Soccer and its supporters generally go hand in hand, except now Phoenix Rising FC players must consider the possibility of picking up where they left off, before COVID-19 unraveled the professional sports stratosphere, without devoted fans in the South End.

“It’s definitely above my pay grade, but I would imagine they’re probably going to have to get a little creative and come up with some solutions,” said Joey Calistri, a second-year midfielder who started 12 matches and scored six goals for the club during the 2019 campaign.

The USL Championship regular season remains in flux, which means league officials will continue to examine a variety of alternative courses of action before announcing a subsequent decision.

Among the possibilities, although hardly favored by members of the club, is playing behind closed doors.

But, the idea is similar to Germany’s plan of attack to position its top two soccer leagues for an early May restart date, and the USL Championship could follow suit by eyeing a mid-summer return and resume matches in empty stadiums.

If the league follows through on its initial plan to reschedule each missed contest, clubs could potentially play up to three matches per week, in order to wrap up the regular season by November and jump into an on-schedule, yet less eventful playoff format.

Calistri isn’t opposed to hopping back into action without fans if it means doubling-down on the health and safety of Rising supporters - a loyal and raucous bunch that consistently packs Casino Arizona Field for home games. But, the prospect of playing 33 such matches doesn’t generate the same level of excitement.

“It’d probably be a little strange just because our place is such a fortress and we’ve got the Bandidos and Red Fury out behind the goal,” Calistri said. “Not having them there would be a little different, but at the end of the day we’d still have to get the job done.”

Rising FC winger Junior Flemmings said he would accept whatever conclusion the league settles on. But the 24-year-old Jamaican international holds high praise for the club’s faithful backers, and said he would miss them dearly if he were forced to press on in their absence.

“They’re extraordinary. I don’t think we can actually find the words to describe them,” Flemmings said. “Whether we’re leading (or) down, bad times (or) good times, they’re always there. They just want to win, and celebrate and enjoy themselves.”

Flemmings values the supporters section, and the open arms they embraced him with upon his arrival a season ago, so much, that he's often motivated to reward them with a spectacular performance, like his one goal, one assist effort in the club’s March 7 home victory versus Portland Timbers 2.

“My way of paying them back is (making) sure on game days we get those three points” Flemmings said.

Rising FC goalkeeper Zac Lubin makes a strong argument, however, against returning to a full-length regular season without fan presence. His logic, which points to the fact that players and staff would be just as likely to infect each other as fans, doesn't contain many flaws.

“I’ll play soccer however you want me to play soccer,” Lubin said. “But, to me, the idea of playing behind closed doors means that this virus is still an issue…Ultimately, you are just (risking) postponing the season even longer because teams will have to start dropping out again, and the virus will continue to spread.”

Currently, the club is prepping for a mid-to-end of April regroup date, but a barrage of concerns and new knowledge has forced players and staff to stay on their toes.

“It’s kind of crazy because the information is constantly changing,” Lubin said. “From day to day, everything is so different.”

Lubin’s stance — optimistic, but realistic — allows for two other outcomes: a further delayed regular season that could endanger the functionality, and timing of the league’s 2021 crusade, or a cancelled season that would leave a permanent stain on this year’s promising roster.

The latter would likely prove to be devastating.

“(It’s) very, very frustrating. You can’t even put it into words,” Lubin said. “We had an incredible preseason, (and) for me, personally, I think I came in feeling…the best I’ve ever felt.”

Calistri said he’s an optimist, so he’s holding out hope that the league reconvenes shortly, but also said he’ll put his best foot forward to help flatten the curve — no matter what that entails for the club’s future slate of matches.

“Right now it’s bigger than the game of soccer. We understand that,” Calistri said. “When it’s safe to get back at it then we’re going to be raring to go, but for now, there’s more important things.”

Technically, the club will have postponed just its fifth scheduled affair this weekend, but with no lucid end to the pandemic in sight, it is safe to predict Rising FC will need to make-up at least a third of its regular-season matches - only, of course, if the all clear is passed down the chain of command.

“We’re going with the flow. We’re feeling pretty good,” said Calistri, summoning his resolute positivity. “(And) whatever schedule they give us, is what we have to (play).”

Amid all the uncertainty, two things are shaping up to be explicitly clear: Rising FC fans mean the world to players, and players crave their energy-wielding support almost as badly as they miss playing with one another.

“It’s just a lot more fun to play in front of fans,” Lubin said. “There’s nothing better than taking points on the road (or at home) in front of a packed stadium. (They) make a huge impact."

The bottom line for Flemmings?

“At the end of the day, we all need each other,” he said. “We all have one thing in common: life."

Reach the reporter at Rob.kleifield@arizonarepublic.com or at (480) 268-1903. Follow his Twitter @RobKleifield

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