EL PASO, Texas – Charlie Dennis scored from the penalty spot with four minutes to play as No. 5 seed Phoenix Rising FC took a 1-0 victory against No. 4 seed El Paso Locomotive FC in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix at Southwest University Park as the hosts ended the game with 10 players after a second-half red card to Frank Daroma.

After a quiet first half, Dennis had the first good look on goal in the 64th minute when his free kick from just outside the top-right edge of the penalty area to the top-right corner was well saved by Locomotive goalkeeper Sebastian Mora-Mora before Remi Cabral’s second effort was blocked away.

Locomotive was reduced to 10 players in the 73rd minute when Daroma received a straight red card for a hard foul on Phoenix’s JP Scearce, and the visitors were able to take advantage of being a player up. With five minutes to play, El Paso’s Tony Alfaro was whistled for a handball on a cross from the right, and Dennis stepped up and shot low to the right corner to give Phoenix the lead. The hosts had a late chance to try and level in stoppage time, only for Amando Moreno’s finish to be easily saved by Rising goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky, and from there the visitors saw out the result.

Takeaways

El Paso Locomotive FC: The hosts underwhelmed in their first home playoff game since 2021, recording only four shots in the game as what had been a strong improvement on the 2024 season came to an end came to an end in disappointing fashion.

Phoenix Rising FC: After recording three consecutive shutouts to end the regular season, Rising maintained its impressive defensive form to take a victory they were good value for in the end, with Charlie Dennis providing the key moment from the penalty spot.

Key moment

Phoenix’s Charlie Dennis delivered a precise finish from the penalty spot to the bottom-right corner in the 86th minute to lift the visitors to victory.

Key stat

Rising allowed only 0.16 Expected Goals Against, its second-lowest mark of the season defensively, while also matching its season low in shots faced with four.

USLChampionship.com Player of the Match

Charlie Dennis, Phoenix Rising FC – The English playmaker scored the only goal from the spot and had three shots and three chances created overall while completing 21 of 31 passes and winning 7 of 11 ground duels.

Scoring Summary
PHX – Charlie Dennis (penalty kick) 86’