On Monday Phoenix Rising FC announced their new head coach, Pa Modou Kah, after the parting of interim head coach, Diego Gomez. 

Before accepting the role, Kah spent the previous year working as an assistant coach for Charlotte in the MLS.  

“I’m here because Phoenix Rising has the ambition and the drive to maintain its status as one of the top clubs in the USL Championship, with a commitment to bringing home more hardware and developing players,” Kah said in a release by the club. 

Retired Gambian-Norwegian professional soccer player, Kah, brings a wealth of knowledge to the squad. He was a strong, versatile defender who could play both central defense and defensive midfield.

Kah transitioned to coaching in 2017, starting as an assistant with the Whitecaps and then with FC Cincinnati in 2019. Kah was then the head coach of Canadian Premier League club Pacific FC, leading that club to its first league title in 2021 and earning Coach of the Year honors.

Rising is coming off a year of unsteadiness at the head coach position where Danny Stone was at the helm before being fired and Diego Gomez ushered in as interim head coach. 

Both Kah and the players have huge potential and fans have a reason to be excited after last season’s disappointing run. 

As Rising came off an already bumpy season, a loss 2-1 to New Mexico United in the first round of the USL Championship Playoffs, left a huge void. 

Still, the Rising has immense talent and have brought in some solid pieces, the question…what will it take to get the team to gel? 

Remi Cabral, a top player for Rising is currently out on loan from the Colorado Rapids, meaning his move is not permanent, and Cabral simply gets more game time. 

Rising has a slew of new players, especially after the moves made in January, so don’t be surprised if they make more changes when the transfer window opens up in June—whether to bring in new faces or separate from players that don’t fit within the structure. 

The first, and most important element Rising needs—chemistry. 

Without it, they won’t be successful. Talent won’t matter if the team can’t come together or argues off or on the pitch. 

Kah can set a new standard, but with all of the talent as well as players that leave or join the club, what will be Kah’s strategy and style of play? 

A style is hard to teach and more depends on the players knowledge of what to do on and off the ball, but if Kah can promote his style, and promote it effectively, his new team will be hard to beat as they unquestionably know their jobs on the pitch. 

Last season, Rising’s style of play was fairly simple—control possession and play from the wings. However, relying on one style of play can lead to easy reads. This is the cause of Rising’s record of draw or lose games—the style was predictable.  

A possession-based style of play is great, if played correctly, and wing play can be deadly, but relying on it for an entire game doesn’t work and players shouldn’t be afraid to shoot from outside of the box if they think they have a good angle. 

As for tactics, the most common tactic near the end of the season was a 4-1-4-1, which for Phoenix, played a tactic that focused on the wings and possession.  

Kah needs to make the team play to their full capacity, while also recognizing weak spots and this includes, rotating the squad. Rushing a player back from injury or not shooting down a player’s confidence—is key to every game.  

If Kah can rotate the squad effectively, Rising will be successful and if he can see a dry spell within a certain player, start a new player in that role (while maintaining player confidence) allowing sufficient time for sub and injury he will gain ground.

If Kah feels like the formation isn’t working, he can switch it up as long as the players know the new roles they have to play and how to play the system. 

Whether it’s changed to a 4-4-2, a 4-3-3, a 4-2-3-1, or even a 3-5-2, both Kah and players need to understand the formation and the new roles they play on the field—most importantly, on and off the ball. 

Kah will be wise to listen to the team. 

If any coach flat out refuses to hear his player’s he will lose the locker room and nothing is worse. 

If Kah can gain the player’s respect and confidence and steady the ship, then the new head coach will help bring an extremely talented roster to its full potential.