USL Jägermeister Cup Match Preview: Phoenix Rising vs San Antonio FC

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USL Phoenix Rising FC

USL Jägermeister Cup Match Preview: Phoenix Rising vs San Antonio FC

April 23, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release


Phoenix Rising begins its hunt for another trophy Saturday evening when it kicks off USL Jägermeister Cup play against San Antonio FC at 7:00 p.m. (PT) on April 26 at Phoenix Rising Stadium. 3TV, AZFS and ESPN+ will broadcast the match, with KDUS 1060 AM (English) and La Onda 99.5 FM (Spanish) providing radio coverage.

2025 marks the second year of the cup competition, with USL Championship sides joining the interleague tournament for the first time ever. Placed in Group 2, Rising kick off a four-match group stage against fellow Championship side San Antonio FC. It will be the second meeting between the two Southwestern clubs, with Rising coming away with a 2-1 nationally televised win in regular season play on April 6 at Toyota Field.

More games mean more opportunities to win trophies," Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. "At the end of the day, that's what players are playing for. For contracts and to leave a legacy, which means winning as many trophies as possible.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

WHAT: Phoenix Rising FC vs San Antonio FC

WHEN: Saturday, April 26 (7:00 p.m. PT)

WHERE: Phoenix Rising Stadium (Phoenix, Arizona)

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: 3TV, AZFS, ESPN+, KDUS 1060 AM (English), La Onda 99.5 FM (Spanish)

A RESILIENT SQUAD

With a flick of forward Damián Rivera's right boot--and 12 more minutes of defending-- Rising secured yet another comeback result, its third of the regular season across seven matches.

Kah's side trailed 2-0 inside 34 minutes, giving up two goals in the run of play. Then forward Jearl Margaritha put Rising back in the match with a left-footed, solo curling effort in the 37th minute. Rising completed the comeback in the 78th minute thanks to Rivera's strike.

It wasn't easy, but I think the team had a really good reaction to show the character we have, forward Rémi Cabral said following the match. It could have been better, but to come back from 2- 0 isn't easy, especially with heavy legs.

The comeback against Sacramento marked the second time this season Rising rallied from a deficit of multiple goals to take at least a point, last doing so against El Paso Locomotive FC on March 15.

Three games in seven days. A midweek match on the road which required 120 minutes and a penalty-kick shootout. Between Kah, Rivera and Cabral, resiliency was a key theme in last Saturday's post-match press conference.

Nobody is going to feel sorry for us, Kah said. We know what we signed up for and this is part of the game. We talk about being mentally strong, about being resilient, showing character. I think we have been showing it all through this year.

A NEW CUP COMPETITION

Now over a month into the 2025 season, Rising takes a quick hiatus from regular season play to begin group stage play in the USL Jägermeister Cup. A new competition for USL Championship squads, Rising was drawn into Group 2 alongside Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (USLC), El Paso Locomotive FC (USLC), New Mexico United (USLC), San Antonio FC (USLC), Texoma FC (USL1) and Union Omaha (USL1).

It's very exciting to get to see the competition between the USL Championship and USL League One, midfielder JP Scearce said. I think it will be an exciting cup for fans to follow and, personally, I'm looking forward to it because I played in League One for a few years. I think a lot of teams will be surprised by how close some League One teams are.

Rising will play four group stage matches between April 26 and July 26. It hosts San Antonio FC (4/26) and New Mexico United (5/31) and will travel away to face Texoma FC (6/28) and El Paso Locomotive FC (7/19). Unique to Jägermeister Cup play, a draw in regulation will result in penalties, with the winner earning two points.

Following the conclusion of the group stage, the six group winners and two wild cards will advance to single-elimination knockout rounds. The final will be played the weekend of October 4.

UP AGAINST SAN ANTONIO

Saturday marks the second match of the month between Rising and San Antonio FC. Rising earned its first win of the season against a previously undefeated San Antonio team, a 2-1 result on April 6 at Toyota Field in front of a national audience on CBS.

San Antonio has dropped its two games since that Sunday match, losing to Miami FC 2-1 in regular season play and being eliminated from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at the hands of Union Omaha in a 1-0 loss. It plays reigning USL Championship winners Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Wednesday night.

(Saturday) is going to be a different game, Kah said. (San Antonio) is playing (Wednesday), so we'll watch that to get a fresh idea of what they do and then we review our past game against them. See the things we could have improved from that game and hopefully we play to win again.

Midfielder Jorge Hernández leads San Antonio in goals (3) and chances created (17). Six individual players have contributed at least one assist for the visitors so far this season, led by defender Jimmy Medranda, who has two.

The two teams will square off for a 17th time in all competitions, with Rising holding a 7-6-3 advantage. Notably, Rising has won the previous two matches and five of the previous eight.

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