Flemmings’ wondergoal seals 3-1 victory
Phoenix Rising FC’s match with El Paso Locomotive FC this weekend was always going to be a test of who could successfully impose their will on the other.
And when it comes down to a game of styles, especially when played in Phoenix, it’s almost always advantage Rising FC.
Despite taking the field with a debut goalkeeper and conceding first, Phoenix kept the pressure high and did what it needed to en route to a 3-1 win at Casino Arizona Field on Saturday night.
El Paso’s possession-based style that Rising FC coach Rick Schantz praised earlier in the week was up against Phoenix’s mantra of fast-paced attacking football that carried it to a USL Championship record amount of goals in 2019. Thanks to a trio of first-half scores, Rising FC’s strategy ended up being the one that did the most damage.
“That’s one of the best teams, I think, in the league,” Schantz said of El Paso. “Going forward, their football is very, very fluid, a lot of movement. They move players around a lot. So it was very difficult, but I was very proud of the defending.”
The defending wasn’t entirely smooth sailing, evidenced by El Paso striking first in the 14th minute with help from a lapse in the Rising FC backline.
Locomotive FC’s Aaron Gomez took advantage of a large gap in Phoenix’s defense by making a run in behind while being sent through by midfielder Dylan Mares. Rising FC’s defense almost recovered in time to stop the shot, but Gomez’s left-footed attempt dribbled past Phoenix ‘keeper Eric Dick and in the back of the net for the opening goal.
However, El Paso’s lead didn’t last long. Five minutes later, Rising FC midfielder Sam Stanton was tripped inside the 18 yard-box, leading to a penalty kick for striker Rufat Dadashov. The Azerbaijani forward coolly slotted his spot kick in the bottom-right corner past Locomotive FC stopper Logan Ketterer to equalize the match.
Like when midfielder Jon
Bakero scored from the spot against Los Angeles Galaxy II, captain Solomon Asante gave the privilege of taking the penalty to a teammate rather than take it himself. Dadashov, feeling confident, said he was happy to oblige.
“I did the decision,” Dadashov said in reference to the penalty. “I feel good, I told Solo and Jon, ‘Can I shoot, please?’ and they said, ‘Of course.’ We did a really good job in the first half. After the 1-0, we came really good back and we showed that we are a really good team.”
Dadashov found himself involved in the next goal, as well. After Phoenix won the ball in midfield, the ball found its way to the forward who spotted a dashing Asante running down the right wing. With a sublime pass, Dadashov perfectly found the defending USL MVP, and all he had to do from there was merely watch Asante take a touch, settle and finish to double Rising FC’s advantage in the 36th minute.
Asante, who was critical on social media of the pitch of Rising FC’s last opponent, Orange County SC, remarked that it was nice to be back on home turf where he said he could tell his team’s play felt much more comfortable.
“If the pitch is good, I mean it’s very nice for us to play,” Asante said. “But if you’re playing with a pitch that’s no good, it’s very difficult. The game was flowing, everything was OK. They are very good in possession, so we knew what we were doing. We wanted to get the goal earlier ... so that we can stick to our plan and enjoy the game.”
But the prime score of the match had to go to Junior Flemmings. Deep into first-half stoppage time — the 45th + 6th minute — Phoenix again took advantage of an El Paso giveaway in midfield and stormed forward. Bakero played Flemmings down the left wing, who controlled himself, dribbled past two Locomotive FC defenders in the box and lasered an effort past Ketterer to make it a 3-1 scoreline.
Moments before, Flemmings took a powerful free kick from El Paso defender Mechack Jerome directly to the chest, yet pushed on to get into an attacking position on the wing and eventually score. That desire, even as the half was expiring, was something Schantz admired from the Jamaican international.
“Our goals were some of the best transition goals you’re going to see,” Schantz said. “Junior is spectacular, what a goal. If that goal is not up for goal of the week, I’m going to be a little disappointed. Junior’s individual effort to beat two players and to curl that in, we see that often in training ... he’s a man. I’m really proud of him. Spectacular.”
The second half for Rising FC was all about preserving that two-goal cushion. Locomotive FC pushed itself further forward in an attempt to get back in the match — firing 23 shots (seven on target) in total — but Phoenix held firm.
With normal shot-stopper Zac Lubin out with a stomach illness, Dick made a total of six saves though struggled at times commanding himself in the box, especially on corners. However, he had a fantastic double save at point-blank range on El Paso substitute Marios Lomis in the 87th minute to keep the match at 3-1, nullifying Locomotive FC’s best chance of the second half.
Dick, on loan from Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City, heaped less of the praise on himself and more on his back line. Indeed, center-backs Corey Whelan and A.J. Cochran were a stable partnership in the final 45 minutes, often flinging themselves into attacking play while being fairly disciplined, only conceding one foul apiece for the match.
“Between (Zac) and me, I feel confident that whoever is on the field, we’re going to put a good goalie out there,” Dick said. “Training with (the team) this whole entire time, training with Zac and learning from him ... gave me the confidence to be out there. I tried my best. I knew mistakes were going to happen, but I just try my best to rebound. I got to give it to the defense, they made it easy on me.”
With the victory, Rising FC improves to 3-0-0 at home with a scoring margin of 13-2 in those matches. The match measured well into triple-digit temperatures at kickoff, a fact that certainly helped Phoenix as it is used to training in the desert heat.
Rising FC plays its next match against rival New Mexico United at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday. The game will be played at Casino Arizona Field, rescheduled from Albuquerque last week.