Phoenix Rising FC ended its three-game losing streak and revived its fight for a spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a win over New Mexico United. (Photo courtesy of Phoenix Rising)

PHOENIX – Phoenix Rising FC’s season was in jeopardy after its third straight loss last Friday. Interim coach Diego Gómez was unable to lead his team to the victory they needed and everything looked bleak for the club.

Despite losing to Monterey Bay FC in front of Rising’s dejected but loyal fan base, Gómez had a few words to himself before Wednesday’s crucial away game against rival New Mexico United.

“Winning,” Gómez said. “We have to win on Wednesday. We have to shake it off and push it. The most important thing at the moment is our mentality and continuing to work afterwards.”

With much at stake, Rising marched into Albuquerque and earned a 2-1 win over No. 1 seed New Mexico United in the Western Conference at Rio Grande Credit Union Field. It was a historic win for the Rising as they secured their first win by coming from behind this season in a hard-fought battle.

Rising ended a three-game losing streak and got them back on track in the Western Conference. After scoring the winning goal, Phoenix midfielder Charlie Dennis shared his feelings about the team being in a much better position.

“Great feeling for the goal but more importantly three points because that’s what we needed after three defeats in a row,” said Dennis. “To recover we come here at the top of the league, a difficult place to get three points, especially when we are behind. I hope the fans enjoyed it more than we did.”

In the first 20 minutes of the first half, the Rising started with the same lackluster performance that has defined their season. There was hardly any pressure, only one shot on goal and Phoenix only had about 30% possession of the ball during this time.

Rising conceded a goal minutes later in the 28th minute, with New Mexico’s Talen Maples converting a penalty kick. Phoenix trailed 1-0 early and has yet to win a game in which it conceded first.

Despite the history against them, Rising managed to equalize just before half-time when loanee Tomas Ángel scored a penalty from inside the box.

At the start of the second half, Rising was firing on all cylinders and took the lead, with Dennis scoring the team’s go-ahead goal in the 59th minute.

The goal would be the difference as New Mexico never scored in the second half. It was a defensive battle for Rising as they spent the final 15 minutes in their own half of the field. In the final minutes of injury time they were down to 10 men, but that wasn’t enough for New Mexico.

After suffering two home defeats in their three-game losing streak, Rising fans have another reason to celebrate. Rising still controls their fate in the Western Conference, with another opportunity on Saturday to get another much-needed win on the road, this time in Oakland against the Roots.

Despite Wednesday’s win, Phoenix still has a difficult road ahead. Upsetting New Mexico and denying the team the opportunity to secure home-field advantage is just the beginning, as the remaining three Rising games come against playoff teams. It’s a short week with little rest, but after their game against Oakland, they return to the Valley on October 19th to host Memphis 901 FC in their final home game of the season.

Gómez will look to use the recent win as a boost for his side after his team fought together and showed glimpses of last year’s team that won the USL title.

Rising got the win they needed and will hope to maintain this form for the rest of the season as they fight for a spot in the postseason. The club can clinch a playoff spot on Saturday if it beats Oakland, Tulsa draws/loses at home against New Mexico and San Antonio draws/loses on the road against Colorado Springs.

“Before the game we wanted to show character and show that the team still believes,” Gómez said. “The boys showed this character and fought against number 1 until the end. Now we have to move on. The work is not done. We have a short processing time until Saturday and have to continue working. Still, I’m proud of the boys.”