Home
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

Phoenix Rising look to utilize academy youth system moving forward

The first part of that transition started in August, when the Rising replaced former coach Rick Schantz with Juan Guerra. The next part of that transition is ongoing and involves finding diamonds in the rough through their academy.

The academy is made up of Rising youth players – a talented group of 7- to 19-year-olds – who play against opposing USL academies year-round. The older age groups have the opportunity to play in MLS NEXT, a development experience that provides additional game experie
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

Phoenix College women’s soccer team wins Division II national title

PHOENIX – The Phoenix College women’s soccer team knows a thing or two about perseverance.

While quarantined during the COVID-19 shutdown during the 2020 season, players trained together as a team in Zoom meeting rooms for “practice” at their respective homes. Later that same year, when the season resumed, none of the social-distance guidelines prevented the teams from coming in close contact with the program’s first Division III national title in history.

In mid-November, two years later, Pho
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

Phoenix City Council approves lease for new Rising stadium near Sky Harbor

PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC fans are no strangers to change. After calling Wild Horse Pass home for the past two seasons, the team will once again be on the move after a five-year lease was recently approved for a new stadium north of Sky Harbor International Airport.

Under the club’s current ownership group, the new location will mark the team’s third move. In 2017, Rising called Casino Arizona Field home. The franchise moved to the Wild Horse Pass location in 2021. Phoenix will play its first
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

Pac-12 lands five teams in first College Football Playoff rankings

PHOENIX – The United States looked like another world in 2005, a year littered with you-had-to-be-there sports moments fans across the country have not witnessed since.

The New England Patriots became the last team to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Tiger Woods outlasted Chris DiMarco in an epic playoff to become the third player to win four Masters titles. And the USC Trojans blasted the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS National Championship in the first college game featuring two Heisman Trophy winn
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

Phoenix Rising, Juan Guerra look to reverse fortunes in 2023 USL season

CHANDLER – Despite the Phoenix Rising’s dissatisfying 2022 campaign, which ended in the regular season for the first time since 2016, there’s still plenty of reason for optimism in 2023.

At the top of the list stands interim coach Juan Guerra, who helped turn around the organization since he stepped in to replace Rick Shantz on Aug. 22. Schantz and the club mutually parted ways before the club decided to bring back Guerra, who previously worked as an assistant coach for the team in 2021.

Guerr
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

Phoenix Rising shuttles fans from bars to games with Pub 2 Pitch program

PHOENIX – After rebranding from Arizona United SC for the 2017 season, the Phoenix Rising organization brainstormed opportunities to engage fans and the local community.

But lost in the team’s grand rebrand – a new team name, logo and stadium was introduced – is the Pub 2 Pitch Shuttle, which debuted in 2018 and offers a free shuttle to take fans from local bars to home games and back after the final whistle.

The idea came to fruition after fans urged the team for increased interaction, said R
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

A Champions spirit: The rise of ex-Rising goalkeeper Josh Cohen

PHOENIX – The big names come at him in a rush. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar. It’s enough to cause any goaltender to flinch.

Not Josh Cohen. For the former Phoenix Rising FC goaltender, it was all part of the plan.

In 2009, Cohen was playing high school soccer for Bellarmine College Preparatory, a private Jesuit school in San Jose, California. Last Wednesday, he started for Israelian side Maccabi Haifa in a Champions League match against Paris St-Germain.

“I always knew he was good,” sa
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

Phoenix Rising FC’s playoff hopes look unlikely in the Western Conference race

CHANDLER – Phoenix Rising FC is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016 after a 2-0 loss to Oakland on Saturday, which left Phoenix in 12th place in the Western Conference with only six games remaining.

For a club accustomed to perennial success, the Rising’s 2022 season has been frustrating for many fans.

“Of course I’m disappointed,” season-ticket holder Brian Medendorp said. “We’re used to at least making the playoffs. If we were anywhere else in the world, we’d be f
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS •

New coach Juan Guerra secures first win as Phoenix Rising beat RGV Toros

CHANDLER – Juan Guerra was determined to bring a different style of play to Phoenix Rising FC.

In his second game as coach, he did just that, and the Rising beat Rio Grande Valley FC 2-1 Wednesday night at Wild Horse Pass.

“We want to be offensive-minded,” Guerra said in a prematch press conference. “We want to make sure we can have the ball and we can create spaces in between the lines and attack with numbers while at the same time be very solid defensively.”

Guerra, who was an assistant coa