On Saturday, Real Monarchs SLC will play its second match in the inaugural Four-Corners Cup when it plays host to the defending Western Conference Champions, Phoenix Rising FC. Since the Monarchs made its first appearance during the 2015 USL season, the series between the Utah and Arizona sides has been a tight one, with the Monarchs leading the all-time series by a single win with a record of 6-5-1.
The two sides first met in June of 2015 in Arizona, in a heated match that would see seven yellow cards and ultimately Phoenix Rising FC – formerly Arizona United SC – take home the win in a 2-1 victory at Scottsdale Stadium. Since that first contest, the two sides have been battling for supremacy over each other in a narrow but heated series that doesn’t see much separating the two.
In the four seasons the Monarchs have played since its inception, the Monarchs and Phoenix Rising FC have met a total of 13 times. The two have tallied 31 goals in those two matches, with the Monarchs leading the goal differential by a single goal. Every contest between these Four-Corners rivals have been hotly contested however, as the two sides share a total of 49 yellow cards in the series. Each match has seen at least one yellow card issued, with eight out of the 13 match-ups seeing at least four yellow cards. Despite the high number of cards handed out, only two red cards have been issued, both being shown to Phoenix Rising FC.
Real Monarchs and Phoenix Rising only played twice through the 2018 season, which saw the Monarchs dominate the series with a narrow 1-0 win via a second-half goal from Sebastian Velásquez and a 4-1 rout in the first bout between the two at Zions Bank Stadium.
Saturday’s match will be the first time the two sides meet in the 2019 season and the second match the two will have at Zions Bank Stadium. It will be a contest between a Utah side that has only lost once at home this season against an Arizona team that has only picked up the full three points on the road once this season.
With the fierce back-and-forth between these two Western Conference rivals and the added stakes of the newly created Four-Corners Cup, Saturday’s match-up will sure to be a thrilling battle as each team plays for not only pride but for what could be critical points on the Western Conference table. The first 2019 contest between Real Monarchs and Phoenix Rising FC is set for this Saturday, May 25, where kick off from Zions Bank Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. MT. Tickets can be purchased for $5 using promo code MILITARY at realmonarchs.com/promo.
