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Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team based in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...
.


History

On March 13, 2014, Kyle Eng, owner of an advertising agency, launched the franchise and named it Arizona United SC. It took the place of
Phoenix FC Phoenix FC was an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix. The team was a member of the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team's colors were red and white. History On June 18, 2012, BDR Spo ...
, which folded the previous day, in the
USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...
league.


2014 season

In just 178 days after the franchise was awarded by the USL Pro, Arizona United hired a front office staff and coach, put together a roster, secured a stadium, played 28 regular season games, reached the fourth round of the US Open Cup and was in contention for a playoff spot until the next-to-last week of the season. University of Maryland Assistant Coach
Michael Dellorusso Michael Dellorusso (born August 22, 1983 in White Plains, New York) is an American former professional soccer player. Career College Dellorusso grew up in Columbia, Maryland, attended Wilde Lake High School, and played college soccer at the Un ...
was named head coach on March 28, 2014. United lost their first game to
Oklahoma City Energy FC Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City businessman ...
4–0 on April 12, 2014. They defeated
Sacramento Republic FC Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, the ...
2–1 for their first win on April 19, 2014.
Brandon Swartzendruber Brandon Swarzendruber (born April 2, 1985) is an American soccer player. Career College and Amateur Swartzendruber played college soccer at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler, Arizona, before transferring to Midwestern State Univer ...
scored the team's first ever goal in the 37th minute.
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
loanee Jonathan Top scored the game winner in the 85th minute. United won four of their last five games to move up from 13th place to 9th, but fell four points short of qualifying for the playoffs. Jonathan Top and ex- Orlando City standout Long Tan led the team in scoring with five goals each. Tan was also selected for the All-League Second Team. Goalkeeper
Evan Newton Evan Alexander Newton (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper. Career College and amateur Newton played college soccer at Old Dominion University. He started all 17 games his freshman year and f ...
was second in the league in saves. United finished with a 10–13–5 record.


2014 US Open Cup

In their first
US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...
appearance, Arizona United lasted until the fourth round, the longest Open Cup run of any Arizona club. Entering the tournament in the second round, United defeated
Portland Timbers U23s Capital FC is an American soccer team based in Salem, Oregon, United States. Although founded in 2008 as part of the development system for the Portland Timbers USSF D2 organization, beginning in 2011 they were part of the development system ...
of the PDL 3–2 in Portland on May 13. They were losing 2–1 late in the game when
London Woodberry London Woodberry (born May 28, 1991) is an American soccer player. Career Woodberry played college soccer at the University of Maryland between 2009 and 2012. He earned Third Team NSCAA All-American honors as a senior for the Maryland Terrapin ...
tied the game in the 88th minute and
Daniel Antúnez Daniel Antúnez Burgos (born February 10, 1986) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder. Career Youth Antúnez, who is of Mexican American descent, grew up in California where he attended Santa Ana High School. He ...
scored the winning goal with seconds left in stoppage time. In the third round, United defeated
Oklahoma City Energy FC Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City businessman ...
of USL Pro 2–1 in extra time May 28 at the Peoria Sports Complex. The game winner was scored by
Bradlee Baladez Bradlee Baladez (born August 8, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for the Dallas Sidekicks in the Major Arena Soccer League. Career Early career Born in Mesquite, Texas, Baladez is an alumnus of both Mesqui ...
in the 112th Minute and Evan Newton saved a last minute penalty kick awarded to the Energy. Their Open Cup run ended with a 2–1 loss to the eventual
MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
champion
LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...
at home on June 18.
Gyasi Zardes Gyasi A. Zardes (born September 2, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Austin FC of Major League Soccer and the United States national team. Born in Hawthorne, California, Zardes was part of the LA Galaxy ...
scored two goals in the second half two minutes apart after
Matt Kassel Matthew Timothy Kassel (born October 30, 1989) is a retired American soccer player and current color commentator for Bethlehem Steel FC in the USL. Career College and amateur Kassel attended Bridgewater-Raritan High School. He began his caree ...
gave United a 1–0 lead at halftime.


