‘It’s just another game’: Inside the mentality that fueled Phoenix Rising’s chaotic, playoff-bound season
By Noah Lopez ·
‘It’s just another game’: Inside the mentality that fueled Phoenix Rising’s chaotic, playoff-bound season
by Noah Lopez, Cronkite News
October 31, 2026
Cronkite News offers an audio version of this story using an automated voice created by AI. Errors in pronunciation, pacing and intonation may occur. If you notice an error please contact [email protected] – An up-and-down regular season has come to a close for Phoenix Rising, but they managed to sneak into the USL Championship playoffs. It’s worth asking how a group that endured so much managed to make it here – a result that was still in doubt after their final regular season game.
When the last whistle blew at Phoenix Rising Stadium on Oct. 24, Rising had blown a two-goal lead against Lexington SC and settled for a 3-3 draw. A win would have clinched a spot in the USL Championship playoffs.
Ihsan Sacko, who won the 2026 USL Championship Golden Boot as the league’s leading scorer with 17 goals this season, could only think of how the team fumbled a chance to secure a postseason spot.
“I was just sad at this moment because, to be honest with you, I thought we didn't make it,” he said.
It was only moments later when Sacko and the team learned that fate had fallen in their favor. Losses by the Oakland Roots and Orange County SC propelled them into the final spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Rising will head to Albuquerque to take on longtime rival New Mexico United on Sunday at 5 p.m. MST.
”At the end, I was in the facility and they told me we were in and Sacramento scored,” Sacko said of Sacramento’s 3-2 comeback victory against the Roots. “I was happy after that.”
As the weekend passed and the mentality shifted to their first-round matchup, thoughts turned to how coach Pa-Modou Kah and his group stayed afloat in what seemed to be a season of chaos.
Rising suffered injuries at every point, including losing dynamic attackers Damian Rivera and Kelvin Arase and defenders Charlie Dennis and Daniel Flores for significant stretches, while Sacko also missed time with a groin injury.
They struggled to find consistency, following up unbeaten streaks with stretches of losing. They started the final six game stretch of the season on a three-game losing streak, bringing them to the brink of elimination.
But then came a heroic comeback with a three-game unbeaten streak that included two crucial victories against playoff contenders Las Vegas Lights FC and Orange County. That was enough to lift Rising into the playoffs with 40 points and a 10-10-10 record. In that three-game unbeaten stretch, the team outscored its opponents 9-6, with Sacko scoring five of those goals.
Kah credited the streak to the offense, which has been a talking point all season.
“You know it's the hardest thing to do in football is actually scoring goals and we have two strikers that are in form and scoring goals so we must cherish that,” said Kah, noting Gunnar Studenhofft’s six goals.
Sacko’s final stretch propelled him to the golden boot over strikers such as El Paso Locomotive’s Rubio Rubin (16), Oakland Roots’ Peter Wilson (15) and Colorado Springs Switchbacks’ Khori Bennett (15). He became the third Rising player to win the honor, joining Solomon Asante (2019) and Junior Flemmings (2020).
“I'm happy for sure. I'm glad for that because I worked so hard and it's an accomplishment for me personally,” Sacko said. “What's crazy in the story is that months ago, I was injured. I didn't know if (I was) going to finish the season so I'm so happy that I did it.
“It's my record and I'm happy because I helped my teammates to be in the playoffs. That's the most important thing for me.”
After 34 weeks of work in the 2026 season that have shaped this club and hardened its resolve for the challenges ahead, Kah captured the mentality that has kept the team afloat with one simple phrase.
“Well, it's just another game,” he said of the upcoming playoff game against New Mexico. “We have to believe in who we are. We have belief in what we can do. And for me, that's the most important thing because, like I said, it's a new season and the new season starts.”
A No. 1 seed vs. a No. 8 seed matchup may seem like a major challenge, but Rising are ready to turn the page on a tumultuous regular season.
“For us it's (a) new game,” Kah said. “And yes, it's a derby game. We don't play the occasion, we play the game.”
This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Originally published by Cronkite News Sports