Phoenix Rising FC
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| Full name | Phoenix Rising Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 13, 2014 as Arizona United SC |
| Stadium |
Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex Tempe, Arizona |
| Capacity | 6,200 |
| Owners | Berke Bakay, Brett M. Johnson, Tim Riester, Diplo, Pete Wentz, Brandon McCarthy, David Rappaport, Didier Drogba, and others. |
| Head Coach | Frank Yallop |
| League | USL |
| 2016 | 13th, Western Conference Playoffs: DNQ |
| Website | Club home page |
Phoenix Rising Football Club is a professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the United Soccer League, the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.
On March 13, 2014, Kyle Eng, owner of Arrowhead Agency, launched the franchise and named it Arizona United SC. It took the place of Phoenix FC, which folded the previous day, in the USL Pro league.
In just 178 days after the franchise was awarded by the USL Pro, Arizona United hired a front office staff and coach, put together a roster, secured a stadium, played 28 regular season games, reached the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup and was in contention for a playoff spot until the next-to-last week of the season.
University of Maryland Assistant Coach Michael Dellorusso was named Head Coach on March 28, 2014. United lost their first game to Oklahoma City Energy FC 4-0 on April 12, 2014. They defeated Sacramento Republic FC 2-1 for their first win on April 19, 2014. Brandon Swartzendruber scored the team's first ever goal in the 37th minute. FC Dallas loanee Jonathan Top scored the game winner in the 85th minute.
United won 4 of their last 5 games to move up from 13th place to 9th, but fell 4 points short of qualifying for the playoffs. Jonathan Top and ex-Orlando City standout Long Tan led the team in scoring with 5 goals each. Tan was also selected for the All-League Second Team. Goalkeeper Evan Newton was second in the league in saves. United finished with a 10-13-5 record.
In their first US Open Cup appearance, Arizona United lasted until the Fourth Round, the longest Open Cup run of any Arizona club in history. Entering the tournament in the Second Round, United defeated Portland Timbers U23s of the PDL 3-2 in Portland on May 13. They were losing 2-1 late in the game when London Woodberry tied the game in the 88th Minute and Daniel Antúnez scored the winning goal with seconds left in stoppage time. In the Third Round, United defeated Oklahoma City Energy FC of USL Pro 2-1 in extra time May 28 at the Peoria Sports Complex. The game winner was scored by Bradlee Baladez in the 112th Minute and Evan Newton saved a last minute penalty kick awarded to the Energy. Their Open Cup run ended with a 2-1 loss to the eventual MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy at home on June 18. Gyasi Zardes scored two goals in the second half two minutes apart after Matt Kassel gave United a 1-0 lead at halftime.
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