Club continues to tweak roster during offseason
Phoenix Rising FC on Thursday announced the signing of Deklan Wynne, which is the latest in a series of offseason moves the club hopes will get it back to the USL championship tile game.
Wynne, who is coming from Colorado Rapids, appeared in 36 matches in his last three seasons. The left-footed wingback is a key signing for club as defenders Damion Lowe, Cory Whelan and A.J. Cochran will not be back.
Wynne is known for his experience at the position but Phoenix Rising manager Rick Schantz praised the player for much more then that.
“Deklan is an experienced international left back who will definitely help our team,” Schantz said in a press release. “He is very versatile and has a high soccer IQ. Deklan’s defending, coupled with his quality on the ball will fit perfectly with our style of play.”
The other defender Rising signed was center back Tobi Adewole. Adewole comes from Saint Louis FC, which dissolved after the 2020 season, appearing in 86 matches with that club.
The USL Championship season is scheduled to begin later than usual, May 1, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Risnig FC was Western Conference champion and made it to the title game at the end of last season, which was suspended shortly after it began, but resumed during summer. That final was canceled after the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the Eastern Conference champions, reported a COVID-19 outbreak.
Defense wasn't the only area the club bolstered during the off-season. Rising FC focused on the midfield with many of their other signings.
The first was midfielder Aodhan Quinn, former Orange County SC player. Quinn is an experienced player appearing in 172 games where he scored 31 goals and had 33 assists. He played for Louisville City FC (2015-16), FC Cincinnati (2017) and Orange County (2018-20) with his best season being 2018 where he was a 2018 MVP finalist.
Rising next midfield signing was former LA Galaxy II player Ivan Gutierez. The soon-to-be-23-year-old player does not have lot of appearances in the senior level but has played for the U17 Mexico team when it won the 2015 CONCACAF U17 Championship.
Rising added another Mexican midfielder as Arturo Rodriguez joined the squad. The former North Texas SC (USL League One side) player is 22-year-olds and brings versatility and youth to the position as he won USL League One MVP and Young Player of the Year in 2019.
The final midfield signing is Prince Saydee who comes from Miami FC. The 26-year-old Liberian can play midfield but is seen as more as a winger due to his ability to beat defenders one on one with skillful play while also being able to send quality crosses to his teammates.
Alongside the new signings, Rising announced the return of key players. Back-to-back USL MVP Solomon Asante and goalkeeper Zach Lubin are among the key players to last season’s success that are returning. Midfielders Kevin Lambert and Jon Bakero, center back Joey Farell, fullback Darnell King and forwards Santi Moar and Rufat Dadashov are back, too.
Among those players not returning is Junior Flemmings, who was accused of using a homophobic slur during a match last season and was supended for the rest of the year afer that. He signed with Birmingham Legion this week.
This leaves Rising with a total of 15 players, not including players on academy contract, hopeful to make it back to the USL Championship game while showing off their brand new stadium this year.