We currently sit in 9th place and only the top 8 teams will qualify for playoffs.

Next week, we play our last regular season match against Lexington SC.

The highest/only playoff spot Phoenix Rising can make is 8th place.

Here’s the simple breakdown:
-If Phoenix Rising wins, they’re in no matter what.
-If they lose, they’re out no matter what.
-If they draw, they need both 1) San Antonio to beat Orange County and 2) Oakland to draw or lose to Sacramento.

Why a win guarantees we make it:
-It would bring us to 42 points, which gets us into 8th place by point total, or at worst puts us in a 3 way tie with Orange County and San Antonio (if OC beats San Antonio next week). In the event of that 3 way tie, Orange County would take first position with 9 in-conference wins to the 8 in-conference wins that Phoenix and Sam Antonio would have. Then Phoenix would take second position because, although tied on in-conference wins, we have the advantage on second tie-breaker vs San Antonio - in-conference goal differential - and that can’t change if OC beats San Antonio. So in short, if we win our game, we either make it to 8th because we pass Orange County on points, or we make it to 8th because Orange County makes San Antonio lose, so we pass San Antonio on the 2nd tiebreaker.

Why a loss guarantees we are out:
We are already in 9th right now because, although tied with Orange County on points, we’re currently behind them on the first tie breaker of in-conference wins. So a loss changes nothing, and we stay out of the top 8 positions. We’d finish the season either in 9th or 10th, because Las Vegas cannot catch us (if they win their game, we’d be tied on in-conference wins, but we crush them on in-conference goal differential, so at worst we’d fall to 10th. Enough about that.

If we draw our match:
A draw puts us at 40 points which is the 8th place position before considering other results coming in that day. Orange County and Oakland would be the two teams that could bump us down points-wise since they sit at 39 and 38 respectively, so we need both of them to have specific results come through.

As earlier discussed, Orange County currently has us on the first tie breaker of in-conference wins - so they must not catch us in points or they knock us out, and they’d only be one point behind us! Therefore, Orange County HAS to lose.

Oakland is two points behind us, so if they win, that knocks us out, but if they draw, they don’t catch up. So we simply need them not to win vs Sacramento.

If both of the above go in our favor, then a draw would still be enough for us to sneak into 8th.

All in all, quite a precarious situation we find ourselves in on the last match day, but we have the luxury of having our fate in our own hands! Although we’ve never scored a goal on Lexington SC yet… No better time to make history than the future!

Sacko has the most goals on our team, named the mid season player of the year, in the race for the golden boot [usl] (only one away now since the goal this game👀), and he’s also two assists or goals from taking the highest g/a in the usl, top 10 in goals per 90, and finally top 3 in shots per 90. https://www.fotmob.com/leagues/8972/stats/usl-championship/players

Shout out to all the fans who made the road trip - I’m bummed I couldn’t join! Every game is a must win from now until season’s end. Can we spoil OC’s fan appreciation night? Let’s get three points! Vamos Rising!

I feel stupid posting anything about playoffs after the three game skid. With two home games left, let’s just focus on getting a result! Should be a rainy one which my son assures me is the best football. How many fans will make it out in the wet weather? Will we run out of beer on Dollar Beer Night? Let’s get three points! Vamos Rising!

2-1 FT

A Sunday match! The Risjng’s playoff window is closing - we need a win jn ABQ to keep it open if not slightly cracked. As always, 🎵Fuck New Mexicooooooo🎵 Let’s get three points! Vamos Rising!

3-0 FT

The boys got a must-win game (they’re all must win now) on the road in Oakland. Let’s get three points! Vamos Rising!

It’s Dollar Beer Night and Noche Latina! More importantly: the Rising are going against the #1 team at home and need points if they’re gonna host a playoff game. Will Cristo Fernandez make an appearance? Let’s get three points! Vamos Rising!

I've been trying to purchase a ticket for tomorrow night's game and Ticketmaster keeps giving me this error message for the last two days. "Sorry, we could not process your request, please try again later. Error Code: 0011" What the actual fuck???

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Suddenly looking like an awesome night for football weather-wise. Can the boys snap a streak of draws and get a win? Let’s get three points! Vamos Rising!

Another loaner - at least this one’s not to a division rival. Former NCAA champion. Outside of a few nice headers I thought Vukovic was raw and not great as a defender in the box so hopefully can get some experience and be ready for us down the road.

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Every game matters from here on out. Can the boys build on last week’s win at home? Will Essengue make his presence felt on the backline so soon? Let’s get three points! Vamos Rising!

Dennis thanked everyone on a post on his IG acct, nothing coming from the team at this point but according to reposts of his post, the club released him... Why do I feel that there are a couple of other players that should have been released before him... but yet again, not my call. I just wish the club would SAY SOMETHING.

Another familiar face returns for the Rising’s home stretch. What kind of impact will this have on the final stretch?

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It's Dollar Beer Night! The boys stole a draw last week - can we get a win tonight? Indy Eleven is not a great road team - would be a great time to show the casuals and first-time attendees what we can do. Will JuanDavid Torres get a goal? Let's get three points! Vamos Rising!

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The boys put on a good showing midweek at home - can we do it again on the road against Sacramento Republic? Let’s get a winning streak going! Vamos Rising!

Hopefully Jamo gets a chance to show what he can do to the MLSNextPro league. Wish him all the best - he was always a lot of fun to watch and seemed like he belonged.

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The boys have a midweek game and with only 11 games left in the season we have to start picking up points now. Can we use the heat to our advantage? How many fans are gonna turnout for a midweek game during a heatwave? Let’s get three points! Vamos Rising!

I just moved to the Sacramento area from Phoenix and am going to the match. I'd like to sit near Rising supporters if possible.

Not sure if he plays against Colorado Springs tonight.