Phoenix Rising return to USL play against Tampa Bay Rowdies

Phoenix Rising FC returns to USL Championship league competition Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the Eastern Conference.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Rising Soccer Complex at Wildhorse Pass, an hour later than originally scheduled. The game will be broadcast on ESPN News and streamed on ESPN+.

The Rowdies (3-4-3) currently are seventh in the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings, while Phoenix (6-0-3) is fourth in the Western Conference.

The Rising and Rowdies have been two of the top clubs in the USL Championship league over the past few seasons. In 2020, each team won their respective conference championships and were scheduled to meet in the title match. But that was canceled after a COVID outbreak on the Rowdies.

Last season, Phoenix finished with the best record in the West, and Tampa Bay with the best record in the East.

However, the Rising were knocked out of the playoffs early by Rio Grande Valley. Orange County advanced to the championship game from the Western Conference, where it defeated Tampa Bay to win the league title.

The Rowdies have lost twoo straight, to Memphis and San Diego. Phoenix is coming off a loss in US Cup competition last Wednesday to USL rival Sacramento. The Rising had won its eight previous games, including both USL and US Cup competition.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Rising return to USL play against Tampa Bay Rowdie