Phoenix Rising comes back to draw with Oakland Roots

Phoenix Rising overcame a 2-0 deficit to r escue a point against Oakland Roots at home. The visitors scored two goals towards the end of a lethargic first half, but after Diego Gomez gave Rising a lifeline late in the game, Gunnar Studenhofft found the net deep in stoppage time to secure the draw with his first-ever goal for the club. A slow first half Things did not start the way that Phoenix Rising would have wanted.

By the 17th minute mark, the hosts had recorded two shots. That tally hadn’t increased by the break. Instead, Phoenix found itself playing a selection of long balls while lacking urgency in the press to actually pressure their opponent at all.

“I think the first 20 minutes, we started well, but then after the 20 minutes we didn’t control the game,” Rising coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “Then we gave away two goals that I think were very simple, two goals that were avoidable. I think we didn’t defend the box well and stop the crosses as we’d discussed.

I think we didn’t press after the 20 minutes together, so it was very disjointed. ” Instead, Oakland punished Rising. Wolfgang Prentice and Julian Bravo found the net in the closing minutes of the first half, sending Phoenix into the break down by two goals.