For the second time this season, Rising is heading on the road to face a side that Rick Schantz believes to be one of the toughest on their schedule.
This time, though, the Phoenix coach is looking to put what he described as his own naivety behind him, and secure the team’s first away points of 2021.
“I think that when we went to Tampa, the idea of how we wanted to play was a little naive, and it was my fault,” Schantz said. “I wanted to play them straight up. I wanted to try to do the way we play and I exposed ourselves to a lot of difficult things: the wind, the surface, the travel, the intensity that the opponents can play with at home. But it was a great test, because had we done that and gotten a result, you think wow, I wonder what we’re like if we have to sit in a mid block or a low block.
“So going into Sacramento, you have to sometimes realize that you have to be humble and coming away with a point on the road is not bad. If you get three that’s fantastic, but I definitely learned a little bit about our group and will tell them that maybe we need to be a little bit more intelligent this match.”
Don’t expect that to mean his side will park the bus in pursuit of a result, though.
“For us to be a little bit negative means that we’re probably aggressive for most squads,” Schantz said. “How we press and when we press is important. With our front three, if these teams that play with three at the back… I’m fine taking that risk and if they want to send seven forward and defend with three, and we’ll defend with seven and attack with three, that would be a fun opportunity for us.
“It’s how those three get the ball that is the big difference for us, and I think that’s where we failed in Tampa. We weren’t able to find their feet as much as we want. We were just hitting long balls. So, to say it’s negative, no. Pragmatic, I think, would be a better term, and understanding that if you’re winning a game and you’re on the road, you don’t have to score seven goals. I think 1-0 would be plenty.”
This match marks the first time that the two sides have met since the 2020 playoffs, where Solomon Asante’s controversial handball goal gave Rising an extra time victory.
“I can imagine what their fans feel like, but we don’t have VAR in USL,” Schantz said. “I saw it in live motion and I wasn’t sure. I thought for sure it hit his shoulder, but when you slow it down you can see, but sometimes it’s the bad luck. We had so many options because they sat so deep in that game, and so many opportunities, that maybe it’s the way the ball bounces sometimes.”
Rising will face Sacramento Republic at Heart Health Park, kicking off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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.