![]() ![]() The next step, for Guerra and his team, is providing crowds like Saturday’s with a win. “There's not a better atmosphere in the USL Championship.” “It's unbelievable, it's wonderful, it's beautiful,” Guerra said. Guerra, though, said the surface was “great.” The field seemed to be lumpy, with distinct strips of grass still visible from last month’s installation. “Light rail is a huge benefit.”Īdded Domke: “It's not gonna be 45 minutes trying to get out of the stadium.” “The alcohol part of it, plus also the stress of having to go into one entrance, go out one entrance,” Daggett-Vonderas said. When asked why the light rail is preferable to driving, Daggett-Vonderas pointed to a friend’s can of Modelo. For fans coming from Tempe and downtown Phoenix, that option was a hit. The stadium is just steps from the 38 th St/Washington light rail stop, which is branded in Rising colors. “It’s what we’ve wanted for a long time,” said one member of the Bandidos supporters group. Still, there were some positive reactions to the new stadium, mostly centered around its location. Fans reported lines of as long as 20 minutes, though the lines cleared by kickoff. At one point, a line on the north side of the stadium snaked halfway through a parking lot, past nearly 20 parked cars. The team is also planning to add more metal detectors, aiming to alleviate another notable issue - lines entering the stadium. “And when this whole thing is finished, it's gonna be beautiful.” “The experience is gonna keep getting better, not just for the fans but also for us, for the players, for the staff,” manager Juan Guerra said. San Diego Loyal SCīefore the game, a team official on the public address system asked for patience, adding that the team is working on reducing the amount of dust that swirled through the stadium with each gust of wind. View Gallery: Photos: Phoenix Rising FC vs. Currently, there are no concessions on the south side of the stadium. One of those could be a beer garden in the southeast corner of the ground. However, a team spokesperson said the club is planning to add more concession stands going forward. The paucity of options led to winding lines at the few existing stands. Two of those stands only sell hot dogs, cheeseburgers and nachos, while a grill near the main entrance also sells chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, carnitas fries and loaded nachos. There are currently only three concessions selling food that could comprise a meal. The concession options themselves also left something to be desired. “They put the big food option here, but you come in that entrance and everybody has to go through the line here,” Polly Domke, another season ticket holder, said while standing in a lengthy line that obstructed fans trying to enter the stadium. The new site is far more cramped, with narrow walkways between concession stands, creating bottlenecks. ![]() ![]() The old site had an expansive lawn to the south of the stadium with a video board, picnic tables, concessions and games for kids. “But we were promised a little bit more than we're actually getting today.” “It's the first game, there's gonna be issues and I understand that,” Juliane Daggett-Vonderas, a Rising season ticket holder said. On Saturday, that’s where the issues lay. But everything surrounding the stadium itself is different. The core features of Rising’s new home are identical to its old one at Wild Horse Pass - the mobile nature of the stadium enabled the club to spend the past few months relocating it to the new site at 38th Street and Washington. Not all of those fans, though, walked away happy with the experience - and not just because Rising blew a two-goal lead to draw, 2-2 with San Diego Loyal. Phoenix Rising welcomed 10,437 fans to its new home near Sky Harbor Airport on Saturday night, breaking the previous club record of 9,236. Watch Video: Video: Inside look at Phoenix Rising FC's new stadium
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