PHOENIX – With the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup just around the corner, May is setting up to be a busy month for Phoenix Rising FC as it heads for a two-game road trip to Oklahoma this week that kicks off on Wednesday night against OKC Energy FC.

With the side on a four-game undefeated streak that has moved it into the top four in the Western Conference, Head Coach Patrice Carteron is hoping the team’s positive spirits will allow it to thrive during a stretch that could see the side play seven games in the next 22 days.

After suffering defeats on the road against both Energy FC and Tulsa Roughnecks FC a season ago, there’s also a mind to a little bit of payback on this year’s visit to the Sooner state.

“I remember last year that the long trip we had in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver was a fantastic opportunity to have a great spirit as a team and I’m sure this week will be very important too,” said Carteron. “We have two difficult games. We know [Energy FC] is getting much better now with Jose Angulo, their striker. Tulsa is always hard to compete with. We remember last year we had a difficult game there, so we’ll be motivated in Oklahoma and in Tulsa to bring some better results than last year.”

Both Energy FC and the Roughnecks have had some struggles this season, with OKC entering Wednesday night on a seven-game losing streak and Tulsa having yet to earn its first win of the season after four consecutive draws going into its midweek game against Reno 1868 FC.  With Rising FC having already picked up a 4-1 win against Energy FC in its home opener earlier this season, forward Jason Johnson is hoping the side’s good form going in can carry it through as Phoenix looks to make a move against its conference rivals.

“It’s very important that we have the momentum,” said Johnson, who scored twice in Phoenix’s 4-3 win against the LA Galaxy II last Friday. “I think we try to take each game as its own, not collectively but focusing one game at a time. Even when we’re on the road, try to think about one game. The first one against OKC, a return match there. We’ve played them already obviously, so we know what they’re capable of. Just trying to win each game.”

“I felt good,” said Carroll. “Definitely tough, coming in short notice, but I thought it was a good game. Defensively we grinned it out. It was a tough team and I was happy with how the guys fought.”

With a visit to Sacramento Republic FC set to round out the trip on Saturday night for the first Donner Pass Derby of the season, Reno is aiming to approach Wednesday night’s game positively to try and maintain its momentum into one of its biggest games of the season. With the extended time the side has spent on the road in the past two weeks, 1868 FC could come out of it in a very good spot as it looks for a second consecutive trip to the postseason.

“I think having more time together, we have come together more cohesively,” said Carroll. “At the beginning we had high expectations and not living up to them. We got really down and hard on ourselves. We have taken a step back and are working on the basics and relearning those. We are getting back to a clean sheet and creating opportunities.”

LOS DOS AIM FOR COMPLETE DISPLAY: After letting a two-goal halftime lead slip against Phoenix Rising FC last Friday night, arguably the best opportunity the side has had to earn its first win of the season, the LA Galaxy II are looking to put together a tighter performance when Saint Louis FC visits StubHub Center on Wednesday night.

A pair of excellent goals by 15-year-old Efrain Alvarez and 16-year-old Ulysses Llanez at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex that put the visitors in a strong position showed off the quality and potential in the side possesses, but after some good defensive displays earned the side points earlier in the season Los Dos’ lapses against Phoenix proved costly as the side fell for a fifth time this season.

“We aren’t in a position where we can make mistakes,” said Galaxy II Head Coach Mike Munoz. “We have to be almost perfect in order for our team to get results based off our lack of maturity, so little things. Things like throw ins. I think this was the first game where we actually gave up a set piece goal, which has been uncharacteristic of us. So, we have to stamp those out.

“We’ve been focusing so much on scoring goals, so now I think we’ve obviously done a good job in that department, now we have to make sure we have a complete package.”

In similar fashion to Friday’s game against Phoenix, Los Dos conceded an early second-half goal when it first squared off with STLFC on April 14 at Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis. On that occasion a goal by Joey Calistri 20 seconds into the second half proved the difference as the Galaxy II were unable to find an answer.

Munoz is expecting another hard-fought game on Wednesday night, but is hoping his side can dish out a measure of the approach Saint Louis looks to inflict on its opponents in the return fixture.

“They’re a team that wants to make life difficult for you and force mistakes,” said Munoz. “So, last time when we played them we wanted to see if we could flip it and see if we could force mistakes by them and take advantage of those situations. It’s crazy, but our team’s confident. … They know they are right there, they know they just have to get it right over the edge to get that result.”