Larry Fitzgerald will be watching from the stands, Didier Drogba will be showing his stuff on the pitch. Two famous number 11’s at this Friday nights Phoenix Rising FC playoff match. “I’m planning on being there,” Fitzgerald told me in the Cardinals locker room on Wednesday. Fitzgerald has always supported the other sports teams in the Valley, so this comes as no surprise. He’s up on the teams run, “love Drogba” he said.
TV ratings for last weeks first round playoff win over Portland were up double from the previous high mark. This Friday nights playoff match against Swope Park is on YurView(Cox7).
From what I’ve been told, if Rising FC had a stadium that could hold 10K fans for Friday nights match, they’d still have to add seats. They will set another attendance record Friday…
At a time when the NFL, NBA, NHL, and college football teams in Phoenix are all struggling, I present to you the United States Soccer League and Phoenix Rising FC. You may be just now coming into the party, but if you can somehow find a ticket for Friday night, you will not walk out of the stadium disappointed with the fan experience. it’s been a great run for the team. It’s been a great run for those of us who have pushed soccer(indoor, outdoor, club, high school) for the last twenty-five years here in the market. It’s nice to see most of the Valley media let their guard down and actually turn away from the nonsense that soccer won’t make it in Arizona. All five local TV stations have put resources and time into covering the franchise as the season has progressed. XTRA Sports 910am has carried a simulcast of the games(both home and road) and even devoted some of their talk-show segments to the team.
The owners should feel good about the process. Brick by brick…
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Brad Cesmat
Media personality Brad Cesmat first rose to fame in Southern California with the launching of "The Mighty 690" all-sports radio station in the late 1980's and early 90's. Brad came to Arizona in 1993 to begin a 10-year run at KTAR Radio followed by nine years at KTVK-TV in Phoenix. Brad is the Founder/ CEO of Sports360AZ.com. His vision of multi platform content marketing through sports began in September of 2011. Cesmat has served on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army for the last 18 years. He and his wife Chris have four children.