2015 season

Arizona United signed a one-year agreement to play their home games at
Scottsdale Stadium Scottsdale Stadium is a ballpark located in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Designed by the owner of the Baltimore Orioles’ Camden Yards, the stadium was expanded to its current state in 1992 and holds 12,000 people. It has been the spring ...
on December 16, 2014. United signed a one-year affiliation agreement with
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
on February 9, 2015. United finished 10th in the Western Conference with a 10–16–2 record. Goalkeeper
Carl Woszczynski Carl Matthew Woszczynski (born April 18, 1988) is a retired American soccer player. Playing career Woszczynski attended Columbus North High School in Columbus, Indiana, where he was a four-year varsity starting goalkeeper. He recorded 42 career ...
set a USL record with 130 saves. Long Tan again led the team with 14 goals, which was tied for 4th in the league with Luke Vercollone. Tan was also selected for the USL All-League First Team. On September 25, the club declined to extend the contract of head coach
Michael Dellorusso Michael Dellorusso (born August 22, 1983 in White Plains, New York) is an American former professional soccer player. Career College Dellorusso grew up in Columbia, Maryland, attended Wilde Lake High School, and played college soccer at the Un ...
.


2016 season

Brett M. Johnson, founder and CEO of Benevolent Capital and managing director of Zealot Networks, purchased a minority share of the team. He was named co-chairman and president of Arizona United on December 9, 2015.
Frank Yallop Frank Walter Yallop (born 4 April 1964) is a British-Canadian professional soccer coach. Yallop is currently the head coach and sporting director of USL Championship side Monterey Bay FC. He played 13 years in England for Ipswich, including the ...
, who coached the
San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
to
MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...
championships in 2001 & 2003, was signed to a three-year contract as head coach and president of soccer operations on December 23, 2015. An investment group of music artists and executives led by
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
winning DJ, record producer and rapper/songwriter
Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
purchased a minority stake in Arizona United on January 27, 2016. Scottsdale Stadium did not renew their lease with United and the team signed a three-year lease with their original stadium,
Peoria Sports Complex The Peoria Sports Complex is a baseball complex located in the Peoria suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, near Peoria's main shopping district on Bell Road. It consists of the main baseball stadium (Peoria Stadium) and 12 practice fields. It is one ...
, on January 26, 2016.
Pete Wentz Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician best known as the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy since 2001. Before Fall Out Boy, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lea ...
, bassist for the rock group
Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
, purchased a minority share on April 11, 2016.


