The reigning USL Champions, Phoenix Rising, held their annual Kit Reveal party on Thursday at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe.
Before the jerseys were revealed, coach Danny Stone and president Bobby Dulle had a brief question and answer segment with the audience. When asked about their goals for the season, Stone said “We want to make Phoenix Rising Stadium a fortress this year. We want to make it the most difficult place in the league for teams to come.” Coach Stone, an assistant coach in 2023 who became the head coach after the departure of Juan Guerra, was asked about his coaching style, and what he can take from Guerra’s playbook as well as his own. “We take a lot of things we put into play last year, both on and off the field, and we see this year as a continuation of that. We have a fantastic foundation as a club, we have a great foundation from which to build on the field. We want to be a team that can dominate games. We want to make sure that we are a goal threatening team. We want to make sure that we are a tough defensive team from a mentality point of view.” The support from the fans was constant all night, cheering and chants responding to everything said.
After the Q&A portion of the night, the fashion show began. They started off with the general merchandise that would be available for purchase, before moving on to the jerseys. The entire team sported a different item, ranging from shirts to hoodies and hats. After they showed off the merch, four players took the stage in the team’s new kits. Notably, these players were the newly named captain John Stenberg, midfielder Renzo Zambrano, goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky, and USL Championship Game MVP Rocco Rios Novo.
The first kit revealed was the Todos Rojos jersey, which sports a deep red as its base. The jersey is highlighted with aspects of gold, used to show off that they are the reigning USL champions. The second kit revealed was the Campeones, the team’s black jersey. Similar to the other jersey, this one also includes gold. In 2023, the team had a white jersey, so this pivot to a black alternate is a welcome one. The goalkeepers kit is a familiar yellow, but with a black accenting rather than the red they used last year. When asked their thoughts on the new kits, the players thought they looked great. Renzo Zambrano put his thoughts on display quite simply, stating “For me, it’s a pretty kit.” During the event, John Stenberg was announced to be the team’s captain. When asked his feelings, he responded, “It’s a great honor. I’m very pleased to get this nomination to be the team captain for this amazing club. It’s a great honor to replace Darnell King.”
The fan response to the new kits was a resounding excitement. The night was filled with chanting and singing, and the line to purchase a jersey was quite lengthy. Fans are optimistic for the Phoenix Rising 2024 season, with many thinking the club can go back to back. The kits might not impact the on-field product, but fans will love them if they’re hoisting another USL cup while wearing them.
