A 2-1 victory over previously unbeaten San Antonio on network television finally saw Phoenix Rising get its first win of 2025. Rising came out on top following a chaotic six-minute stretch that saw all three goals scored, as each team netted a penalty before an excellent effort from Jearl Margaritha.

Defensively Not Deterred

Phoenix Rising came into the match looking to rewrite the script on their first four games of the season. Conceding early in the first half, before battling back through the rest of the match, had been the theme of the year. Sunday in San Antonio finally saw a change to the backline’s form, despite the lack of players available for selection.

Captain Pape Mar Boye and Carl Sainté were suspended after red cards against Monterey Bay, taking away two of Pa-Modou Kah’s options at center-back. Two more were taken away with Alex Araneda and Casey Walls remaining injured. Mo Traore returned to the squad after missing out in Monterey Bay but was only named to the bench.

That meant versatile youngster Braxton Montgomery returned to Kah’s starting eleven as a center-back, and alongside him was Collin Smith, typically a right-back. Away to San Antonio, who came in unbeaten in their first four USL Championship fixtures, a back line of four full-backs seemed like a recipe for disaster.

However, it wasn’t. San Antonio could only muster a pair of chances in the first half, neither of which tested Triston Henry. The second half then opened up, even before the two penalties.

Early in the second half, San Antonio had a chance off a corner, but Montgomery cleared the ball off the line. A few minutes later the hosts had another chance off a set piece. This time, Henry came up with a big save, and then the ball fell to Jake LaCava, who skied one of his side’s best chances of the match.

Rising’s lone defensive lapse, came as the backline lost LaCava’s run towards a long ball from San Antonio’s keeper. Henry came off his line and was forced to give up a penalty to prevent an open goal. Jorge Hernandez converted from the spot for San Antonio’s only goal.

Although they couldn’t keep a clean sheet, Rising’s defense held strong. San Antonio generated only 1.54 expected goals off 14 total shots, including 0.78 allocated for the penalty. Of their six shots on target, four were easy saves for Henry.

Heading into Sunday, Rising had the second-most goals conceded in the league with ten, behind only Oakland with 12. Building on any newly-found defensive momentum will be key for Rising to keep grinding out results over the coming months.

Change in formation

Through seven of the eight halves to open the season, Phoenix Rising had stuck with their 4-3-3 shape. The lone exception was the second half against Rhode Island, where Kah switched things up to more of a 4-2-4 look.

That look returned against San Antonio, although this time it was for the whole match. Ihsan Sacko and Rémi Cabral started as the two center-forwards, with Sacko being more fluid positionally. His movement helped Rising’s backline connect with their forwards, most notably in the build-up to Margaritha’s goal. In transition, Sacko got the ball just beyond the halfway line and continued the charge forward, before laying off for Margaritha.

On the wings, Margaritha and Damián Rivera were continuously tasked with trying to cut in and create. Rivera was more successful early, finding a shot in the seventh minute that was parried wide by Richard Sánchez. Rivera was also instrumental in Cabral earning the opening penalty via an excellent run on the left, a nifty move inside, and then the pass to Cabral.

It took longer for Margaritha to work his way in, but once he did, he didn’t stop. A slight lack of decisiveness in the final moments defined his first half and the early part of the second half, in large part due to San Antonio’s left-back Jimmy Medranda.

Medranda limited Margaritha from dribbling past him, winning six of seven duels and three of five tackles attempted. When Margaritha did thrive was when Medranda was caught out of position as San Antonio deployed him to join the attack. On Margaritha’s goal, Medranda was out of position, and he put an excellent move on Alexis Souahy, to set up a phenomenal finish from a difficult angle.

Rising’s full-backs also showed different looks when they had the ball. Emil Cuello inverting as the left-back has been well-documented, but he also played much wider at times. Harvey Neville also went from hugging the touchline to being at times a playmaker from more central positions. When Rising successfully moved forward out of the back, San Antonio looked confused by the diversity in looks.

Whether the change in shape will be a permanent move or just a piece of Kah’s arsenal during tough times remains to be seen. It leaves Rising undermanned in midfield, but opponents have struggled to take advantage of that. On the flip side, it allows Rising to attack with more intensity, a top principle of Kah’s tactical manual.

Phoenix Rising continues to fight

Winning on the road in the USL is already a difficult task, but for Rising it was even harder in 2024. Last season’s squad only had four wins on the road all season, and although this is only the first one, it’s a step in the right direction.

Picking up a point away to San Antonio, never mind the full three points, was never going to be easy for Rising. Since the 2017 rebrand, Rising had only won at Toyota Field one time; a 2-0 win in 2022. Add in the two sides’ form through the first four matches, the answer proved to seemingly always equate to a Rising defeat on network TV.

Rising changed the equation, coming out willing to take whatever San Antonio threw at them. San Antonio tried throwing haymakers at times through numerous chances and elite defensive marking, but Rising weren’t deterred. They picked their moments and shined when they did.

The fight was seen clearly as Rising were faced with an onslaught of chances in the second half. San Antonio had 12 shots with six on target in the second 45, with only the penalty finding the back of the net. The home side created numerous opportunities requiring bravery from members of Rising’s defense, and each time they were up for it.

Braxton Montgomery had a goal line clearance, and Collin Smith had a few big clearances of his own, combining for a gritty win for Rising. It may not be how Pa-Modou Kah wants his side to win matches, but finding different ways to win is the sign of any good team.

Rees’ take

It may not have been the prettiest of wins, but it’s the first of Pa-Modou Kah’s time as Rising head coach, and more importantly, the first of the 2025 campaign. Rising has an insanely difficult stretch coming up over April and May, with matches in the league, the U.S. Open Cup and the Jagermeister Cup all on the docket.

In that time, the club will face off against some of the Western Conference’s best sides. They’ll take on San Antonio again, New Mexico twice, Sacramento and Colorado Springs over the next couple of months. That stretch will not be easy by any means, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Rising were bested in the majority of those fixtures. As a result, there was a need to pick up points early so that Rising had a footing to stand on later in the year.

That didn’t happen, but it’s still good for Rising to get off the mark on the year, especially given the circumstances they had to play in. Without their captain, starting holding midfielder and a plethora of depth options, this team has continued to show fight.

This team’s fight continues to be highlighted week in and week out, purely because it’s been such a different sight from what we saw last year. If Rising can get healthy, that continuing hunger shown will bode well for this team’s success.

There may be 25 matches left in the regular season, but this match could be the start of something special for Rising this year.