Monterey Bay FC Earns Point Against Phoenix Rising FC
SEASIDE, California (Saturday, September 5, 2026) – Monterey Bay FC battled to a 1-1 draw against Phoenix Rising FC at Cardinale Stadium on Saturday night, with Ryuga Nakamura’s late equalizer earning the Crisp-and-Kelp a point in front of the home crowd.
After a scoreless opening half, both sides continued to battle for the breakthrough as Monterey Bay looked to build on its recent 1-1 draw against Sacramento Republic FC. Phoenix eventually opened the scoring in the 79th minute when Daniel Flores found the bottom corner with a left-footed strike from outside the box.
The Crisp-and-Kelp responded almost immediately, continuing to push forward in search of an equalizer. In the 88th minute, a Phoenix clearance fell to Nakamura outside the box, and the midfielder unleashed a first-time effort into the bottom corner to bring Monterey Bay level.
“I am not as happy as I could be, we should’ve gotten three points instead of one,” Nakamura said. “I was happy to get this goal. I’m grateful for the team and the coach for believing in me.”
Head Coach Alex Covelo praised the team’s reaction after conceding and felt Monterey Bay had done enough to take all three points.
“I think this has been the story of our season. They scored a goal but this time our team reacted very well. We were doing well and I think we should have won,” Covelo said.
Goalkeeper Jacob Jackson echoed that sentiment, highlighting the team’s resilience after falling behind late in the match.
“We showed great energy coming back down from a goal to tie it and I think that’s an important step for this team,” Jackson said. “Coming back together and knowing that no matter what happens we can suffer through adversity and keep climbing and doing what we want to do.”
The result gives Monterey Bay another point at Cardinale Stadium as the Crisp-and-Kelp continue through the final stretch of the USL Championship regular season. Monterey Bay will next travel to face the Charleston Battery on September 19.
