Phoenix Rising drops points late to last place MontereY Bay

Phoenix Rising faced a difficult challenge as they played against Monterey Bay FC in a match that would determine their playoff position. Daniel Flores gave the visitors a lead late in the match with a long-range shot, but Ryuga Nakamura equalized with a goal of his own in the 88th minute. The headlines leading up to the game focused on roster changes, with Ascel Essengue re-joining Phoenix Rising on loan from LA Galaxy and Gilberto Rivera returning to his parent club.

Despite these changes, Phoenix Rising struggled to create scoring opportunities, recording only nine touches in Monterey Bay's penalty area. Monterey Bay, already bottom of the Western Conference, had lost over 60 percent of their games and had no realistic chance of making the playoffs. The result of the match was a point for Phoenix Rising, but it was not enough to generate much optimism for the team's season thus far.