The first announcement dropped on Tuesday, February 6th, when FC Tucson, who was acquired by Phoenix Rising FC in October 2017, announced that they will be joining USL's Division III when it begins play in 2019. Currently, there are no leagues in the U.S. that occupy the third division since USL was granted second division sanctioning by the United States Soccer Federation prior to their 2017 season. 

 

FC Tucson joins South Georgia Tormenta FC as the only two teams in this new league thus far, which is slated to begin play in 2019. 

 

On Saturday, Phoenix Rising FC announced the addition of Advantage Sports Union LTD. The chairman of Advantage Sports Union LTD., Alex Zheng, is a significant investor of French Ligue 1's OGC Nice. 

 

Avi Creditor of SI.com had a great breakdown of what this means for Phoenix Rising FC and their Major League Soccer hopes. 

 

Right now, Phoenix Rising FC is currently in preseason. with the regular season kicking off on March 17. Phoenix Rising FC's first home game is March 24. If you can't wait until then to catch a game, Phoenix Rising FC is playing host to Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids on Wednesday, February 14 and Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, February 17.