After three consecutive draws at home to begin the season at Casino Arizona Field, Phoenix Rising FC (2-1-4) picked up their first home win on the year 4-0 over Tacoma Defiance. 

The win came on short rest after the team dropped a midweek game to Austin FC 1-0. The loss prompted a players-only meeting on Thursday following what has been a frustrating start to the season for Rising FC.

“I really pushed them hard in film on Friday,” head coach Rick Schantz said. “We looked at the game in Austin for about an hour in the film room and I just said it’s not good enough.”

“It’s about time they understand what they’re capable of and I just have to push them.”

The team was led by Junior Flemmings who scored finished the night scoring two goals alongside an assist to captain Solomon Asante.

After several early mistakes almost resulted in goals for Tacoma FC, Flemmings was able to open the scoring after taking the ball himself and wrapping it around the goalkeeper.

The goal came after a tense 34 to begin the match in which Phoenix looked to establish dominance against a younger Tacoma FC team.

“I want you to be physical, aggressive and don’t stop,” Schantz told his team before the match.  “Be mean, scare them. I don’t want them to be comfortable here.”

The tactic combined with the opening goal seemed to break down the wall for Rising FC as they scored another goal just three minutes later off the foot of Jason Johnson in the 37th minute to put the team up, 2-0.

Flemmings added his second goal of the night just before the midway point of the match off an assist from fellow Jamaican, Johnson.

The team stretched the lead to 4-0 right out of the half as Flemmings picked up his first and only assist on the night on a pass to Asante.

While Rising FC dominated the scoreboard on the offensive end, goalkeeper Zac Lubin pitched his third clean sheet in four matches on the defensive end.

“Clean sheets, that’s the easiest way to win games,” Lubin said. “We really concentrate on defense and we got the four in front of me who have been together now and play really well together so we can’t do it without them.”

Lubin, who began the year on the bench, has been part of what has been an ever-changing lineup for Phoenix Rising that has had several key changes every week.

One of the changes includes Devin Vega, who was sent down to FC Tucson at the beginning the month before making his first start of the season in the match against Tacoma.

The ever-changing lineup has been one that is looking to build consistency among the 11 players on the field, something the team is still focused on despite the lopsided victory.

“Consistency has been a big thing for us,” Lubin said.  “We can’t hang our heads on a 4-0 win over Tacoma. We have to stay humble, we lost last week, we’ve got to still feel that, come back from it, work hard because we haven’t done anything.”

Rising FC will be back on the road for the next two weeks as they face Sacramento Republic FC and Orange County FC before returning home May 10 against Rio Grande Valley FC.

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As the team returns back to last season’s form, Rising FC knows a target is on their back moving forward. 

“We’re the defending Western Conference Champions and we know everyone is going to come for us,” Lubin said. “We have to approach it like we’re the underdogs because we’re still at the bottom of the table. We have a lot of work to do.”

Goal Summary

34’ Junior Flemmings (assisted by A.J. Cochran)
37’ Jason Johnson (assisted by Solomon Asante)
44’ Junior Flemmings (assisted by Jason Johnson)
53’ Solomon Asante (assisted by Junior Flemmings)