March 24, 2017 Toronto FC II USL--Preview: New Veteran Signings Expected to Keep Calm for Phoenix Rising Football Club Homw Opener (from phxrisingfc.com)
PREVIEW: New Veteran Signings Expected to Keep Calm for Phoenix Rising Football Club Home Opener By Phoenix Rising FC Communications, 03/24/17, 10:45AM MST (PHOENIX, AZ) March 24, 2017 – Phoenix Rising FC kicks off its inaugural home opener at its brand-new soccer-specific stadium on Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. against Toronto FC II. And while the buzz surrounding the match continues to grow (the club announced a sell out on Thursday night) Head Coach Frank Yallop is confident his veteran players will keep their cool. “They’re not going to be nervous,” Yallop said. “Young guys need to be settled down on a big occasion. It’s going to be a packed house. The pressure’s on. We want to play well and win. So, I feel that the older guys are going to calm our young boys down and just play the game. Don’t worry about the outcome. If you play well and perform well, usually you win.” The club has no shortage of players with big-game experience. Forward Omar Bravo and midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips have played on the sport’s biggest stage: The World Cup. While fellow veteran defenders Jordan Stewart and Peter Ramage have experience playing in England’s Premier League. “I see (the older players) putting their arm around people and talking to them individually,” Yallop said. “We have a really exciting young left back in Victor Vasquez. He can run like the wind. And I always see Omar (Bravo) talking to him and just trying to settle him down and get him to play simple when he needs to.” Bringing in those types of players may have seemed like a challenge 3-4 months ago when the club’s pop up stadium was still just a concept. But Yallop said he sold them “on the dream” as he took them to the empty space where the stadium would eventually rise. “It was tumbleweed where I pointed to the stadium location when players came in and signed,” Yallop said. “Jordan and Shaun, they didn’t laugh, but they were like, ‘There’s no chance that it’ll be ready.’ But here we are and it looks fantastic.” Match details Phoenix Rising FC v. Toronto FC II March 25, 2017 | 7:30 p.m. Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex
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