The Phoenix Rising FC soccer club has fired head coach Danny Stone.
Saturday's announcement by the team came the day after the club suffered a 5-1 blowout loss on the road to Memphis 901 FC. That loss came after back-to-back draws in which the Rising scored just one total goal between those two matches.
Stone was named head coach last January after former head coach Juan Guerra left to take an assistant coach with Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo. Guerra led the Rising to last seasons USL Championship league title, with Stone as an assistant coach. Stone has been with the club since 2021.
“Danny Stone has been a dedicated and influential part of the club over the last three years,” said Phoenix Rising President Bobby Dulle, in the statement announcing the team was ''parting ways'' with the coach.
“His commitment and contributions, from his work with our youth teams to his time as head coach, have been invaluable. He was an instrumental part of winning the championship last fall, and we want to thank him for his professionalism and unwavering dedication. On behalf of our owners, front office, and fans, we extend our deepest gratitude to Danny for his efforts and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
Rising Assistant coach Diego Gómez will serve as interim head coach while the club conducts its search. Gómez, who formerly competed a goalkeeper for Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, stepped into coaching after retiring in 2013. He took the reins at FC Milan in Hong Kong. He also had tenures with DV7 Academy, Queensboro FC II (2021-22), and NISA teams Albion SC. His most recent stint is with Irvine Zeta (2023-24), according to the Rising statement.
The Rising (5-6-6, 21 points) are in sixth place in the USL Championship Western Conference. They continue their road swing next Saturday at 6 p.m., at San Antonio.
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