AZ United, the Valley's United Soccer League team, made a series of major announcements Monday, including its intentions to create a new stadium complex on a 15.8-acre area at McClintock Road and Arizona Loop 202 at the Tempe-Scottsdale border.
The club, which was founded in 2014, also announced it has changed its name to Phoenix Rising FC, and it introduced a new logo that features the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes.
We are now Phoenix Rising Football Club. #RisingAsOne #EarlyRisers pic.twitter.com/s4A2xded2z
— Phoenix Rising FC (@PHXRisingFC) November 28, 2016
The proposed stadium will have over 5,000 seats and a natural grass field. It will be built in collaboration with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Solanna Group, the team announced. The team expects the stadium to be complete in time for the 2017 season and hopes the new venue will eventually help bring a Major League Soccer team to the Valley.
"These planned investments should serve as proof that we are serious about creating a successful soccer franchise in our state," Phoenix Rising governor and Kona Grill CEO Berke Bakay said in a statement. "We seek to prove that the Valley of the Sun can deliver a successful United Soccer League team and eventually compete at the highest levels of soccer."
The team currently plays its home games in the West Valley at the Peoria Sports Complex. The new stadium will be located roughly one mile north of the arena project planned by the Arizona Coyotes and Arizona State University.
