skip navigation

Western Conf. Notes: Phoenix Keeps Pace for Top Spot with Late Win

By JOHN ARLIA - john.arlia@uslsoccer.com, 10/01/18, 11:57AM EDT

Share

San Antonio, Sacramento pick up key victories; Monarchs' slide continues


Didier Drogba and Devin Vega rally to celebrate with Billy Forbes after his goal against Saint Louis FC. | Photo courtesy Michael Rincon / Phoenix Rising FC

PHOENIX – For the first time in club history, Phoenix Rising FC will host a USL Cup Playoffs match after it secured a top-four finish in the West with a 2-0 win over Saint Louis FC on Saturday night at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex.

The visitors’ defense held strong for 82 minutes, but substitute Billy Forbes finally broke the deadlock with a low drive from 20 yards out that found the bottom-right corner. Chris Cortez sealed victory for the hosts in stoppage time as he bent a free kick over the wall and just inside Tomas Gomez’s near post for his 50th regular-season USL goal, becoming just the fifth player in league history to reach that mark.

"I'm so happy for him,” Rising FC Head Coach Rick Schantz said of Cortez. “I told him, I'm sorry it took me so long to get him in there. The guy's like the magic boot right now, it's pretty spectacular.”

The goal was Cortez’s fourth goal in five games, but Phoenix’s leading-scorer still had to play second fiddle on the night as forward Didier Drogba made his return to the lineup for the first time since May 19. Drogba completed 22 passes and registered just one shot on target in 90 minutes of action, but his leadership and impact was felt by many of his teammates.

“Anytime he is here, we all want to play better for him,” Rising FC goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski said. “We know it’s his last year. But at the same time, he wants to play well for us. He talked about being gone for a couple of months and we’ve got to this point playing without him, so as much as we want to play for him he brings that pride and wants to play for us as well. We’re helping each other for hopefully the championship."

Phoenix took a step closer towards that goal on Saturday as it moved within a point of Orange County SC for first place in the Western Conference standings with three games remaining in the regular season. Rising FC, which has a game in hand over OCSC, still controls its destiny over the top spot in the West and Schantz hopes his side can make the most of that opportunity down the stretch to ensure a spot in USL Cup runs through Phoenix.

“We still have three more [games] to play, and I think our guys have set their sights higher than just one home game,” Schantz said.

STAYIN' ALIVE: San Antonio FC kept its 2018 USL Cup Playoffs hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday night at Toyota Field.

Lance Laing got the hosts off and running with his fourth goal of the season in the 19th minute, before Ethan Bryant and Maxi Rodriguez scored their first career USL goals to earn SAFC three pivotal points. Bryant’s stunning first-time volley from Laing’s left-wing cross turned out to be game-winner as he doubled the hosts’ advantage 20 minutes before halftime.

“It felt great to get it at home and see my family in the crowd,” said Bryant, who became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer at 17 years, one month and nine days. “It’s a special moment I’ll remember forever, but most importantly we’re happy with the three points and we’re going to keep fighting for the playoffs.”

With the win and Saint Louis FC’s loss to Phoenix, San Antonio moved within three points of STLFC for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. Both sides have two games remaining in the regular season, but SAFC will hope that’s enough time to make up the deficit as it hopes to squeak into the postseason for the second straight season.

San Antonio Head Coach Darren Powell wants to keep his side focused on handling its own business as it can move level on points with STLFC on Saturday if it takes victory over Las Vegas Lights FC. He hopes that may unnerve Saint Louis, which doesn’t return to action until October 10 when it hosts Tulsa Roughnecks FC.

“We have to take it one game at a time,” Powell said. “We really want to make sure we get three wins in these last few games, but we can’t get to three if we don’t get one or two. The bottom line is we’re focused on the next game and we need to be ready for our next matchup on Saturday, and hopefully we keep putting pressure on the teams that are around us to secure that final playoff spot, which is what we set out to do all year.”

MOVING ON UP: Sacramento Republic FC won for its fourth time in five games and jumped into third place in the Western Conference standings with a 1-0 victory over Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday at Papa Murphy’s Park.

Cameron Iwasa got the hosts off to a fast start in the sixth minute, heading home Elliot Hord’s cross from the right-wing for his team-leading 15th goal of the season. The visitors grew back into the game and tested Josh Cohen on either side of halftime, but the Sacramento goalkeeper responded with low saves on Andre Lewis and Jack Barmby as he went on to collect his 11th clean sheet of the campaign.  

“We came out quick, really hot in the first 10-15 minutes and then they kind of brought the heat and turned it on,” Hord said. “I would say it was just a real back-and-forth game. It was a tough game, but we grinded through, we stayed consistent and stuck to our game plan and that's what its’ all about.”

With the win, Sacramento leapfrogged Real Monarchs SLC into third place and looks likely to finish the season there as it leads Real by two points with a game in hand but trails second-place Phoenix by six points with just three games remaining.

Republic FC Head Coach Simon Elliott was a little disappointed with his side’s performance, especially after Portland was reduced to ten men in the 74th minute when Nathan Smith picked up his second yellow card, and knows it will have to do a better job of asserting its influence in the postseason.

“We are always pleased to get points, but as time went on, I got less happy with the performance," Elliott said. "When your numbers are up you can’t drop off. In playoff football, that isn’t going to make any sense.”

SLIDE CONTINUES: Real Monarchs SLC lost its third straight game and extended its winless run to seven with a 2-0 home defeat to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Saturday at Zions Bank Stadium.

Unlike in some of their recent defeats, the Monarchs put in a solid attacking display and created plenty of chances to win the game but were denied by a combination of the woodwork and Switchbacks goalkeeper Moise Pouaty. The home side maintained nearly 56 percent possession and attempted 17 shots to Colorado Springs’ eight but were hit on the counterattack in the 63rd minute as AJ Ajeakwa produced a superb bit of individual skill to beat his defender and roll a finish past goalkeeper Jake Leeker.

Martin Maybin sealed the points for the Switchbacks in stoppage time to heap the pressure on Monarchs Head Coach Jamison Olave, who has seen his side outscored 19-6 over this seven-game stretch.

“I need to be honest with myself, with my players, with everyone, it’s something that we are worrying about. We worry about winning,” Olave said. “Going into the playoffs, it’s something that is a concern. We need to get better if we want to advance in the playoffs. The way we are conceding goals it’s unbelievable. Today was different, we played better, we created chances but we’re still losing and conceding goals on the counter attack. We need to find a way to win because it’s not enough to just play well and create chances.”

With the defeat, Real slipped to fourth place in the Western Conference standings and is in real danger of going on the road for the first round of the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs if this form continues. The Monarchs try to right the ship and hold onto its two-point gap over fifth-place Portland Timbers 2 when it plays its regular season home finale on Wednesday against OKC Energy FC.

“It’s important to stay positive in this situation,” said midfielder Jack Blake. “We’ve clinched the playoff spot so it’s just trying to build momentum. We didn’t do it tonight but we have two games left, another one at home on Wednesday. It’s a quick turnaround which is good for the lads so I feel we can put it right on Wednesday, get a good result away and have a good result going into the playoffs.”

Follow the USL Championship

Most Recent News

Most Read News

Latest Videos