s taught me a lot.”

Among those opportunities was a preseason game against MLS side Portland Timbers in 2024: Montgomery’s first taste of senior football.

“That one was a lot more nerve-wracking,” Montgomery said. “I was younger, didn’t have a lot of time with the team, and I just came right in.

“It was a full 11 switch, so it was a lot of academy kids and that helped a little bit, but it was still a lot more nerve-wracking.”

From there, Montgomery trained with the first team throughout the season, something he credits for helping to bridge the gap between academy and senior football. He was also named to the bench four times, thanks to a USL initiative that allows up to two academy-aged players to be named as substitutes for home teams in addition to the usual seven players.

“We’re confident in the way that we train, with the intensity to get guys ready,” Kah said. “You could see it on Saturday. He didn’t feel out of place, Braxton.”

After a year of training with the first team, Montgomery was ready to play a larger role in preseason, coming up against multiple clubs. That included featuring against LAFC in Coachella, which saw him suit up against Frenchman Olivier Giroud.

“That was really fun,” Montgomery said. “I really enjoyed that because he is obviously a top, top player. He’s won a World Cup. He has so many accolades, and I just had a great experience. It was really fun. It was really challenging, which I loved.”

The build-up to 2025 also saw him adjust to a new position. Montgomery refers to himself just as a defender, but has spent most of his time as a center-back or in defensive midfield. Now, he’s featuring at left-back.

“I think it’s more fun,” Montgomery said. “You know, you get to attack more. It’s not too big of a difference – more one-v-ones, but it’s not too big of a difference.”

That flexibility led to him making his first team debut against FC Tulsa. With Emil Cuello sidelined before the game, and Ryan Flood going down with injury in the second half, Kah turned to Montgomery to see out the last 15 minutes of the match.

“He did a great job,” Rising goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky said. “Coming on the field after never really playing with us. 1-0 down, home opener. We want to push. A lot of pressure on him: a counter-attack can cost the game. So, really good game. Really calm, pushed forward, defensively really solid, so really good job from him.”

In case making his professional debut wasn’t enough, Montgomery also recently announced his commitment to attend Northern Illinois University. As he is signed to an academy contract with Rising rather than a full pro deal, the youngster has retained his eligibility to play collegiately in DeKalb. He will leave Phoenix this summer.

“My family, we’ve always talked about going to college first. I want to get my education first,” Montgomery said. “I know I can do it online, but I’m starting online school for high school and being in person is a lot easier to really learn, in my opinion.

“It was a great offer. I think I can get in there, I think I can play pretty early. Maybe not start, but I definitely think I can get some minutes in there. I want to go to a place that can develop me and help me progress to end up going pro.”

For now, though, the focus is on the next USL Championship fixtures. With questions remaining around the fitness of Cuello and Flood, Montgomery could be called upon to play a greater role in the upcoming trip to El Paso.

“He’s confident in his ability,” Kah said. “We’re confident in his ability, and we trust it. He showed it, otherwise we would not have played him. We know what he is going to give us, so we have no problem.”

Across the year, it isn’t just Montgomery that will likely feature from Rising’s youngsters this year. 16-year-old Jamison Ping recently signed a full professional deal with the club, and others are also on the way.

“There’s going to be a lot of games this year,” Kah said. “For us, we have the Jagermeister Cup as well, so you’ve also got to rotate players, and I know a lot of those guys will get minutes.”

Still, Braxton Montgomery remains the first youngster to be blooded at Phoenix Rising under head coach Pa-Modou Kah and, if Rising’s injury problems at left-back persist, he could find himself an important part of the early season squad.

“If you told me when I first started that I would be 17, debuting, I wouldn’t really believe it,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t really think of it; I just kind of roll with everything.”