The Lights travel to Colorado as they continue building a sustainable foundation for the 2026 season under Devin Rensing.
Read on to discover the keys to victory in The Springs.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (6-8-14, 12th in Western Conference) at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (9-7-12, 8th in Western Conference)
When: Saturday, October 18
Where: Weidner Field, Colorado Springs, CO
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. PT
How to Watch: SSSEN, ESPN+
It’s over. But…
After drawing 2-2 against Oakland Roots at Cashman Field, the Lights are officially out of contention for a slot in the playoffs.
Now, it’s time for Vegas to build on the foundations of what has worked and focus on what hasn’t.
Head Coach Devin Rensing has an entire offseason at his disposal to re-shape the team according to his style of play and tactical convictions.
The disappointment of elimination must serve as fuel and as a source of positive thinking heading into 2026.
The Game.
The Lights are no longer in the fight for playoff qualification, but the Switchbacks are. Colorado Springs currently stands eighth in the Western Conference table and needs to win their remaining two matches to clinch a berth in the playoffs.
This match will mark the second time both teams face each other this season. On May 10th, the Lights and Switchbacks met at Cashman Field and drew 0-0 in a rather uneventful game.
The stakes are incredibly high for Colorado on Saturday’s game, which makes this matchup one of the most interesting ones of the final weeks of regular season competition.
Keys to the Match
Here are the keys to victory against the Switchbacks.
Here’s Johnny (again)!
Johnny Rodriguez has been an essential element of the Lights’ attack. With nine goals and two assists in 28 matches, he’s been directly involved in half of the team’s goals this season.
Rodriguez was named to the Team of the Week bench for Week 32 of USL Championship competition after a stellar performance against Oakland Roots, scoring the Lights’ first goal and contributing with a beautiful assist for the second.
Building on this momentum, fans can expect that Rodriguez will be Vegas’ most significant threat up front. If he can find consistency in his form in this final stretch of games as we head into the 2026 season, then he will be a key to victory in this match and in future ones.
Defensive Discipline.
The Lights have improved their overall defensive performance since Devin Rensing took over as head coach. Under Antonio Nocerino, the team conceded approximately 1.9 goals per match. During Giovanni Troise’s tenure as interim head coach, that amount rose to close to 2.3 goals per match. Now, under Devin Rensing, the Lights have allowed 1.4 goals.
These numbers are still far from phenomenal, but they indicate that there has been a collective effort led by the new head coach to make sure that there is more order and better coordination among all defensive players, with an emphasis on a high press and positional flexibility.
Great individual performances from players such as Elias Gartig and the arrival of signings who have proven their quality and can perform at a top level in Rensing’s double pivot such as Giorgio Probo and Tommy McNamara have certainly helped in allowing this to happen.
If the Lights want to win in Colorado and continue building for the 2026 season, then showing signs of continued defensive improvement is imperative.
Nothing to Lose. Everything to Gain.
For the Lights, winning on Saturday could be a great mood booster. For the Switchbacks, winning is a must if they are to fight for playoffs.
This pressure changes everything. The Lights have nothing to lose and everything to gain, and Vegas can use that huge pressure that sits on the backs of Colorado Springs’ players to their advantage to take three points back home.