2017 season: rebranding and playoff run

On August 31, 2016, team founder Kyle Eng sold his majority share to an investment group led by Berke Bakay, president and CEO of
Kona Grill Kona Grill, Inc. is an upscale casual restaurant company based in Denver, Colorado serving American cuisine, sushi, and cocktails. The company owns and operates around 40 restaurants in 23 U.S. states, as well as three international locations ope ...
. On November 28, 2016, the team was rebranded Phoenix Rising FC by the new ownership. On March 25, 2017, A record crowd of 6,890 attended Rising FC's first game of 2017 at their new
Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex Casino Arizona Field, formerly known as Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex, was a 15.8-acre soccer-specific training and stadium facility located in the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community near Tempe, Arizona. It was the home of Phoenix Risi ...
, a soccer-specific stadium and training facility built on the
Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community The Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community comprises two distinct Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes—the Pima people, Pima (O'odham language: Onk Akimel O'odham, ''meaning "Salt River People"'') and the Marico ...
near Tempe. They lost to
Toronto FC II Toronto FC II is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, who play in MLS Next Pro, a third tier league of the United States soccer league system. It is the reserve team and minor league affiliate of Toronto FC as well as i ...
1–0. They defeated
LA Galaxy II LA Galaxy II is an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, United States founded in 2014. It is the reserve team of the LA Galaxy. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United Sta ...
2–1 for their first win at the complex and as Rising FC on April 8. The 2017 season started with three major signings. Guadalajara's all-time leading scorer
Omar Bravo Omar Bravo Tordecillas (born 4 March 1980) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is Guadalajara's all-time leading scorer in all matches. Club career Club Deportivo Guadalajara Omar Bravo has scored 132 goals ...
was signed on February 9.
Shaun Wright-Phillips Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips (born 25 October 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He played in the Premier League and Football League for Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, in Major L ...
, who played for
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
,
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
,
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...
and the English national team, was signed on February 24. Former
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
player and
Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
leading goalscorer
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
was signed on April 12. He also purchased an ownership stake in the club. Another record crowd of 7,126 welcomed Drogba to the "
Valley of the Sun A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
," as Greater Phoenix is sometimes known, and Phoenix Rising FC defeated the
Swope Park Rangers Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Swope S ...
4–3 on April 23. Frank Yallop resigned as director of soccer operations and head coach on April 24, 2017, for family reasons. Assistant coach Rick Schantz was named interim head coach. Former
Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
and Mali national team coach
Patrice Carteron Patrice Carteron (born 30 July 1970) is a French former professional football player who played as a defender. He is the current manager of Saudi club Al-Ettifaq. Some of his previous managerial posts include the Mali national team, TP Mazembe ...
was named Rising FC Head Coach on May 22, 2017. In the second half of the season, the Rising won 11 games, tied 3 and lost only one. This included 11 straight games without a loss with a five-game winning streak, both team records. Jason Johnson lead the team with 13 goals.
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
scored 9 goals, even though he was out for a few weeks with a groin injury. During the unbeaten streak, goalkeeper Josh Cohen earned 6 shutouts in 8 games, which gave him the USL Player of the Month award for September. The Rising clinched their first ever playoff berth by defeating the
Portland Timbers 2 Portland Timbers 2 is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team, often referred to as "T2", serves as the reserve squad for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team was a member of the USL Champio ...
on September 27 by a 2–0 score. Their record was 17 wins, 8 losses and 7 ties, earning them 5th place in the Western Conference. A penalty kick shootout won by
Swope Park Rangers Sporting Kansas City II is a MLS Next Pro club affiliated with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. For the 2022 season they will play their home games at Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as Swope S ...
eliminated Phoenix after playing to a 1–1 tie. The game was interrupted by lightning and heavy rains after the first half, so the second half was played the following day. Phoenix Rising FC purchased
FC Tucson FC Tucson is an American soccer club based in Tucson, Arizona that plays in USL League Two. The club has an amateur women’s team, FC Tucson Women, that play in the WPSL. Organized in 2010, the club first fielded a team in March 2011, then joine ...
of the Premier Development League, now known as
USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...
, on October 11, 2017. FC Tucson serves as Rising FC's USL 2 affiliate.


2018 season

Advantage Sports Union Ltd., led by Alex Zheng, purchased a share of Phoenix Rising on February 10, 2018, to bolster its MLS bid.


2019 season

Phoenix Rising FC concluded an international cooperation agreement with
Galatasaray SK Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
of
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
on April 5, 2019. The partnership includes cooperation on soccer operations, commercial projects, discovery and training of youth soccer players, international exhibition matches, tournaments and training programs for coaches and players. From May 5 to September 14, 2019, Phoenix Rising FC won 20 consecutive matchessetting a league and North American record for the longest winning streak. The streak ran parallel with another streak of home wins during the club's "Dollar Beer Night" promotion, which dates back to 2017. The streak came to an end on September 21 with a 2–1 loss to
Fresno FC Fresno Football Club was an American professional soccer team based in Fresno, California. Founded in 2017, the team was a member of the USL Championship, a second-tier league in the American Soccer Pyramid. Their first game took place on March ...
. Rising FC earned the USL Championship Regular Season Title on September 28 after playing
New Mexico United New Mexico United is an American professional soccer team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2018, the team currently plays in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. History Former teams The state of New Mexic ...
to a 2–2 draw.


