Photos: Phoenix Rising FC 2017 season

Richard Morin | The Republic | azcentral.com

Carlos Salcedo/azcentral

Phoenix Rising FC doesn’t have a spot with Major League Soccer yet, but the club continues to make plans to join MLS.

Under new ownership, the club reinvented itself with a new name and new stadium in 2017. This year, the club is committed to taking the next big step MLS requires of its teams: Developing a soccer-specific stadium.

The club set that process in motion by hiring two architecture firms to design a new structure on its existing land on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community reservation.

“We’re continuing to enhance our application we’ve already submitted with regards to our market and our ownership group,” Rising COO Bobby Dulle said. “We’re working with world-class design engineers to improve what we’ve done in year one with sold-out crowds and buzz around the town.”

As far as when or if the team will be granted an MLS expansion franchise, Dulle feels “as though we should be at the top of the list.”

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Currently, the team plays in the United Soccer League (USL), which is in the second tier of what’s known as the American Soccer Pyramid — a hierarchy of professional soccer played in the United States.

The first tier is MLS, and the Rising feel as though they have a good a shot as any to be one of three cities that could be awarded an expansion franchise by the end of 2018, according to the club.

Where will the Rising stadium be?

The Rising currently play their home games at Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex, a pop-up stadium erected by the club at the northwest corner of the 101 and 202 freeways that borders Scottsdale and Tempe.

The proposed MLS-style stadium would be in the Rising's existing plot of land, on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community.

Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex currently holds around 7,000 people and the Rising know they will need a new stadium that seats at least triple that. The club has partnered with architecture firms Populous and Gould Evans to design the MLS-style stadium.

How much will the Rising stadium cost? And who’s paying?

The total cost of the project will total about $250 million and the stadium would be privately funded.

The Rising have had designs to join MLS and build a compatible stadium since their takeover prior to the 2017 season. But the club's decision to hire architects demonstrates some confidence that the goal is within reach.

The stadium project would take approximately 20-to-24 months to complete. The club could not provide a timeline for completing the design-phase of the stadium project, but Rising officials have said they would like to be contenders in this year's MLS expansion process.

“We’re very excited,” Dulle said. “Since day one, worked hard to show commitment that we’re invested for the long haul, and we continue to gather steam and momentum from our partnerships.

“We learned a lot in year one. This year, we’ve built roster of world class players that’s going to put fantastic show on the ground. We will continue to invest in order to give our market what it deserves and that’s team at the highest level.”

Will MLS play in the Arizona heat?

Dulle said that Gould Evans’ track record in Arizona could help quell one of the biggest negative factors against the club’s MLS bid — the Valley's unforgiving summer conditions.

Because the USL and MLS regular seasons run through the spring and summer months, many have questioned the viability of an outdoor soccer stadium in Arizona. Dulle said the club, along with the aforementioned design firms, are working to find a way of effective heat mitigation.

“There’s been a lot of different concepts in ways to address the summer heat,” Dulle said. “Player safety and fan comfort are critical areas of focus for us. … There are different concepts including misting systems or digging lower into ground, to installing shade structures. We’re excited about some of those concepts.”

Many of the Rising's home games start at 7. In May, the matches start at 7:30 and in July, there's currently one home game set for 8 p.m.

What if they don’t get an MLS team?

Right now, Rising ownership is so focused on securing an MLS expansion franchise that they don't want to consider any alternative.

MLS awarded Nashville an expansion team in December. The Rising says either Sacramento, Detroit or Cincinnati will be awarded an expansion team in the coming weeks, but that MLS is expected to name two more cities by the end of 2018. That would be the Rising’s target.

“We’re invested in this for long haul — at whichever level,” Dulle said. “We’re excited about this site and the stadium we have now. But we’re pretty focused on the MLS initiative. We’re not really thinking about the alternative.”

If the Rising were to be awarded a team during the 2018 offseason, the Rising would likely have to play some of their games in 2019 at either Sun Devil Stadium or Chase Field until their new stadium is finished construction.

The club has already had preliminary discussions with ASU and the Maricopa County Stadium District that could be options for a temporary home. The club would not say whether it would cancel the building of the new stadium if it remained just a USL franchise.

Las Vegas joins 2018 schedule

The Rising are playing host to three MLS teams at Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex this preseason: New York Red Bulls (Feb. 10), Colorado Rapids (Feb. 14) and Sporting Kansas City (Feb. 17).

The club opens regular season play on March 17 at Orange County SC. It's the first game in a 34-game schedule, with 17 of those at home. The regular season ends Oct. 13. The schedule features three games against league newcomer, Las Vegas Lights FC.

RISING NEWS: Phoenix Rising FC focused on bringing MLS franchise to the Valley