An attacking barrage, or a low defensive block? According to Rising interim head coach Blair Gavin, his side is ready to face either of those scenarios as they prepare for a Western Conference Semi-Final matchup against Reno 1868.

“I think what we have shown and what we’ve seen throughout the year is we’re pretty resilient to both,” he said. “We do like attacking, and we will want to be on the front foot […]. We’ve seen as well, you know, we can produce good defensive showings, and which one do I prefer? Whichever one best suits us in that game.”

“If they want to come and shoot out, then let’s go and we’ll go for it. If we need to lock it down, we’ll lock it down. It’s all dependent on the game and where our players are at.”

While Gavin may be open to adapting on the day, he also has a plan in mind already.

“A lot of the strategy throughout the week that we’re trying to build is, once again, starting fast and trying to put the game on our terms from a pressing perspective,” Gavin said. “Rufat [Dadashov] is a big component for us, and our wingers and our midfielders, and how we create separation from their man-to-man organization. So a lot of the emphasis is [on the] third man and how we can create space, and how we can get it into a situation where our players can face forward and create some overloads.”

One part of the challenge for Rising, as they travel for their only possible road playoff game of 2020, is the change in conditions. Reno is forecast to be around 20 degrees cooler than the Valley at kick-off time, and is 3,500 feet higher in elevation.

“Cooler weather should help the style that we want to play,” Gavin said. “Obviously, it’s nice to play in your current climate all the time, and we’re used to it; but yeah, I think it’s better to go from heat to cooler weather than the opposite direction.”

Yet the temperature on the field might be a bit hotter. At the final whistle of their last meeting on August 30, there was a coming together of several players, forcing the referee to intervene.

“I mean, it’s just two teams that are at the top and fighting for points, right?” Gavin said. “They’re a very competitive team. They’ve done extremely well. We’re obviously very competitive as well. It’s not something that we take lightly. We want to get a result and everything, and so there was frustration towards the end of the game. I think we both have a mutual respect for each other, but at the same time, we both want to beat each other. So there’s kind of that butting heads, and I’m sure that it’ll still continue to be that way, because of the nature of this game and who the opponent is.”

Last week’s match was equally competitive, and Gavin gave credit to the visitors for their performance.

“You saw that Sacramento, a very top team, their strategy to come in setting the 4-5-1, close up the space in the midfield and get close to the goal, so there’s not much space to run in behind. When you’re that organized, it’s very difficult to break down a low block, and credit to them as it was a good game plan. Obviously, we created a lot of opportunities and could have done better on some other ones, but we got the goal.”

Rising’s goal was controversial, with video showing that the ball deflected into the net off of Solomon Asante’s arm. The source of that deflection was missed by the referee on the night, and Gavin said that he didn’t see it either.

“When I saw it live, the ball got played across, Santi [Moar] cuts inside, crushes the ball,” he said. “Frankly, live, I didn’t even know who it hit, really, because it just happens so fast. And then there’s a dog pile, and then I’m thinking ‘how do we make the changes to close out the game’? […] Not until later did I see, you know, constant slow motion videos of it, and it looks like it strikes the hand.”

While Rising’s interim coach might be looking to move on from that controversy, he is open to one of the proposed solutions: the implementation of Video Assistant Referee, or VAR, in USL.

“If they could do that, and they have the logistics? Sure,” Gavin said. “You know, I think it’s something that they can put in place. But […] I think that’s a little bit away from what I can control. So if they feel like it’s the best opportunity for the league, I’ll support it. If they feel like keep going as is. then we just go with that.”

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE

• Jamaican international Damion Lowe in the starting line-up on Saturday remains uncertain, with Gavin describing him as still being in the recovery process. “He’s getting fitter and stronger each day, gaining the confidence of his teammates and confidence of the staff. So that’s something that we monitor closely, and we’ll evaluate as we get closer to the game”
• One person who didn’t make the last trip to Reno? Blair Gavin. But he will be traveling this time, after an exciting milestone. “My wife […] gave birth to a child, and throughout the process, the club allowed me to make sure that I would stay at home and be safe throughout this entire process. I’m very thankful for that, and now the newborn’s here, we feel a little bit more comfortable as a family and so we’ve decided that I can travel.”
• With head coach Rick Schantz remaining on administrative leave, who has Gavin leaned on for assistance? Director of Soccer Development Steve Cooke. “It’s been very nice to have him. He’s got a lot of experience. He’s actually even been through a situation where he was interim at Colorado, so he is a voice of reason for sure. He helps with the daily routine, and we’re very thankful to have him around.”