PHOENIX – The long-awaited debut of Didier Drogba for Phoenix Rising FC is set for Saturday night, with Patrice Carteron also set to take the reins for Rising FC for the first time as the side welcomes Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 to the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT.

Matchcenter: http://bit.ly/2s5RO7b | Tickets: http://bit.ly/2oKrlLD | Broadcast: YurView Arizona (PHX)

Phoenix Rising FC news and notes

• Current record: 4-5-0, 12pts

• Rising FC is coming off a 3-2 defeat against OKC Energy FC on Tuesday night that saw some players rested after a tough recent schedule.

• J.J. Greer and Eder Arreola both scored their first goals for the club, with Arreola’s goal late on almost sparking a comeback bid.

• Drogba arrived in Phoenix on April 21, and the former Premier League and UEFA Champions League champion has been working on gaining fitness ahead of his debut for Rising FC.

• New Rising FC Head Coach Patrice Carteron also joined up with the club recently, and ran training after the side returned from OKC ahead of Saturday night’s game. Carteron brings experience from Ligue 1 and the Mali National Team to his new position.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 news and notes

• Current record: 4-5-2, 14pts

• WFC2 earned a 1-0 victory last Sunday against the Portland Timbers 2 at Providence Park as Marco Bustos scored the lone goal from the penalty spot.

• Vancouver is now in ninth place in the Western Conference after taking two wins from its past three outings.

• Vancouver’s Deklan Wynne was this week named to the New Zealand squad for the upcoming 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, which kicks off in Russia next Saturday.

• All 13 of WFC2’s goals this season have come from inside the penalty area, as the side holds a 15.9 chance conversion rate.

Series Notes

• Each team took victory once in last season’s series, both on the other’s home turf.

Squads

• Phoenix – GK: Carl Woszczynski, Josh Cohen; D: Eder Arreola, Jordan Gibbons, Brock Granger, Amadou Dia, J.J. Greer, A.J. Grey, Peter Ramage, Kody Wakasa, Victor Vasquez, Jordan Stewart, Uchenna Uzo; M: Alessandro Riggi, Eric Avila, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Romilio Hernandez, Blair Gavin, Miguel Timm, Matt Watson; F: Mike Seth, Jason Johnson, Matthew Hurlow, Chris Cortez, Omar Bravo, Didier Drogba

• Vancouver – GK: Spencer Richey, Sean Melvin, Mark Village; D: Michael Baldisimo, Jacob Nerwinski, Kadin Chung, Cole Seiler, Sem de Wit, Dominick Zator, Chris Serban; M: Nazeem Bartman, Ben McKendry, Thomas Gardner, David Norman Jr., William Seymore, Matthew Baldisimo, Marco Bustos, Noah Verhoeven, Patrick Metcalfe; F: Kyle Greig, Terran Campbell, Thomas Sanner, Gloire Amanda, Andrew Thoma, Theo Bair, Nicholas Apostol

Discipline

• Phoenix – None

• Vancouver – None

Officials

• REF: RAMY TOUCHAN

• AR1: Alicia Messer

• AR2: Brandon Marshall

• 4TH: Matthew Sternheim

Game hashtag:

• #PHXvVAN

Twitter social handles

• Phoenix Rising FC – @PHXRisingFC

• Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 – @WFC2