Rising’s Corey Whelan is under no illusions about the scale of the task his side faces on Sunday, but he is still confident that he’ll walk out with the trophy.
“They’re a good team,” Whelan said. “They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t. There’s only two teams in the country now training at the moment, and they’re one of them, us being the other. We know they’re going to be a difficult outfit. They play a different formation that we haven’t played against too much this year, so we’ve really had to knuckle down in training and come up with ideas on ways to combat that, and then break it down and attack them as well. So they’re a good team, strong team, good manager. He’s come from a good footballing career, and we know come Sunday, they’ll be ready. They’ve got the home support there, but we’ll be there ready to spoil the party.”
It hasn’t been easy for Rising to get this far, though. A series of close games which were decided after 90 minutes proved tough, according to Whelan.
“When you go into playoffs, you know not any game is really going to be easy, and everybody’s ultimately fighting for the same thing,” he said. “We’re hoping if we can keep teams at bay for the best part, then we’ll get chances ourselves. Tight games are always difficult, especially when it goes into extra time. You get sometimes a feeling as if maybe one goal would win it now, but it’s just about staying concentrated as a group and as a team, and I think we’ve been able to do that over recent weeks.”
The defender’s versatility was part of the reason that he was first brought in in 2019, and Rising has relied on it this season. Starting the year as the club’s center-half, he’s since switched over to right-back.
“I don’t find it too difficult as a transition, to be honest, because I’ve played both of them throughout my career,” Whelan said. “I know what tasks both of them bring, and I know what challenges they bring during a 90 minute game. For me, the transition isn’t too difficult. Obviously it’s a different type of position [as right-back]. You’re asked to join the play a little bit more, get forward a little bit more, which is nice.”
Now, with the final just around the corner, what is the challenge for the players?
“You kind of have to treat it as a game,” Whelan said. “You can’t get caught up in the emotions of the game, and if this happens, if that happens, if we lose it, if we win it… You’ve kind of just got to stay in the moment. Running into the game, things won’t change. Our preparations will be exactly the same as it always is. Come gameday, it’s just getting yourself mentally prepared and physically prepared. I think physically, we’re there now. I don’t think we can get any fitter than we actually are. It’s just a case of looking after our legs and seeing the week out and into the weekend.”
Back in England, Whelan’s road trips included visits to Grimsby and Fleetwood. By comparison, jetting off to Tampa Bay must seem a luxury.
“There’s worse parts of the world to visit for a final than Florida, I’m sure,” he chuckled. “I’ve looked into their stadium, and it’s a beautiful stadium right on the beach. Everything’s set up now for us to do well, and so we’ve just got to do our part of it come Sunday evening.”
An away trip does mean limited support, though. So what was his message for the Rising fans?
“We always do what we do for the supporters because they’re a big part of what we do, and without them, nothing would be possible,” Whelan said. “They used to be in their thousands, more so in their hundreds now with the whole pandemic, but they’re still there. It was a nice moment for them to celebrate with us on Saturday evening, and that’s what our plan will be on Sunday evening – to replicate what we did last weekend. And obviously, for the guys that don’t get to go out there, we’re hoping to bring the trophy back to Phoenix.”
Whelan’s future with the club remains uncertain. To allow him to focus on the task at hand, he is temporarily staying out of negotiations to bring him back for next season.
“You never know, it could be [my] last game for the club,” Whelan said. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen in the foreseeable future. So come Sunday, we’ll hopefully be walking out of there with a trophy, and we can all celebrate together.”
And does he expect the trophy to be in hand Sunday night?
“Yeah, I’m confident,” Whelan said. “I think after everything that’s happened this year, the boys have stuck at it. We’ve had a difficult couple of months, and a difficult year all around. I just think it’s written, really. I think it feels right. I think we’ll come away with a victory and I’m fairly confident about that.”