Phoenix Rising drops USL Cup opener
Fielding an especially youthful side, Phoenix Rising dropped its Prinx Tires USL Cup opener 1-0 at home against Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Isaiah Foster’s deflected strike proved the difference, as Rising couldn’t get on the board despite several late chances. Heavy rotation for the USL Cup After a busy stretch to start the season, Phoenix Rising rotated heavily in its first USL Cup match.
“We played a lot of youngsters, rotated a lot which was necessary for us given the travel that we had, the games that we had,” Rising coach Pa-Modou Kah said. Rising started four academy prospects, while also making changes elsewhere. Gunnar Studenhofft started up top in place of Ihsan Sacko , while Chituru Odunze started in goal over Patrick Rakovsky .
A new youngest starter Among Rising’s four academy prospects starting in Saturday’s USL Cup match was Jaethan Irwin , a 15-year-old record breaker. Irwin had already made his club debut away against San Antonio in the season opener, but his appearance against Colorado Springs held more meaning as he became the youngest starter in club history. “It means a lot to me,” Irwin said.
“I’ve been with this club for I think eight years now, and it means a lot. ” Irwin played 88 minutes in midfield, winning three out of three aerial duels during the course of the match. Chances, but not quite enough Colorado Springs had more than a hint of luck around their opening goal, but Isaiah Foster’s first half deflected strike was still adjudged to have crossed the goal line after Chituru Odunze was slow to react to the ball.
That meant that Rising had to chase the game, and while they did record several notable chances, they never quite managed to find the net. Gunnar Studenhofft saw a second half goal disallowed by referee Trevor Wiseman after the forward plowed over Switchbacks goalkeeper Colin Shutler. Later in the match, substitute Kelvin Arase had the best opportunities to score, recording 0.
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