The Lights finish their three-game East Coast road trip at Rhode Island FC’s brand new stadium in Pawtucket.
Read on to discover the keys to the match against last year’s USL Championship runners-up.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (6-7-13, 12th in Western Conference) at Rhode Island FC (8-7-11, 9th in Eastern Conference)
When: Sunday, October 5
Where: Centreville Bank Stadium, Pawtucket, RI
Kickoff: 2:00 p.m. PT
How to Watch: ONLY on ESPN 2
The Blueprint
In 2024, Rhode Island FC finished 5th in the Eastern Conference, merely three points clear of the 8th and final playoff spot in a tight race.
They went on to rally all the way to the USL Championship Final, winning three road games in a row and taking down three of the top four seeds en route.
Rhode Island in 2024 is the perfect case study for what both clubs involved in Sunday’s match hope for the end of their 2025 seasons. Both teams sit on the outside of the playoff picture as things stand. Should they squeeze in at the last minute, they’ll certainly do so a low seed and spend most, if not all, of their playoff run on the road.
However, the team from the Northeast proved last year that this is a very viable path to a trophy in a single-elimination format.
So, that just leaves the part ahead of them… winning their final regular season games and getting into that playoff pictures to get a shot.
Keys to the Match
The Lights are desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Here are the keys to the match to achieve that goal:
Togetherness
As Las Vegas sits in last place in the Western Conference, it would be easy to lose both the belief and the camaraderie that is so vital to a winning culture.
However, while the table looks grim, the Lights actually control their own destiny against two of the teams above them – Oakland Roots and Monterey Bay – while needing Colorado to drop just one loss in their final four to leapfrog them. That leaves only Orange County for the Lights to rely on having a bad run-in.
Of course, that scenario assumes the Lights win out with four wins out of their final four matches.
This is where the togetherness comes in. The roster will need to band together while the going is tough, rally the team with a sense of belief, and stick to their principles.
The team has seen solid development under new Head Coach Devin Rensing. Now, they just need that first statement win to get on a roll and foster a sense of togetherness that would carry them into the playoffs.
Service in the Box
Johnny Rodriguez has put the ball in the back of the net nine times across all competitions this year. He’s a top striker in the league, but he needs service to deliver the goals.
Rodriguez is the type of striker that thrives on shifty movement inside the box to get on the end of clever crosses, cutbacks, and through balls. In order for him to thrive, he needs the players around him to bring that service into the box for him.
The team’s supporting cast in attack will have to deliver at least one key moment in the match, whether that be for Johnny, another striker, or for themselves. That could be an overlapping outside back delivering a pinpoint cross, as Gennaro Nigro has done this season, a winger beating their man one-on-one, or a midfielder finding a line-breaking pass.
Whatever the source, the delivery is key.
Fight, Scratch, Claw
Last weekend, Las Vegas put in a performance the squad was not particularly proud of.
With the season hanging in the balance, the team did not perform up to their potential in a 1-0 loss at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. After travel delays moved the game to Sunday, the team looked – perhaps understandably – tired and leggy during the match.
However, under Rensing’s aggressive style of play, the Lights cannot afford to put in a low-energy performance. The club’s new Head Coach demands 110% effort at all times as the team presses high and presses relentlessly all 90 minutes.
If that style of play is going to deliver results, then individual players need to deliver high octane, high energy performances. It’s the end of a difficult three-game East Coast road trip, but the season is running out of time.
So, ultimately, Rensing will want (and need) his players fighting, scratching, and clawing for the win from the very first whistle.