Phoenix Rising FC (6-6-7) regained momentum in a dominant 2-0 win over El Paso Locomotive (3-3-13) Friday night at Phoenix Rising Stadium. The timely win is the first under interim head coach Diego Gomez, and it came in his first home appearance where the Rising have struggled to come away with three points.

Rising goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novos continued his stout season, posting his sixth clean sheet, and defender Pape Mar Boye knocked in his first goal as a member of the Rising to put the finishing touches on El Paso in the 87th minute.

For the second consecutive week, the Rising controlled the possession of the game; Friday night, they dominated 58%. Capitalizing on his team's pressure, Rising midfielder John Scearce joined Mar Boye as the two offseason signees to score goals for the Rising against El Paso.

Scearce got Rising on the board in the 43rd minute when midfielder Renzo Zambrano found him along the left flank, leading to a header to give the Rising an early lead.

The Rising are back in the USL Championship playoff picture, sitting in sixth place in the USL Western Conference standings. At 26 points, the Rising Football Club is just three points behind Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (8-3-8) and four points away from Memphis FC.

The Rising take on Memphis Oct. 19 at home and will visit Colorado Springs Aug. 3.

Rising back on the road facing flawed Hartford Athletic

Gomez’s third game as interim head coach is the first of a two-game road trip before returning home for a two-game home stretch.

Hartford Athletic, coming off a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (5-6-9), is one of the worst teams in the USL Eastern Conference.

The 2024 Hartford Athletic group has not played well, currently residing second to last in USL goalkeeping. The team's defense has also been poor, giving up the third most goals (33) in the USL.

Hartford Athletic’s season went similarly last year, and when they met up with the Rising at Phoenix Rising Stadium for their only matchup of the season, the Rising came away with a dominant 3-1 win.

Things have changed for the Rising, too, though. The three players who scored goals in the win against Hartford Athletic last season are no longer with the club, and the Rising have also had their fair share of trouble finding the net in recent matches.

The Rising found help from Scearce and Mar Boye in the win over El Paso and will try to build on that momentum Friday night at Trinity Health Stadium as a playoff spot is still within striking distance.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Rising FC maintain playoff hopes, prep for Hartford road trip