PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC took a 2-0 victory against Rio Grande Valley FC on Saturday night in front of 6,046 fans at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex to keep the pressure on the top four in the Western Conference. Phoenix threatened early when Jason Johnson got in behind the defense in the 14th minute, but was unable to get a clean shot away as the ball ricocheted off Toros goalkeeper Called Brown and behind. Didier Drogba also shot wide off a cross by Amadou Dia in the 22nd minute, while Johnson went close as he navigated his way around his marker and broke into the right side of the penalty area, only to slice his finish wide a few minutes later. RGVFC’s Kyle Murphy forced a save from Phoenix goalkeeper Josh Cohen in the 33rd minute, but a minute later Johnson succeeded where earlier he had failed as again he wove into the penalty area on the right and this time fired a finish high into the net for a 1-0 halftime lead. Matt Watson almost doubled Phoenix’s lead in the 56th minute as he was slipped through by Drogba, only for Brown to come up with a big save, and Brown parried away Drogba’s curling effort as Rising FC kept the pressure on. Phoenix’s Peter Ramage had a header from a corner cleared off the line by RGVFC’s Emilio Garcia, but with 15 minutes to go Drogba fired in a free kick that Brown was unable to handle as Rising FC added its second. The Toros almost hit back from a free kick of their own as Emilio Garcia hit the crossbar, and Cohen made a big save from Todd Wharton in stoppage time to preserve the shutout, but Phoenix saw out the win to keep its hopes of a home playoff game alive.

Scoring:

34’ – PHX – Jason Johnson (Gladson Awako)

75’ – PHX – Didier Drogba

Three Things That Matter:

1. Phoenix’s pursuit of a home playoff game continued apace with a solid all-around victory that saw the side move level on points with the Swope Park Rangers ahead of their game on Sunday night. Rising FC will still need the teams sitting above it in the standings to slip up if its first postseason contest is to be held on home turf, but regardless of where the side’s Western Conference Quarterfinal takes place is looks as though Phoenix is going to be a serious test for whatever side it encounters.

2. In the absence of Didier Drogba to injury, Rising FC Head Coach Patrice Carteron spoke of the silver lining it provided that the side was able to gain confidence by stringing together victories without the former Ivory Coast international in the lineup. The player that might have benefited most from that is Jason Johnson, who notched his 13th goal of the season in memorable fashion on Saturday. The Jamaican gave the Toros defense a torrid time, and could potentially have ended up with more than just the one tally on the night. With Drogba back, Johnson is providing an ideal foil with his speed and finishing ability.

3. The Toros produced a remarkable comeback when these teams first met earlier this season, but due to a disciplined display by Rising FC’s defense the opportunity of a repeat performance wasn’t in the offing. Rio Grande Valley finished with three shots on target for the game, with Emilio Garcia’s late free kick that rang the crossbar and Todd Wharton’s stoppage-time curler that was denied by Phoenix goalkeeper Josh Cohen the closest the visitors got to spoiling the shutout.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Jason Johnson, Phoenix Rising FC – Johnson was a threat throughout the contest, and was rewarded with a fine goal for his efforts on another good night for Rising FC’s attack.