2020 season

Phoenix Rising FC finished the season with a 11–2–3 (35 points) record in a COVID-shortened season. Immediately after the first week of competition, the season was suspended by the United Soccer League due to the worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic. Prior to the resumption of play, The rules of competition were changed, placing teams in "groups" to decrease team-to-team contact as well as reduce travel costs. Phoenix Rising finished atop its group, which included LA Galaxy II, Orange County SC, San Diego Loyal SC, and Las Vegas Lights FC. The team's 35 points were enough for second place in the Western Conference, behind only now-defunct Reno 1868 FC. Phoenix Rising FC defeated Sacramento Republic FC 1–0 in the USL Western Conference Playoffs, and advanced on kicks-from-the mark (4–5) after a 2–2 draw with Reno 1868 FC in the conference Semi-finals. On October 24, 2020, Phoenix Rising earned its second Western Conference Championship, moving past El Paso Locomotive FC in kicks-from-the-mark (4–2) after playing to a 1–1 draw. Normally, this would have earned Rising a chance to host the 2020 USL Championship Final. Rising had finished tied with
Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...
on points and wins, but Rising finished with a higher goal differential. However, just before the Western Conference Final, Phoenix Rising announced it would not host the Championship Final if it advanced that far. Rising was only in contention to host the final after
San Diego Loyal San Diego Loyal Soccer Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan. San Diego Loyal made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team in the ...
walked off the field during its September 30 match in protest of
Junior Flemmings Junior Flemmings (born 16 January 1996) is a Jamaican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a winger (association football), winger and Forward (association football), forward for club Toulouse FC, Toulouse and the Jamaica ...
directing a homophobic slur at one of its players. Due to the ensuing outcry, Rising announced that if it advanced to the Championship Final, it would give up home field advantage to the Eastern Conference champion. Rising were set to play against the
Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...
in the Championship Final, but the game was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Rowdies organization. Team captain
Solomon Asante Solomon Asante (born 6 March 1990) is a Ghanaian professional footballer as a winger for USL Championship club Indy Eleven. With Phoenix Rising FC, he was named the 2019 and 2020 USL Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP). Early life Born in ...
was voted the league's Most Valuable Player for the second time, joining Kevin Molino as the only players to achieve such honors, and the first to do so in consecutive seasons. Winger
Junior Flemmings Junior Flemmings (born 16 January 1996) is a Jamaican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a winger (association football), winger and Forward (association football), forward for club Toulouse FC, Toulouse and the Jamaica ...
earned the Golden Boot for scoring 14 goals in 14 appearances prior to being suspended at the end of the season.


Homophobia controversy

During a game with
San Diego Loyal San Diego Loyal Soccer Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan. San Diego Loyal made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team in the ...
on September 30,
Junior Flemmings Junior Flemmings (born 16 January 1996) is a Jamaican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a winger (association football), winger and Forward (association football), forward for club Toulouse FC, Toulouse and the Jamaica ...
was accused of using a Jamaican homophobic slur against the openly gay Loyal midfielder
Collin Martin Collin Martin (born November 9, 1994) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for San Diego Loyal in the USL Championship. He has played for D.C. United and Minnesota United FC in Major League Soccer, and for Rich ...
. The Loyal, who had been leading 3–1 up to that point, walked off the field in protest and forfeited the match. Video capturing an exchange between Rising coach Rick Schantz and Loyal coach
Landon Donovan Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan is also the co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, and serves as strategic advisor fo ...
over the incident led to claims of Schantz telling Donovan that the incident was "part of the game," that the players were "competing," as well as accusations that Schantz tried to downplay the incident.
Brandon McCarthy Brandon Patrick McCarthy (born July 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and front office executive. He is the special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in M ...
, a minority-owner, was accused of questioning the veracity of accusations made against Flemmings, suggesting in a direct message with another
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
user that the Loyal, who forfeited a match against the
LA Galaxy II LA Galaxy II is an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, United States founded in 2014. It is the reserve team of the LA Galaxy. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United Sta ...
in the days prior over the alleged use of a racial slur against a Black Loyal player, planned to forfeit the match to continue making a statement on social justice. Prior to the incident, the Rising, along with McCarthy, were noted for their support of the LGBTQ+ community. As a result of the incident and statements in the aftermath, both Flemmings and Head Coach Rick Schantz were suspended and fined. Schantz was reinstated as head coach on October 21 after Collin Martin accepted an apology by Schantz for his remarks.


