After trailing Sacramento Republic 2-0 at the halftime break, Phoenix Rising fought back in the second half to depart California with a point after a 2-2 draw Saturday night.
It was a difficult for first half for Rising’s defense as they conceded two unnecessary goals, but forwards Rémi Cabral and Ihsan Sacko each notched goals to take a point.
Yet another slow Phoenix Rising start
As has been the theme for many games this season, Phoenix Rising struggled out of the gates in Sacramento. Rising’s first shot didn’t come until the 44th minute, when they were already down 2-0.
Despite having 61.7% of the possession in the first half, Rising did little to put any pressure on Sacramento’s back line. Five touches in the opposition box without a chance created generated a feeling of deja vu for many amongst the Rising faithful.
In possession, Rising was slow in buildup, lacking any sort of energy early. They played 287 total passes in the opening half, of which only 77 of which were in Sacramento’s half of the field.
Hope Avayevu, normally a mainstay in Rising’s creative efforts in the final third, struggled to make in impact before the break. Sacramento’s midfield did an excellent job limiting his ability to get on the ball, which in turn limited the front three’s ability to receive the ball.
Rising’s defense also struggled to in the opening half, facing a barrage of chances from the hosts. With that in mind, the two goals scored by Sacramento are both ones Rising would like to have back.
Ascel Essengue made a devastating error when trying to read the ball off a high bounce and struggled to control it, and Sacramento’s Russell Cicerone was there to take it off Essengue for the opening goal.
Just twelve minutes later, Rising made another error at the back as Noble Okello deflected the ball into his own net, following a cross from Ryan Spaulding.
Both the slow start and needless goals fit the story of so many Rising matches this season, and with a tight playoff race, Rising only have themselves to blame if they miss out.
Heating up in the Second half
While the first half delivered a lifeless performance in the final third, the second half was quite the opposite. Phoenix Rising came out of the break energized, and after living much of the first half in their own territory, the second 45 saw them put pressure in Sacramento’s half.
Rising doubled the amount of touches in Sacramento’s box from the first half to the second, going from five in the opening half to ten in the second. However, despite the growing amount of entries into the final third, Rising didn’t produce anything clear-cut in front of goal.
Rising’s first lifeline into a comeback came when referee Trevor Wiseman pointed to the spot after Lee Desmond took down Rémi Cabral in the penalty area. Cabral stepped up and scored the penalty, knocking the deficit down to only a goal.
The second lifeline came when Khori Bennett was sent off for a second yellow card offense. Within five minutes, Rising took advantage of the undermanned Sacramento side as Ihsan Sacko found the equalizer.
From there, Rising pushed for a winner, but to no avail. The juxtaposition of Rising’s first half and second half, as seen time and time again this season, was repeated once again.
What it means for the playoff race
A point doesn’t drastically change the playoff race, especially with many of Phoenix Rising’s playoff rivals only being able to find a draw themselves. With six games to go, Rising end the weekend in 7th place in the West on 31 points.
On Friday night, sixth-placed Lexington drew 1-1 with ninth-placed Orange County. Lexington now sits on 32 points, one ahead of Rising, while Orange County sits two back of Rising on 29, but with a pair of matches in hand.
Eighth-placed Colorado Springs still sits level on points with Rising as they also only mustered a draw in a wild 3-3 result away to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Oakland also had a 3-3 draw of their own on the road to Charleston, moving to 25 points.
Looking up the table, the chance for a home playoff game is still alive after many teams there also dropped points. Rising only sits two points behind third-place New Mexico after their loss to Tulsa, but United have a match in hand over Rising.
San Antonio moved up to fourth place and 33 points after a 5-2 win over Loudoun, while El Paso lost again to fall to fifth place and remain on 33 points. However, both sides have matches in hand over Rising.
Ultimately, Rising can still host a playoff game or miss the playoffs altogether. The three-match homestand starting next week will be pivotal in deciding Rising’s fate over the last six games.
Rees’ take
First off, I’d like to address whatever was going on with those Sacramento Republic kits. Coined as the “90s Fauxback Attack Kit,” they may just be the ugliest things I have ever seen with their ridiculous collars and terrible tiger stripe-esque design.
The only thing that could possibly be uglier? The goalkeeper’s kit worn by Danny Vitiello. Horrendous. Sickening. There are simply not enough adjectives to describe how bad it is.
Now that my rant about the kits is over, let’s get into the football. A draw for Phoenix Rising in Sacramento was always going to be a really good result. Heading into today, Sacramento had been one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference, if not the whole league, making a point near-impossible.
Would I have liked the draw without having to watch that first half? Absolutely, but taking points on the road in this league is so difficult, you have to do it by any means possible.
Ultimately, a lot of what we saw in this match, we’ve come to expect. Slow start, bad defensive mistakes, we’ve seen it all before. Six games to go, Rising will have to find a way to stop repeating this script, in order to host a playoff game, let alone actually make it.
This team has shown the potential of both sides of the coin, and in an ever-tightening Western Conference, there’s few better times for the potential to become ability than now.
Top image: Sacramento Republic FC