Rising FC set for semifinal at Reno 1868 FC

A battle between star-studded offenses will determine a trip to the conference final between Phoenix Rising FC and Reno1868 FC in the USL Championship playoff Saturday night.

Reno finished with the highest point total of all USL Championship teams for the 2020 season with 36, Phoenix was not far behind with 35 points.

The two clubs met in the regular season on Aug. 29, with Reno taking the match 2-1 after Corey Hertzog scored the go-ahead goal in the 78th minute. Prior to that, goals from Reno’s Foster Langsdorf in the 61st minute and Phoenix’s Rufat Dadashov in the 76th minute kept the game close into the late stages.

Coming into this rematch, Hertzog continues to play at a high level for Reno after scoring two goals in the clubs 4-1 quarterfinal win over LA Galaxy II. Both Hertzog and Langsdorf have combined for 18 of Reno’s 43 total goals.

With Phoenix defender Damion Lowe’s status up in the air, the group’s starting four of Darnell King, A.J. Cochran, Joe Farrell and Corey Whelan will be tasked will containing the blitzing Reno offense.

“Corey (Hertzog) is a special player,” said Phoenix interim manager Blair Gavin. “Communication between our back line and our defensive midfield will be important in containing him. If we can pressure Reno higher up the field, hopefully his movement becomes a little more predictable.”

Meanwhile, Phoenix is coming off a 1-0 victory over Sacramento Republic FC after Solomon Asante scored in the 114th minute of extra time. The team pushes on without league-leading scorer Junior Flemmings, who is serving a six-game ban.

As Phoenix’s scoring has been down, its shots on goal compared to its foes is not. Last week Phoenix outshot Sacramento 20-9, and on Aug. 29 the club outshot Reno 25-11.

The match will be shown on CW61 Arizona, ESPN 620 AM and ESPN+.