2021 season

On February 18, 2021, Rising FC transferred ownership of FC Tucson to Benevolent Sports Tucson LLC, led by Rising minority owner Brett Johnson. Rising FC opened the 2021 season in a new team complex in
Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...
,
Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex at Wild Horse Pass Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex at Wild Horse Pass is a soccer complex including the Wild Horse Pass Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium near Chandler, Arizona. It is the former home of Phoenix Rising FC of the USL Championship. The stadium was co ...
. The team offices were moved there, in addition to a main stadium and two practice fields constructed on the site. They won their first game at the new, 10,000 seat capacity Wild Horse Pass stadium by defeating
San Diego Loyal SC San Diego Loyal Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan. San Diego Loyal made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team in the USL Championship. ...
4–1 on on April 30, 2021.


2022 season


Colors and badge

Phoenix Rising FC's official colors are red, black, white, gold and grey.


Sponsorship


Club culture

There are two independent supporters groups of Phoenix Rising FC: Los Bandidos Football Firm and Union 602.


Stadium

Phoenix Rising called the
Peoria Sports Complex The Peoria Sports Complex is a baseball complex located in the Peoria suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, near Peoria's main shopping district on Bell Road. It consists of the main baseball stadium (Peoria Stadium) and 12 practice fields. It is one ...
home during the 2014 and 2016 seasons. They played at
Scottsdale Stadium Scottsdale Stadium is a ballpark located in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Designed by the owner of the Baltimore Orioles’ Camden Yards, the stadium was expanded to its current state in 1992 and holds 12,000 people. It has been the spring ...
during the 2015 season. In 2017, a soccer-specific stadium was constructed, the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex, in time for the 2017 season. On March 15, 2019,
Casino Arizona Casino Arizona is a casino located on the Salt-River Pima Maricopa Indian Reservation in Scottsdale, Arizona. The property is 48 feet (14.6 meters) high. Casino Arizona is independently owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa ...
signed a sponsorship deal with Rising FC, including naming rights to the stadium. It was renamed Casino Arizona Field. The club announced, beginning with the 2021 USL Championship season, it would be moving to the new
Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex at Wild Horse Pass Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex at Wild Horse Pass is a soccer complex including the Wild Horse Pass Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium near Chandler, Arizona. It is the former home of Phoenix Rising FC of the USL Championship. The stadium was co ...
in Chandler, and closing the temporary stadium at Casino Arizona Field.


Players and staff


Current roster


Staff


Notable former players

*
Solomon Asante Solomon Asante (born 6 March 1990) is a Ghanaian professional footballer as a winger for USL Championship club Indy Eleven. With Phoenix Rising FC, he was named the 2019 and 2020 USL Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP). Early life Born in ...
*
Tyler Blackwood Tyler Blackwood (born 24 July 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker. Club career Youth and college Born in London, the former Northampton Town trainee moved to the United States to play college soccer at the Univ ...
*
Omar Bravo Omar Bravo Tordecillas (born 4 March 1980) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is Guadalajara's all-time leading scorer in all matches. Club career Club Deportivo Guadalajara Omar Bravo has scored 132 goals ...
*
Chris Cortez Christopher Michael Cortez (born July 24, 1988) is an American professional soccer forward. Career Youth and College Cortez, who is of Mexican descent, attended the Trabuco Hills High School, where he earned South Coast League first-team all-le ...
*
Kadeem Dacres Kadeem Dacres (born August 25, 1991) is an American soccer player who currently plays as a winger. Dacres was a Division 1 All American at UMBC. He turn professional in 2014 when he was drafted to the Chicago Fire during the 2014 Superdraft. ...
*
Paolo DelPiccolo Paolo DelPiccolo (born May 28, 1991) is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Louisville City FC in the United Soccer League. He is also the club's current captain. Career College and amateur DelPiccolo played four years of c ...
*
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...
*
Blair Gavin Blair Gavin (born January 8, 1989) is a former American association football, soccer player who is head coach of USL Championship side FC Tulsa. Career College and Amateur Gavin grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, played club soccer for the Sereno ...
*
Adam Jahn Adam Jahn (born January 5, 1991) is an American former Association football, soccer player who plays as a Forward (association football), forward. Career Early and collegiate The son of Tom and Barbara, Jahn attended Jesuit High School (Sacrame ...
* Jason Johnson *
Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for t ...
*
Evan Newton Evan Alexander Newton (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper. Career College and amateur Newton played college soccer at Old Dominion University. He started all 17 games his freshman year and f ...
*
Peter Ramage Peter Iain Ramage (born 22 November 1983) is an English football coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Newcastle United U23 team. Ramage began his career with Newcastle United as an academy player before progre ...
*
Luke Rooney Luke Rooney (born 16 January 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played rugby league, becoming an Australian international and New South Wales State of Origi ...
* Long Tan * Jonathan Top *
Rob Valentino Rob Valentino (born December 21, 1985) is a former American soccer player who is an assistant coach at Major League Soccer side Atlanta United FC. Career College and Amateur Valentino grew up in Danville, California, and began his soccer car ...
*
London Woodberry London Woodberry (born May 28, 1991) is an American soccer player. Career Woodberry played college soccer at the University of Maryland between 2009 and 2012. He earned Third Team NSCAA All-American honors as a senior for the Maryland Terrapin ...
*
Shaun Wright-Phillips Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips (born 25 October 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He played in the Premier League and Football League for Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, in Major L ...
*
Carl Woszczynski Carl Matthew Woszczynski (born April 18, 1988) is a retired American soccer player. Playing career Woszczynski attended Columbus North High School in Columbus, Indiana, where he was a four-year varsity starting goalkeeper. He recorded 42 career ...


