CHARLESTON, S.C. — Phoenix Rising FC are USL Champions after narrowly defeating the Charleston Battery on Sunday. It's the first time that the team has won the championship.
Charleston scored an early goal, leaving Rising on the back foot 0-1 for most of the game. Two clutch saves from Rios Novo late in the game stopped Charleston from scoring further, allowing center back John Stenberg to smash a header past the Charleston goalkeeper, tying the score up 1-1 just before the final whistle, and the match went into overtime.
Neither team was able to score a goal during overtime and the match was ushered into penalty kicks. Even though Charleston scored with their first two kicks, Rising was able to block them out with the rest. Renzo Zambrano landed Phoenix's third kick to make it 2-1. Erickson Gallardo and Manuel Arteaga scored on kicks four and five, and Novo knocked away Charleston's final kick.
Rising won 3-2 in penalty kicks, their first time taking home the USL Championship title.
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
12SPORTS
Stay up-to-date on the latest Arizona sports stories with 12News.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.