(PHOENIX, AZ) February 13, 2017 – Today Phoenix Rising Football Club revealed its full preseason schedule for the 2017 season. The club will play five matches before its home opener on March 25, with two of the matches being hosted by Grand Canyon University. Both in-state friendlies will be open to the public. Fans will get their first look at the team on Saturday, March 4, when the club takes on the Lopes at GCU Soccer Stadium. Kickoff will be at 8 p.m.

"We've had so much exciting news around the club recently, but we're just ready to hit the pitch and play soccer," said Phoenix Rising FC Head Coach Frank Yallop. "We'll have two weeks of training plus five matches, and I think we'll be prepared to have a successful 2017 campaign."

Players will begin a two-week preseason training camp in Casa Grande, Arizona, on February 18, at Grande Sports Academy. It will be the second consecutive season the team spends its preseason training camp in Casa Grande.

Date Day Opponent Time 2.25.17 Saturday at Albion Pros FC 7:30 p.m. 3.4.17 Saturday GCU Soccer 8:00 p.m. 3.9.17 Thursday at CS Fullerton 11:00 a.m. 3.10.17 Friday at Orange County SC 11:00 a.m. 3.17.17 Friday GCU Soccer 7:00 p.m.

*in-state matches in bold

The club opens its 2017 campaign on Saturday, March 25, at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex against Toronto FC II. Fans can currently place season ticket deposits at the team’s website at www.PHXRisingFC.com or call the main office number for personalized service at 623.594.9606. Fans who become season ticket members will receive a free Phoenix Rising FC jersey in addition to various other benefits throughout the season.

Phoenix Rising Football Club players under contract for 2017 include:

GOALKEEPERS: Carl Woszczynski, Josh Cohen

DEFENDERS: Peter Ramage, Uchenna Uzo, J.J. Greer, Brock Granger, Victor Vasquez

MIDFIELDERS: Blair Gavin, Miguel Timm, Luke Rooney, A.J. Gray, Alessandro Riggi

FORWARDS: Moses Danto, Jason Johnson, Chris Cortez, Mike Seth, Matthew Hurlow-Paonessa, Omar Bravo

About Phoenix Rising FC

Phoenix Rising FC is the highest level professional soccer franchise in Arizona’s history. Established in 2013, the club enters its fourth year in the United Soccer League, which has been awarded Division 2 status by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Major League Soccer (MLS) recently announced Phoenix Rising FC as among 12 applicants being considered for PHXRisingFC), Twitter (@PHXRisingFC), Instagram (@PHXRisingFC), Snapchat (PHXRisingFC) and YouTube (PhoenixRisingFootballClub). For season tickets call (623) 594-9606 or visit PHXRisingFC.com. a MLS Expansion Franchise. Beginning in March of 2017, Phoenix Rising FC will be playing in its new, soccer-specific stadium located at the northwest corner of the 101 and 202 freeways in south Scottsdale. For more information on the club, visit the team's website at PhxRisingFC.com. You can also follow the team on Facebook (

About United Soccer League

The United Soccer League is the fastest growing professional soccer league in the world with teams in 19 states and three Canadian provinces. Since 2014, the USL has doubled in size and established a sizeable North American footprint with strong ownership, experienced executives and regional rivalries.

In 2016, the USL experienced record growth with a total season attendance of almost 1.5 million, a 33 percent increase from 2015. The average attendance for the league’s top-10 drawing teams was 6,724, a 25 percent increase year-over-year.

Creating an engaging environment for passionate fans, the USL aims to establish all clubs as owners or primary tenants of 8,000-10,000 seat soccer-specific stadiums by 2020. Teams have invested more than $100 million into stadium infrastructure in the last year to enhance the experience for the USL’s passionate fans, 900-plus players and nearly 100 coaches in building a highly sophisticated league.

Expanding its broadcast reach with ESPN and SiriusXM partnerships, USL “Games of the Week” were available this year on ESPN3 to 99 million households. The USL aired more than 500 games last season through its Match Center. Recently, the USL finalized a $10 million investment and partnership with VISTA Worldlink to create USL Productions, which will create more than 1,000 hours of live match coverage for 2017. Additionally, statistical analysis will be powered by Opta – the world’s leading provider of live, detailed sports data – who will manage and deliver in-depth details for all USL games.

Based in Tampa, Fla., the USL supports its teams with operational excellence through 50-plus employees and 16 departments including Analytics, Competition, Creative, Digital, League Operations, Marketing, Merchandise/Licensing, Team Services, USL Productions and more.

Follow the USL at USLSoccer.com, on USL Match Center, and on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.