SHERMAN — Phoenix Rising picked up their first win in the USL Jägermeister Cup after defeating Texoma FC in a scoring-heavy affair, 5-4, on June 28.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Trading Blows
Phoenix Rising’s Ryan Flood looks to pass while Jamison Ping defends against Texoma FC on June 28, 2025. Credit: Phoenix Rising FC
Texoma’s Brandon McManus started the scoring with a goal in the seventh minute. Rising’s Charlie Dennis and Darius Johnson brought Phoenix to its first lead of the match with goals in the 21st and 24th minutes, respectively.
Texoma answered right back two minutes later when Diego Pepi scored to even it up again. Pepi then scored in the 41st minute to give Texoma a 3-2 lead at halftime.
Dennis tied it up for Phoenix in the 52nd minute with his second goal of the night. Texoma’s Lamin Jawneh gave his team the lead once again in the 68th minute, 4-3. Dennis scored his third goal in the 71st minute off a penalty shot, completing his hat-trick and keeping Rising in the match once again.
When it looked like both clubs would reach a draw in extra time, Phoenix’s Emil Cuello scored the fifth goal of the night for his team in the 96th minute and sealed the victory.
Rising have five points in the tournament and are second in Group 2.
The Hat Trick
Phoenix Rising’s Darius Johnson runs across the pitch against Texoma FC on June 28, 2025. Credits: Phoenix Rising FC
Dennis spoke to the media about the match and his performance that set up Rising’s win in the tournament.
“I’m delighted with that,” he said, referring to his hat trick. “Most importantly, we won the game at the end, but we made it difficult. A lot of lessons to be learned there.”
EVERYTHING about this ????#TodosRojos | #AwayDays Driven by @Carvana pic.twitter.com/G1R3TaEMbc
— Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) June 29, 2025
Dennis believes Rising can learn from the match, especially with the number of goals conceded to Texoma. He says the club needs to do better than they played on Saturday in future matches.
“We can’t turn up and expect to win,” Dennis said. “We have to be switched on and everyone needs to be way better than we were tonight. Conceding four goals against (Texoma) is just not good enough.”
Hat-trick for Mr. @CharlieDennis28 ????3️⃣#TodosRojos | #AwayDays Driven by @Carvana pic.twitter.com/in8YP0z3bl
— Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) June 29, 2025
Phoenix Rising will have their fourth match of the Jägermeister Cup against El Paso Locomotive FC on July 19.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Wendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde
Phoenix Rising return to Jägermeister Cup action against Texoma
