After a somber week which bundled early elimination from the U.S. Open Cup with a defeat at home against FC Tulsa, the Lights now head to California for a promising rematch against Orange County SC.
Read on for the keys of the match as the Lights make their debut in the 2025 edition of the USL Jägermeister Cup.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC at Orange County SC SC | USL Jägermeister Cup
When: Saturday, April 26
Where: Championship Soccer Stadium
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. PT
How to Watch: ESPN+, FOX5
We Meet Again…
It’s only been three weeks since the Lights and Orange County faced each other at Cashman Field, with the result being a 1-0 victory for Vegas. A late goal from Nighte Pickering following a Hail Mary-esque pass from left wing-back Gennaro Nigro was enough to seal the deal for the Lights when a draw seemed imminent.
Ever since that game, the Lights have not been able to earn three points. A draw away at Lexington, a “cupset” at home courtesy of USL League One side Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, and a 1-4 thrashing by FC Tulsa at Cashman have constituted a tough run of form. After some solid performances to start the season, it’s clear that better performances and perhaps some adjustments are needed to return to winning ways.
Things haven’t been rosy for Orange County, either. While they did win their next match at home against Sacramento Republic on account of a pair of own goals, they then got knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup by AV Alta and were defeated by then Western Conference last place Oakland Roots.
The Jägermeister Cup offers both clubs a fresh start; it’s an opportunity to start anew in the midst of the chaos that is the USL Championship.
But what is the Jägermeister Cup anyway? Read this article with everything you need to know before the team takes the pitch on Saturday.
Keys to the Match
Here are three keys to look out for on Saturday night:
Mental Fortitude
It’s not easy. Coming back from a tragic upset and a rout at home is no painless feat. But the Jägermeister Cup offers an opportunity to start from scratch and build some positive momentum for the rest of the season.
During his appearance as a guest this week on the Lights Lounge podcast, veteran Joe Gyau said the following: “We’re looking at these next games with a clean slate. Sometimes you can get a bad run of form in the league if you get two losses in a row like this, just like how it happened to us last year. So now, this one is a good step for us to build some confidence on the weekend to take that into the league.”
Teammate Younes Boudadi was also on the same page, stating: “Sometimes you’ll have a loss and you’ll see teams roll into a few losses in a row. So, I think it’s good that we can have a split from league play and focus on the Jägermeister Cup where everyone starts with zero points. It’s a clean slate.”
The Lights must have the mental strength and attitude to head into the Championship Soccer Stadium’s pitch and go for the win regardless of what has happened in the last few weeks.
Last season, the team proved it could come back from adverse circumstances. It’s time to run it back.
Attack. Attack. Attack.
The Lights have not managed to score away from home this season.
However, this Saturday’s opposition has the worst defensive record at home in the Western Conference alongside Phoenix Rising. In four matches, Orange County has conceded eight goals; an average of two per 90 minutes. In fact, they have conceded in every single game they’ve played at the Championship Soccer Stadium: 4-2 vs. Oakland Roots, 2-2 vs. Lexington, 0-3 vs. Monterey Bay, and 2-1 vs. Sacramento Republic.
It will be key for the Lights to take advantage of any defensive errors from the Orange County back line, as they’re certainly prone to making them. This will not only assist the Lights in their pursuit of their first away win, but it will also help break that mental barrier that’s not allowing the team to get on the scoresheet outside of Vegas this year.
As the players said, the Jägermeister Cup is a clean slate for the Lights. It’s time to take more risks up front, and there will be few better opportunities than this Saturday.
Defensive Order
Before the match against FC Tulsa, the Lights were characterized by their ability to limit their opponent’s chances of creating high quality goalscoring opportunities. The stats weren’t lying: the team had the lowest xGA in the league. Getting through that Vegas defensive line and shooting on goal was hard work for every single club.
But last week’s loss called all that into question as the team conceded four goals, more than they had allowed in the rest of the USL Championship season.
However, a closer look at the stats shows us that FC Tulsa’s xG (1.56) was much lower than the four goals they scored. This means that the Lights were very unlucky and conceded from chances that probably wouldn’t have gone in in another match given similar circumstances.
The team’s strong defensive system must continue to improve to eliminate unforced errors, but the hard work done through preseason has certainly borne fruit. The scoresheet might be deceiving, but the underlying statistics are not.
Orange County have a porous defense, but their attack compensates for their back line frailty by scoring as many goals as they concede at home. Keeping their attack in check is a must if the Lights want to leave California with three points in the bag.