ALBUQUERQUE — Phoenix Rising fell just short against rivals New Mexico United on Sunday night, dropping a 2-1 result after the match was knotted at 1-1 until the 81st minute. New Mexico struck early in the fourth minute on a combination between two former Rising players, giving United an early advantage.
Rising answered in the 72nd minute, capitalizing on a corner kick that found Kelvin Arase, who capitalized to level the match. New Mexico regained the lead in the 81st minute with a strong shot from outside the box, sealing the win and clinching a playoff spot for United.
“Despite the result, I think we gave our all on the field,” Arase said. “We fought, we wanted to win, and we’re just in a bad situation where we don’t really have luck to, to win, win these games.”
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USL CHAMPIONSHIP
Rising drops 2-1 decision in Albuquerque
(Phoenix Rising)
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SCORING PLAYS
NM — GREG HURST (DENNIS), 4; Fast break at midfield by Charlie Dennis who passed to the right side of the box to the right foot of Greg Hurst who chipped the ball to the center of the net.
PHX — KELVIN ARASE, 72; Right footed shot into chaos off of a corner kick from Diego Gomez into the bottom left corner.
NM — CULLEN WILKERSON (NAVA), 81; Right footed shot from outside the box to the high center of the goal assisted by Nava.
Phoenix Rising
ALBUQUERQUE — Phoenix Rising fell just short against rivals New Mexico United on Sunday night, dropping a 2-1 result after the match was knotted at 1-1 until the 81st minute. New Mexico struck early in the fourth minute on a combination between two former Rising players, giving United an early advantage.
Rising answered in the 72nd minute, capitalizing on a corner kick that found Kelvin Arase, who capitalized to level the match. New Mexico regained the lead in the 81st minute with a strong shot from outside the box, sealing the win and clinching a playoff spot for United.
“Despite the result, I think we gave our all on the field,” Arase said. “We fought, we wanted to win, and we’re just in a bad situation where we don’t really have luck to, to win, win these games.”
Rising’s road stretch comes to a close in Albuquerque, with the club returning to 38th and Washington this Saturday to face the Las Vegas Lights at 7 p.m. Las Vegas currently sits ninth in the Western Conference with 36 points. Saturday marks Rising’s second-to-last home match of the 2026 season as the playoff race continues to conclude.
CLOSE CALL
Despite the result, Rising once again showed it can compete with the top teams in the Western Conference. For the second consecutive match, Rising controlled much of the game, finishing with over half of the possession (53.9%) and outshooting United 24-11. After also controlling the match against Oakland, Rising’s performances against two playoff-caliber opponents show the team has the quality to make a late push and keep its playoff hopes alive.
“This is football. We have second opportunities that are going to come against Vegas, so we have to be ready,” Rising Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “There’s still a window of making the playoffs, and we’re not going to stop until we make it, so we’re going to keep fighting every single day.”
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