Fidel Barajas (center) officially joining Monterey Bay FC. Image via Monterey Bay FC.

12 Things to Know About Phoenix Rising vs. Monterey Bay FC

MBFC will officially start the second half of their season on the road and with an exciting new player in the fold

The second half of Monterey Bay FC’s 2026 season will begin this upcoming Saturday when they travel to the desert in Phoenix to take on the Rising. Although both teams are currently outside of the playoff picture, they each have designs on ending up in the postseason if at all possible. Here are 12 things to know about the match.

1. Phoenix runs a robust and successful academy system. They’re also not afraid to let their young players see game action. They have already had 29 different players appear in a USL Championship match this season, which includes 23 who have received at least one start. Monterey Bay have 24 players who have seen playing time, with 23 of them receiving at least one start.

2. Monterey Bay has traditionally held their own against the Rising. They have squared off eight times in league action before with each side boasting a 3–2–3 record.

3. France’s Ligue 1, that country’s top tier of soccer, hasn’t sent a ton of players to the USL over the years. However, one of the best may well be Phoenix’s striker Ihsan Sacko. The 28-year-old spent parts of three seasons playing for Ligue 1, and another two in Ligue 2. In 73 total matches, he notched six goals and two assists. He also spent time in the Swiss Super Ligue and Italy’s Serie B before joining the Rising last season. With seven goals and six assists last season, he was an immediate impact player. However, he’s developed into a star in 2026 with nine goals (five on penalties) and three assists in 15 matches so far. He’s as aggressive an attacking player as Monterey Bay will see all season (41 shots, 35 chances created and 21 successful crosses) but can be a little careless with the ball (14 times dispossessed) and is a disinterested defender at best (six defensive contributions and three tackles).

4. Speaking of penalties, they have been a major part of Phoenix’s offense this season. They have won seven penalty shots, converting six. Both figures lead the league and are significantly more than the 1.96 penalties taken and 1.46 penalty goals averaged by the other 24 USL Championship teams. Some of this is obviously luck or random circumstance but Sacko is such a physical player that he has most definitely frustrated opponents into committing infractions resulting in red being shown.

5. Phoenix is fourth in the league with 23.06 expected goals (eG) this season, but their 17.54 expected goals excluding their penalty scores is only 13th.

6. It has been a mixed bag at home for Phoenix, as they are 2–3–2 at Phoenix Rising Stadium. However, their two worst outings there have occurred in their last two home games, as they lost 2–0 to Louisville on June 10th, and then lost 4–3 to Oakland on June 20th.

7. Since taking over the team’s starting goalkeeper role after the first month of the season, 33-year-old veteran Patrick Rakovsky has been an elite passer at his position (81.7% of his passes completed, including 58 accurate long balls) but simply serviceable as a shot stopper (65.2 save percentage). He has four clean sheets to his credit but in the other seven matches, he has coughed up 16 scores. With a 1–1–6 record in his last eight matches across all competitions, and with 19 goals allowed, he’s been in a very rough stretch for the past two months.

8. New Monterey Bay acquisition, forward Fidel Barajas, who is on loan from Chivas will look to make his MBFC debut. Although he only recently turned 20, he’s no stranger to USL Championship. He played nearly 2,200 minutes for the Charleston Battery from 2022–23, and was a legitimate star with them in 2023 with his four goals and nine assists — made all the more impressive when noting that he was 16 when that season started. He’s hit the ground running in fitting right in with his new teammates both on and off the pitch.

9. It’s hoped that MBFC striker Riley Bidois can return soon. He’s been nursing a lingering but not overly serious lower body injury that has kept him out since the June 10th match against Sporting JAX. He scored a goal in that match and has found the back of the net in each of his last three appearances. Getting him back would undoubtedly be a huge boost to the attack.

10. Young midfielder Belmar Joseph had a monster game against the Las Vegas Lights this past weekend. In what was easily his best match of the season, he scored a goal, made 10 defensive contributions, won all three of his aerial duels and completed 90% of his passes. Since he plays a crowded position, he may not be a regular starter but efforts like what he just made is him laying claim to more playing time during his remaining tenure with the club on loan.

11. Fellow MBFC midfielder Eduardo Blancas has shown on multiple occasions how deadly his aim can be. The USL record holder for most free-kick goals in a single season (six last year) already has a free-kick goal this year and set up Joseph and Zack Farnsworth for headed scores this past Saturday with beautifully placed balls near the goal. He is still finding himself as a player, with defense being an area of needed improvement, but his ability to create chances, especially out of nothing, is extraordinary.

12. Since Monterey Bay Head Coach Alex Covelo was hired on April 29th, the club has outscored USLC opponents 13–9 and totaled the second most points in the Western Conference. The gaffer has made an immeasurable difference in helping develop players and bring more definition to the team’s tactics. His next major task will be figuring out the club’s road woes, as they have currently gone 20 consecutive league matches without a win, last getting all three points in an away game when they beat Orange County 3–0 on March 22, 2025.

The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. (PST) this Saturday. It will stream on ESPN+.

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