What we learned in Phoenix Rising's 1-0 loss to Birmingham Legion

The Phoenix Rising lost, 1-0, to Birmingham Legion on Saturday night at Wild Horse Pass — their fifth defeat in seven games. Here are some takeaways from the loss:

Rising’s depth isn’t good enough

For years, Rising have had one of the best rosters in USL, with manager Rick Schantz emphasizing being two-deep at every position.

That hasn’t been the case in 2022.

When James Musa was out, midfielder Kevon Lambert had to play center-back. When Santi Moar was out, striker Greg Hurst had to play winger. When Lambert was out on international duty Saturday, defender Sivert Haugl had to play in the midfield.

All of those players have performed well enough in their temporary roles, but shifting lineups around has a knock-on effect. On Saturday, the knock-on effect was a lack of creativity. Because Haugli isn’t a true defensive midfielder, the other two midfielders — Joey Calistri and Aodhan Quinn — had to drop deeper, stymying Rising’s attack.

“We weren't creative enough in the final third,” Schantz said. “I think we were at times too selfish and at other times, not selfish enough. It just comes down to decision making.”

Speaking of the midfield, Arturo Rodriguez is out for six to eight weeks, creating even more problems for Phoenix. This time, Schantz is aiming to address the issue from the outside, bringing in Nashville SC’s Irakoze Donasiyano on loan.

Haugli filled in well

While Lambert’s absence forced some tactical alterations from Schantz that wouldn't be necessary with better depth, Haugli held his own in the midfield.

“The second half, I thought he was really good,” Schantz said. “In the first half, he did what we needed. We knew that their '9' and '10' would take away the middle and the idea was that he would hold them so they had no press. And he actually did a really good job. He's young, he's committed, he wants to do better. He's a good kid, he's worked very hard and he's done whatever we ask and I couldn't be more thankful.”

Although Schantz highlighted Haugli’s second half, he made two key passes in the first half, showcasing the vision that enabled him to step in for Lambert. In the 36th minute, he sprung Marcus Epps free on the right wing with a ball over the top, which eventually led to Rising’s best chance of the game. Nine minutes later, he played a near-identical ball to Santi Moar on the left wing, again creating danger.

Haugli was also a threat in the air, filling the role of Lambert, who is a consistent nuisance on set pieces.

Center-backs disorganized on the goal

Rising was able to call on its top center-back pairing of James Musa and Joe Farrell for the second-straight week following Musa’s lengthy absence with a hamstring injury. While they were mostly solid, both were caught out of position on Legion’s lone goal.

Birmingham’s Enzo Martinez was played in behind with Musa in no man’s land and Farrell out of the picture. From there, Rising had its two outside backs — including Baboucarr Njie, who is inexperienced as a defender — left to mark three Birmingham forwards.

Whether that positioning was due to tactics or due to an individual mishap is unclear, but it created a dangerous situation the Legion exploited.

Still no replacement for Solomon Asante

While the Rising struggled to a goalless evening, Indy Eleven went into Charleston and won, 4-3. Why is that relevant? Well, Saturday was the season debut for Asante, who signed with Indy Eleven in April after four years and 54 goals in Phoenix.

On his Indy debut, Asante promptly recorded two first-half assists, showcasing his quality in the final third. That’s been sorely missing for Phoenix this year.

With defenses zeroed in on Asante last summer, Rising winger Santi Moar scored 15 goals, including tallies in six straight games to start the year. Without Asante, he’s in the midst of a  career-high 12-game goal drought. On the other flank, Marcus Epps has managed just a goal and an assist in 966 minutes.

Neither winger is getting the help that Schantz would like from their midfield, but attacking players have to be able to create their own moments of inspiration. Without Asante, those have primarily come from striker Greg Hurst and midfielder Luis Seijas.

On Saturday, the wingers’ struggles continued, as Epps’ first-half cutback to Calistri was the only truly dangerous chance that either created.

“We got into really dangerous spots in wide areas and our crossing wasn't good,” Schantz lamented afterward.

Referee got penalty no-calls right

After the game, a frustrated Schantz said, “we’re not getting any luck with referees.”

That quote was directly in reference to a potential offside in the build-up to Birmingham’s goal — a call on which replays didn’t provide a clear angle — but Schantz added, “I think we had three pretty obvious shouts for pens as well.”

The big one came in the 83rd minute, when Moar played a cross into Jonathan Dean inside the penalty box. While the ball initially appeared to hit Dean’s outstretched arm, replays showed that it hit his torso, vindicating the referee’s no-call.

Five minutes later, a Birmingham defender grabbed a hold of Hurst’s arm, seeming to pull him down in the box. Hurst, though, was off-balance and already going to ground. Rising had a more valid claim than they did on Moar’s cross, but a penalty would have been harsh on Legion.

Theo Mackie covers Arizona high school sports and Phoenix Rising FC. He can be reached by email at theo.mackie@gannett.com and on Twitter @theo_mackie.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What we learned in Rising's 1-0 loss to Birmingham Legion