It’s been a mixed start for Phoenix Rising’s three new Kiwis. For Noah Billingsley, a first start of the season led to a groin injury that’s stifled his ability to secure a spot in the lineup. A first appearance in a Rising shirt for Deklan Wynne feels a world away.

But for the other – James Musa – it’s been a dream start to the season.

“I think right now, he’s the best left center-back in the league,” Rising coach Rick Schantz said. “I’m so pleasantly surprised with his performances, his anticipation on intercepting passes. I want to say I think we had over 20 interceptions against Sacramento, and I credit a lot of that to the team understanding what Sacramento was trying to do, but also Musa and Tobi [Adewole] stepping in front of passing lanes and just stealing the ball.”

Having previously played primarily as a midfielder, Musa has lined up for the entirety of the 2021 season in the defensive line. In doing so, he currently leads the team in clearances (17), blocks (4) and interceptions (13, joint with Kevon Lambert).

Schantz’s comments came as he was questioned about the current absence of Kevon Lambert from Rising’s midfield, with the Jamaican absent for international duty.

“Going into the summer, we knew we were going to have Kev gone for quite a bit,” Schantz said. “When we were trying to sign Aodhan [Quinn], there was also an attempt to get a guy like Jeremy Kelly, to resign Joey Calistri. The interest we had in Arturo Rodriguez was because we knew that Aodhan was really our only true holding mid for coverage.

“We’ve worked with a few different ideas in preseason. That’s why we were trying a lot of different things so that we could be prepared for this moment, but I think the guys, they haven’t missed a beat. They understand Kev’s gone with the national team, but still feel very confident with the players we have.”

The first game with the Jamaican presence missing from Phoenix’s midfield will come on Saturday, against a stuttering San Diego Loyal side that has picked up just three points from its first five games.

“They’ve probably been humbled,” Schantz said. “They’re going to be super focused, and they’ll probably come together. Usually, when you’re at a difficult moment, a good coach will bring a group together and you’ve got to solidify. You’ve got to cut out all the chinks in the armor, as we say. We always make the circle, and say that if our circle’s tight, no one can break it.

“That’s what my expectations are from their team and their staff. I think this will be a very difficult game for us, but we have a little advantage of 10,000 people in the stadium supporting us, so I think I would much rather be playing this at home than on the road.”

Rising will face Loyal at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, in the first full-capacity match at Wild Horse Pass.

Want to hear more? Preview Saturday’s game with Rising Matchday – streaming at 9 a.m. Saturday morning on YouTube and Facebook, and available on demand shortly after.