The Lights face their third consecutive match on the road against 2025 Western Conference champions FC Tulsa.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (0-1-1, 7th in Western Conference) at FC Tulsa (0-1-1, 10th in Western Conference)
When: Saturday, March 21
Where: ONEOK Field, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. PT
How to Watch: 5DRVtv 5.4, ESPN+
It’s soccer night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and ONEOK Field is set to host the Lights for Matchday 3 of the USL Championship regular season.
The Lights and Tulsa have had a nearly identical start to their seasons, earning a single point in their first two matches.
Vegas drew 1-1 at Orange County and lost 3-2 to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in a close match where the Lights were extremely close to a comeback after a late brace from an inspired Abraham Okyere.
Tulsa lost 2-0 away to Sacramento Republic in their season opener and drew 0-0 to San Antonio FC in their Home Opener. They also had some midweek U.S. Open Cup action, defeating Little Rock Rangers 4-2 in Central Arkansas and going through to the next round.
Both teams have done some significant rebuilding towards this season, and the pressure is on both sides to perform at the highest level.
Ruminating about last season…
Matches between the Lights and Tulsa are never boring. And sometimes that’s not a good thing.
The first time both teams faced each other last year was on May 19 at Cashman Field, in a match where Tulsa had no mercy. The Oklahoma club pummeled the Lights 4-1 in a solid collective performance.
The second match took place on July 12 at ONEOK Field, and Tulsa won again… but the match couldn’t have been more different.
Trailing 2-0 behind Tulsa, the Lights came back in extraordinary fashion, taking the lead thanks to a Johnny Rodriguez goal and a Shawn Smart brace.
But to Vegas’ dismay, Tulsa made a comeback-on-the-comeback and snatched the win in stoppage time after a deflected header hovered slowly into Raiko Arozarena’s goal.
Keys to the Match
However, things could be different this time. Here are the keys to victory for Saturday afternoon’s match under the Oklahoma sun.
Abraham Okyere: The Box-Crasher
Abraham Okyere is a talented player. No surprises there. He’s a tricky midfielder with excellent passing and vision.
But his ability to score goals was relatively unknown to fans. After that brace in Colorado Springs, though… now everyone knows.
Having been mostly deployed as a central or defensive midfielder throughout his career, Okyere is now being used as a box-crashing ‘10’: a player who sits behind the attackers, taking advantage of the open spaces left between the lines to either drive the ball inside the box or shoot from mid-range.
Okyere’s goals against the Switchbacks vindicated Head Coach Devin Rensing’s reasoning behind his position. In this week’s pre-match press conference, Rensing had this to say about his decision to play the Ghanaian midfielder closer to attack:
“He got 2 goals in Colorado. I think that… shows his ability to score goals. I like his craftiness. He’s got a tricky left foot. He’s got a cultured shot. That’s what I see in him to move him closer to the opponent’s goal.”
Abraham Okyere has been unleashed. And a good night in Tulsa could mean three points for the Lights.
Manuel Arteaga: A New Threat Up Front
Manuel Arteaga is a goalscoring machine.
In 164 USL Championship appearances, the Venezuelan striker has netted 61 goals for an average of 12.2 goals per season. Double digits every year.
He has also contributed 20 assists, showing his phenomenal capacity to associate with his teammates in attack.
Now, after having made his debut in Colorado Springs, Arteaga is in proper playing form to start racking significant minutes for the Lights.
Beyond his talent as a player, Arteaga has the mentality to succeed in Las Vegas. To learn more about his winning mentality and thought process, check out our latest episode of the Lights Lounge (in Spanish).
While his status as a starter is still not confirmed, his sole presence on the traveling squad offers tremendous alternatives to Devin Rensing in attack.
The path to victory is paved with goals, and with Manuel Arteaga as an option up front, the goals will come.
A New Tulsa
Tulsa is not the same team they were last year.
They lost two key players from their Western Conference winning season: Johan Peñaranda, who left for Lexington SC, and top goalscorer Taylor Calheira, who joined Sporting Kansas City in MLS.
To cover Peñaranda’s departure, Tulsa brought in experienced goalkeepers Alexander Tambakis and Triston Henry.
And in attack, they have signed former Phoenix Rising player Remi Cabral, attacking midfielder Bruno Lapa, and young forward Nelson Pierre from Vancouver Whitecaps.
Stats-wise, Cabral made eight goal contributions in 19 matches for Phoenix, Lapa scored once in 38 matches for Ansan Greeners in the Korean second tier, and Pierre made an impressive 16 goal contributions in 23 games for Vancouver’s second team in MLS NEXT Pro.
Despite continuing to perform impressively in buildup and pressing, Tulsa is yet to score this season in the Championship. But they certainly have the players to become a threat in attack.
An important part of a potential Lights victory will involve containing Tulsa’s new attack.
And Vegas certainly has the tools (or tools-a, ha) to make it happen.
