After another close defeat on Saturday night, the Lights have a quick turnaround – and an opportunity to snap their losing streak. Phoenix Rising FC, just two spots above Las Vegas in the table, come to town on Wednesday night.
Read on to discover our keys to a match that holds huge significance in the early race for playoff spots in the Western Conference.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (3-3-4, 9th in Western Conference) vs Phoenix Rising FC (3-4-3, 7th in Western Conference)
When: Wednesday, May 28
Where: Cashman Field
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT
How to Watch: CBSSN
Tickets: Buy your tickets now!
A Fresh Start for Both Sides
Both Las Vegas and Phoenix headed into the 2025 campaign under new leadership, despite both teams qualifying for the playoffs in 2024.
For Las Vegas, the story of Dennis Sanchez’s offseason departure and Antonio Nocerino’s swift arrival ahead of preseason is well trodden ground – on this website, at least.
For Phoenix, their head coaching saga was much less cut and dry. Previous Head Coach Danny Stone parted ways with the club on June 29, 2024, taking on an assistant role at Western Conference rival Orange County SC. Assistant Diego Gomez stepped in to steady the ship as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the year, and he even helped the team squeak into the postseason as the eighth and final seed.
However, upon the conclusion of the season, Phoenix and Gomez also parted ways (in the meantime, Stone was promoted to Interim Head Coach in Orange County before assuming the full-time role ahead of 2025).
So, heading into the new season, Phoenix had a pivotal head coaching hire to make. They eventually settled on Pa-Modou Kah, a former Charlotte FC assistant coach who has had multiple stops as a head coach across MLS NEXT Pro and the Canadian Premier League.
Both Kah and Nocerino bring a similar level of energy and intensity to their every day routines at training and on match day.
So far, their teams are off to extremely similar starts, with Rising just one point clear of the Lights. Now with a head-to-head matchup, it will be a good test to see which new head coach can get the tactical edge from the sideline.
Keys To The Match
Here are the three keys to look out for on Wednesday night for the team to return to winning ways:
One Match at a Time
Back-to-back losses is tough for any team. After the momentum of two Jagermeister Cup victories, the Lights would have been expecting more from their recent league matches.
Instead, a 5-0 road loss and a 2-1 home loss have them outside the playoff spots for the first time this season.
However, things change fast in soccer, especially when the season is still young. The three teams above Las Vegas in the table are only one point ahead, and the three teams above that are only a further three points ahead.
A single win, coupled with a few key losses or draws by other teams, and the Lights would suddenly find themselves threatening the top four again.
This mentality – that every match matters and could be the difference in the end – is what the team will need to harness to snap their losing streak and get back in the win column.
Keep the Chaos to a Minimum
Phoenix Rising are a neutral’s dream.
Their 18 goals scored are the second-most in the Western Conference, meaning they are scoring goals for fun more often than not.
The problem? Their 18 goals conceded are also the second-worst in the Western Conference, meaning they are also conceding goals for fun more often than not.
Flip on a Rising game, and you’ll see a whole lot of 3-3 style matches. Flip on a Lights game, and you’ll see a whole lot of 0-0 or 1-1 style matches.
This stylistic contrast is not just interesting to talk about, but it’s also instructive on the tactical battle we will see play out on Wednesday night.
Pa-Modou Kah’s team will want the game to be open so that they can gash the Lights in transition and pour numbers into the box. Antonio Nocerino’s team, on the other hand, will want the game to have a more conservative feel with good numbers behind the ball.
For either team to feel “in control” of the match, they’ll want the game to feel most comfortable to them. For the Rising, that’s chaos and possession. For the Lights, that’s control and solidity.
Whichever style comes out on top will be key to which team leaves with three points.
Johnny Rodriguez’s Clinical Form
Johnny Rodriguez, the man that Las Vegas determined was the striker to lead the line in 2025, hasn’t lit up the scoreboard so far this year.
However, when he has scored, they’ve been clutch goals taken from a low amount of chances.
His early game-winner against Loudoun United was one of his only chances of the game, and he finished it off with a sublime header. His opportunistic strike against El Paso gave the team the lead against the run of play, helping the Lights stay in the match before ultimately succumbing.
If the Lights are to get a win on Wednesday, it will more likely than not be that man Johnny on the scoresheet. And if Johnny is on the scoresheet, it means he’s been clinical in front of goal with his chances.