Phoenix Rising finally found its first league victory of 2026 in a resounding 3-0 triumph over rivals New Mexico United.

An Ihsan Sacko brace and JP Scearce strike proved more than enough for victory against a United side that failed to record more than a single shot on target all night.

Early start

A week ago, Phoenix Rising started slowly in its defeat to Sacramento Republic. Against New Mexico, the opposite was the case.

Within 13 minutes, Ihsan Sacko had both won and converted a penalty kick, putting the hosts up 1-0.

Phoenix could have doubled its advantage 15 minutes later, as referee Nabil Bensalah pointed to the spot again after Darius Johnson was brought down in the area. However, JP Scearce’s effort was saved.

Meanwhile, New Mexico United created very little in the early exchanges. Until the closing minutes of the half, the visitors had recorded just one shot: a 14th minute effort from Valentin Noël that was blocked.

Phoenix Rising presses for success

Phoenix Rising has focused heavily on its pressing game in 2026, but hadn’t seen the benefit of that until facing New Mexico.

Prior to Saturday night, the club had only won possession of the ball in the final third eight times across five league matches. Against New Mexico, Phoenix did so on six occassions.

“We knew that [New Mexico] was a team that wanted to play,” Rising coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “Playing man-to-man is sometimes the hardest thing to do, because you don’t get time and space. We knew that with the players that we have, and with the hunger that they have to want to do it as well […] the buy in to want to do it is massive. They’ve bought in to the man-to-man press, and when we did that, we knew that we’re going to get our opportunities.”

Three’s the charm

As the second half unfolded, Phoenix Rising added to more goals against New Mexico goalkeeper Kris Shakes.

In the 75th minute, JP Scearce shot with pinpoint accuracy into the bottom corner to double the hosts advantage. Then, Ihsan Sacko added his second of the night, rounding a diving Shakes after Phoenix won possession of the ball in the opposition corner.

With New Mexico failing to find a goal of their own, this marked only the third time that either Phoenix or New Mexico defeated the other by three goals or more. The most recent occasion previously was United’s 7-0 victory in 2022, when Phoenix was forced to field several academy prospects without professional experience as the bulk of the squad missed out due to isolation protocols following a positive COVID-19 case. Prior to that, the largest margin of victory was Rising’s 5-2 triumph over New Mexico at Casino Arizona Field.

Owain’s take

Phew.

Sometimes, you just need something to go your way.

An early penalty. A opponent that stuck to its gameplan even when it was clear that it wasn’t working. Facing up against a goalkeeper that seemed to get rattled by the crowd as the match went on.

Yeah, that’ll do it.

Do I think it was the most impressive performance that Phoenix Rising could have put on? No, and that’s in no small part down to how poor New Mexico played at 38th & Washington. Frankly, that was the worst New Mexico performance against Rising I think that I’ve ever seen, in any year. A team that dogmatically wanted to play it out the back while consistently misplacing passes, having mental lapses and awful first touches… Yeah, that’s going to be a feast for any team that wants to press.

But Rising got the job done, and in doing so defeated their rival by a very good scoreline. Yes, New Mexico was incredibly poor, but a team can only ever beat the side in front of them. They got the job done, and picked up three points. And I don’t say any of this to belittle what was a decent showing from the hosts. They played well, even if you still think that there’s another gear you’d like to see from them. Plus, who is ever going to complain about a multi-goal victory over a team hated as much as New Mexico are in Phoenix?

Now, the fun of defeating Rising’s neighbor to the east cannot be allowed to stay on the mind for too long. Phoenix travels to San Jose on Wednesday for an Open Cup clash, followed by a cross-country trip to face a Miami FC side that is, for once, not simply an expected three points. Those matches won’t be easy. Build on this win, and it could prove to be a springboard. Fail to do so, and it quickly turns into a blip in an otherwise disappointing start.

Time will tell if this game marks a corner turned. It genuinely could be one, but if there’s anything we learned from the 2025 iteration of this squad, it’s to enjoy the win, but wait another week to take the real conclusions from it.

Top image: Phoenix Rising FC