Team records


Year-by-year

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Rising. For the full season-by-season history, see
List of Phoenix Rising FC seasons Since its inaugural season in 2014, the American soccer club Phoenix Rising FC has competed in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer, previously known as USL and USL Pro. For its first three seasons, the club was known as Ari ...
. 1. Avg. Attendance include statistics from league matches only.
2. Top Goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league, league playoffs,
U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...
,
CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
,
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
, and other competitive continental matches.


Head coaches

* Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.


Average attendance


Honors

*
USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
Cup ** ''Runner-up'':
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
** ''Finalist'':
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
* USL Championship Regular Season ** Winners:
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
* Western Conference ** Winners (Playoffs):
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
;
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
** Winners (Regular Season):
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
;
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
* Western Conference Pacific Division ** Winners:
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...


Player honors


Records

Most consecutive wins by a North American professional soccer club: (20 games / May 10, 2019 – September 14, 2019) USL Championship:
Most Points – 78 (2019)
Most Wins – 24 (2019)
Most Goals – 89 (2019)
Goals Per Game – 2.62 (2019)
Assists (season) – Solomon Asante 17 (2019)
Saves (season) – Carl Woszczynski 130 (2015)


Broadcasting

KASW-61,
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
affiliate in Phoenix, signed a deal to broadcast Phoenix Rising games including every USL Championship match home and away, starting in 2019. Josh Eastern did play-by-play and Devon Kerr provided analysis. The Rising Halftime Show was produced by KASW's sister station KNXV-15 and was hosted by
Craig Fouhy Craig Fouhy is an American sports broadcaster and former football player and coach. He presently is the Sports Director and Sports Anchor for KNXV-TV in Phoenix, Arizona. Playing career Fouhy played college football at Pacific Lutheran from 1 ...
. This arrangement lasted until 2021. Games are also streamed live on
ESPN+ ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
. Arizona Sports 98.7 FM is the radio / digital station for Rising FC broadcasts. LA Mejor 106.5 FM & 1400 AM is the Spanish broadcaster for Rising FC matches. On March 3, 2022, Rising FC signed an agreement with
Bally Sports Arizona Bally Sports Arizona (BSAZ) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts pro ...
to broadcast 32 of 34 regular-season games for the 2022 season. There will be in-depth coverage of the team on Bally's social media platforms. Before 2019, games were broadcast on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.


Notes


References


External links

* {{Phoenix, Arizona Soccer clubs in Arizona Association football clubs established in 2014 Sports in Phoenix, Arizona USL Championship teams 2014 establishments in Arizona