San Diego Loyal currently sits in 4th place in Group B, with 19 points from 13 games. That’s seven points behind Rising, despite having played a game more.
Loyal comes in unbeaten in its last four matches, picking up 8 points out of a possible 12.
There have been some changes to the side since last time, but expect Loyal to come out with the same attacking mentality. “Offensively, they get a lot of numbers forward, which is really similar to what they did against us in the first game,” Rising coach Rick Schantz told media this week. “It’s just a little different shape.”
LAST MEETING
Rising last faced San Diego in mid-August, with the Arizona side coming out on top. It was the last Phoenix Rising home game before the team began readmitting fans into the stadium.
Junior Flemmings gave the hosts the lead in the 26th minutes. “We know him as a guy who always gets more assists,” his teammate and compatriot Kevon Lambert said yesterday, “but this time, I think he’s working more on trying to get goals to add to his record.”
That lead was doubled by Darnell King just before the hour mark, and the team held on for a clean sheet to win 2-0.
Rising was dominant that night in the air, winning over two-thirds of challenges. It was also the first time that Joey Calistri started a match for Rising on the backline. His performance in that game was described by Corey Whelan as: “suberb. For 90 minutes, he stuck at his task.”
After the match, a clearly unhappy Landon Donovan declined to participate in any press conferences.
NEW ACQUISITIONS
San Diego has made four acquisitions since last facing Rising. Miguel Berry, Alejandro Guido and Rubio Rubin join the team, with Schantz telling media this week that “those front three have really impacted the way that they play.” It’s not hard to see why – two of the team’s three joint-top scorers are among that list. Defender Tarek Morad also joined the side.
Miguel Berry joined San Diego on loan from Columbus Crew at the end of August. A first round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, Berry previously played at Torero Stadium for the University of San Diego. The striker was born in Barcelona to American parents, before moving to San Diego County aged 8. The 23-year-old has started all four games since joining the side, scoring two goals in the process.
Alejandro Guido has also joined on loan, but from the much closer LAFC. A San Diego native, the 26-year-old previously played with Club Tijuana. Guido has been capped at a variety of youth levels for the US, and was called up for senior international duty in May 2018 before being force to miss the friendly against Bolivia due to injury. He scored a brace in midweek – his first goals since 2015.
Rubio Rubin played for the US national team as recently as 2018. Like Guido, he was previously with Xolos, but spent much of his time there loaned out to Dorados de Sinaloa. Rubin’s spell at Dorados proved he can score, but he hardly set Ascensco MX alight. Rubin had no trouble finding the net on his San Diego debut, though. He showed a lot of promise as a youngster, and was snapped up by Dutch side Utrecht. It didn’t quite pan out, though, and after some spells in Scandinavia and then Mexico, the 24-year-old has found himself back in the US.
Defensively, Tarek Morad seems to be adding further to a part of San Diego’s team that was already strong. He’s an experienced center-back who has no shortage of USL seasons under his belt. Most recently with Tampa Bay (2018-19), Morad was also part of the Louisville squad that won the team’s first-ever USL Cup. At 6-foot-2, watch out for Morad’s aerial ability. Throughout his career, he’s got a record of winning more in the air than he loses.
REGGAE BOYZ FC
While San Diego may be enjoying the addition of four new players, Rising has also just welcomed a new face. Jamaican international Damion Lowe signed earlier this week, adding additional depth at the centre-back position that has looked thin after Corey Whelan’s shift out to the right.
“He’s a really good player,” Lambert said yesterday. “He’s a leader. He’s a fighter. He’s strong. He’s fast. He’s everything that you look for in a defender.”
Lowe joined on a free transfer from Norwegian side IK Start, and has previously starred for Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Sounders 2. The center-back will see out the 2020 season at Rising before heading to Qatar, where he’ll be scouting out the situation ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Lambert joked.
ONE TOP TALKING POINT
Rising is chasing the pack at the moment for home-field advantage in playoffs. Do Schantz and Lambert feel any added pressure to win in these last games?
From the Ashes Prediction: San Diego will give Rising a fright and this will be closer than expected, but the hosts should still come away with three points.