In an early candidate for game of the season, Phoenix Rising earned a first point under Pa-Modou Kah with a 4-4 draw on the road against El Paso Locomotive.

Rising were trailing 4-1 at the 68th minute, but goals from Rémi Cabral, Ihsan Sacko and a center circle effort from Mo Traore rescued a draw for the visitors.

Ugly, Lovely goals

Within the first ten minutes of play in El Paso, Phoenix Rising trailed. A failure to properly deal with a Locomotive corner allowed Beto Avila to put the hosts in front.

That wasn’t the only goal to be conceded off a set piece, either, as a corner earned from a good breakaway in the second half allowed for an Amando Moreno bicycle kick for El Paso’s fourth goal.

“Two goals off set pieces, I’m not thrilled with that,” Rising coach Pa-Modou Kah said after the match.

Other early corners for the hosts also seemed to show Rising in a shakier light. But it wasn’t just El Paso that found a way to threaten from set pieces.

In first half stoppage time, Noble Okello’s tall frame helped him tower over his marker to power home a header from just a few yards out off a corner, providing Rising’s first goal of 2025.

“With his size, we expect him to score a couple of goals, and he started it today,” Kah said. “For us, it’s just to continue working on him getting in those positions.”

Rising weren’t at their best for the other goals they conceded, though. El Paso often found ways to take advantage of transitional moments, especially as Rising tended to commit its wide players up the field, leaving space for a number of attackers to take on the visitors’ two center-backs, who often looked to have been left on an island.

“We expected it, though, because we know how every team plays,” center-back Mo Traore said.

“I think we were a little bit sloppy on the ball which gave those transitional moments,” Kah added.

Still, Rising took probably the best goal of the match late in the match. With the ball in the center circle, Traore struck a long effort goalwards, only to see Jahmali Waite off his line and unable to retreat back in time to make the save.

“To be honest, I kind of see [him off his line] a little bit, but it was more like a clearance,” Traore said. “But I will take the goal.”

Strikers off the mark

Coming away with a result in difficult circumstances may do wonders for the Phoenix Rising team as a whole, but finding the back of the net so early in the year was also critical for strikers Rémi Cabral and Ihsan Sacko.

Cabral found the net with an instinctive finish off a delivery from Collin Smith in the 69th minute to kickstart Rising’s big comeback. Sacko’s goal in the 80th minute, showing off a good strike under some defensive pressure, offered Rising genuine hope in the dying stages of the match.

“It means a lot for the strikers,” Kah said. “You want your strikers to score.”

Phoenix Rising’s resilience

“We showed character, and showed our identity,” defender Mo Traore said after the match.

Despite being up against a wall, Phoenix Rising came out swinging in Texas in a way they didn’t really seem to in the week prior.

“It’s not easy going down 2-0, and then 2-1, then 3-1 right off the bat,” Kah said. “I think character is what these boys have shown.”

This match was the first time that Rising has ever come back from trailing by three goals to pick up a positive result in USL play.

“You could have easily given up, and they didn’t,” Kah said. “I’m very happy and pleased with what they showed. We are moving in the right direction.”

Ultimately, Rising did have the opportunity to win the match late, but couldn’t put away their chances. The team took 11 shots in the second half alone, with six on target — more than they’d managed in the entirety of the first match.

“They deserved this comeback because I think we generally controlled the game,” Kah said.

Owain’s take

As I write this, I’m still not sure I’ve fully processed everything that I witnessed on the field at Southwest University Park. A 4-4 draw for Phoenix Rising on the road, after trailing 4-1 in the second half, is simply the makings of an instant classic.

This game showcased a lot of what we’d predicted in preseason about this Rising squad. The aggressiveness of the full-backs and the advanced positions of both Hope Avayevu and Noble Okello from the midfield opened up space for El Paso to attack in transitional play. They made Rising pay for that: scoring four goals in under an hour. They hadn’t managed four in a single game previously since 2022.

Center-backs Mo Traore and Pape Mar Boye were mostly solid in their roles, but if multiple players were attacking from El Paso, they weren’t going to be able to handle that easily on their own. Against the top teams in the league, offering up opportunities like Rising did against Locomotive could cause far, far more serious issues. To say that after conceding four is, well, a little concerning.

By the same token, Rising played an exciting, attacking style of play at times in the second half unlike anything we’ve seen for a while. They fought hard, refused to give in, took several good chances, and ultimately rescued a result when all felt lost. The first half may have seemed like another exercise in huffing and puffing, but the response in the second half showed that this team can, and will, create serious chances. Not only will they do so, but their forwards have the talent to put those chances away.

In all honesty, Rising may have had a hint of luck around their comeback. El Paso’s potential fifth goal, ruled out for an offside offence, felt… well, dubious. Equally, when Ihsan Sacko put Rising within just one, it felt as though Phoenix won the ball thanks in no small part to a prolonged foul by Damian Rivera. Not to mention, an increasingly negative approach from El Paso coach Wilmer Cabrera as the match went on likely helped to give Rising a lifeline, by allowing them to push forward in the manner that they did. The fact his team defended as poorly as they did while sitting back only raises further questions around that decision.

But you have to earn your own luck, too. When Rising got lucky with a foul not being called against Rivera, they took full advantage of El Paso’s slow reaction and put the ball in the back of the net. When Locomotive sat deeper and invited pressure, Phoenix attacked with greater purpose and end product than anything they managed to display in their performance against FC Tulsa in the home opener.

In the end, Rising didn’t really deserve to lose that match. They probably didn’t deserve to win it, either, after shooting themselves in the foot so badly in the earlier exchanges of the match. But the end of this match was a genuine glimpse into what this team could be capable of come the end of the season, if all goes to plan.

That’s a lot more positive than anything I was able to say last week.