Searching for a first win since May 3, the Lights now head to the Lone Star State for the first time this season to face a San Antonio FC side on a tough run of form. A win is of vital importance to get back on track.
Read on to discover the keys to tonight’s crucial Western Conference duel at Toyota Field.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (3-5-3, 9th in Western Conference) at San Antonio FC (5-4-2, 4th in Western Conference)
When: Saturday, June 7
Where: Toyota Field, San Antonio, TX
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. PT
How to Watch: SSSEN, ESPN+
Same, Same… But Different
Las Vegas Lights FC and San Antonio FC had very promising starts to their respective seasons.
On their first five matches, the Lights earned eight out of a possible 15 points, conceding only two goals throughout that stretch. While Vegas’ attack was not prolific, every single game was a tremendous display of defensive order and discipline.
Meanwhile, San Antonio won four of their five first games, defeating opponents such as Monterey Bay, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and Oakland Roots.
However, things have taken a turn for both clubs in recent times.
The Times They Are A-Changin’
The Lights have not been able to win a match in all competitions since May 3, when they beat Loudoun United FC at Cashman Field thanks to a Johnny Rodriguez header. From that point onwards, the Lights have drawn one match and lost four in consecutive fashion, conceding 12 goals in those four defeats. Nine of those twelve goals came from crushing defeats away to Sacramento Republic FC.
Things haven’t been going that great for San Antonio, either. After leading the Western Conference with ease, the club from River City has stagnated, being unable to earn three points in the USL Championship since April 23 when they defeated Colorado Springs Switchbacks at home 3-2.
Tonight’s match presents a huge opportunity for both teams to end negative streaks and get back on track as they aim to climb the standings with the objective of playoff qualification.
At the end of the day, anything is still possible. Last year’s Lights team had the same number of points and were one place worse off in the standings on this same date.
That team ended up in 4th place in the Western Conference at the conclusion of the season, and they could have risen as high as 2nd had they won on the final day. Where can this year’s Lights team go?
Keys to the Match
Here are the three keys to look out for tonight as the Lights aim to return to winning ways.
Contain Jorge Hernandez
Few players are as influential on their team’s overall performance as Jorge Hernandez.
The midfielder, who was second overall in assists for both the 2023 (10) and 2024 (11) USL Championship seasons, is San Antonio’s leading goal scorer this season with six. Hernandez has been directly involved in seven of San Antonio’s 15 league goals.
Despite not being a striker, Jorge has an eye for goal and an innate talent for leaving his teammates in key positions to score.
The Lights have been conceding an average of three goals in their last four matches. In order to cut this trend, the team’s defense must contain Jorge Hernandez as he moves towards threatening positions.
Time To Score.
A concerning stat: the Lights have the lowest goals scored per match in the league with 0.64. In fact, the team has only scored two goals in their last six matches.
While the Lights have generated many chances and kept decent percentages of possession in their last three games, luck has not been on their side.
For the Lights to leave San Antonio with three points in the bag, the team’s strikers must be clinical when opportunity arises, and the team’s attack as a whole will need to turn their possession into a higher quantity of incisive attacking moves.
A Return To Defensive Solidity.
The Lights were statistically the best defense in the league before a rough run of form has caused a nosedive in those stats.
Still, much of the struggle has come against one team – Sacramento Republic in two matches – while the rest of the results have continued to be solid defensive performances.
If the Lights are to turn their season in the right direction, it will always start with defensive solidity under Head Coach Antonio Nocerino’s leadership. A return to the defensive prowess the team showed early in the year would go a long way to helping shoulder the burden.