The Lights will square off with Monterey Bay FC in their Home Opener match at Cashman Field. Three points are a must.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (0-1-2, 10th in Western Conference) vs Monterey Bay FC (0-1-2, 11th in Western Conference)
When: Saturday, March 28
Where: Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT
How to Watch: SSSEN, ESPN+
Las Vegas, the wait is over. It’s Home Opener Night at Cashman Field.
The stage is set. The players are ready. The rival? Monterey Bay FC.
The Northern California side and the Lights have had an identical start to their seasons, losing twice and earning a single point after a draw.
Monterey Bay lost 1-0 in their home opener against Oakland Roots, were defeated 3-0 by El Paso Locomotive, and managed to snatch a point from the Indomitable City against the always difficult Sacramento Republic (1-1).
Meanwhile, the Lights went on the road for the first three matchdays of the season, drawing at Orange County and losing by identical scorelines (3-2) at Colorado Springs and Tulsa.
It’s always interesting when Vegas and Monterey Bay face each other, regardless of context or circumstances. This should be a good match.
I Know What You Did Last Season
The Lights and Monterey Bay faced each other twice last year for the USL Championship.
On June 14, the Lights defeated the Crisp and Kelp 2-0 at Cashman Field after an inspired Johnny Rodriguez scored a brace. They met again on October 25 for the last match of the season, with Patrick Leal scoring the sole goal for Vegas in a 1-1 draw.
Both squads look very different to the ones that played against each other a few months ago. But the rivalry remains the same, and the stakes are high. This match offers both sides an opportunity to turn their respective ships around and dream of playoff qualification.
Keys to the Match
Here are the keys to victory for this Saturday night’s Home Opener.
Sebastian Lletget
There’s no doubt Sebastian Lletget has been one of the most shocking signings of the 2026 USL Championship season.
With more than 250 MLS appearances and 33 caps for the USMNT, the 33-year-old midfielder has brought essential experience to one of the youngest squads in the Championship.
Lletget is a very technical player who’s known for his high-quality passing and intense work rate. Often deployed as a central or attacking midfielder, his output in attack is significant as his 89 goal contributions in 352 matches (one every 281 minutes) make evident. A well-rounded athlete, Lletget is key in distribution and incisive in attack.
Lletget has played 61 minutes so far this season, and the odds of him starting against the Lights are high. A commanding figure within the Monterey Bay squad, his presence would exert tremendous influence on his younger teammates.
It will be necessary for the Lights to contain Lletget and keep him in check in order to achieve victory, whether he starts or comes off the bench.
Defensive Order
It has been a shaky start to the season for the Lights’ defense, conceding seven goals in three matches for an average of 2.33 goals allowed per match. That’s way above last season’s average of 1.67 goals conceded per game. Six of those goals came in the team’s last two matches against Switchbacks FC and FC Tulsa.
When asked about what the team needs to work on to become more solid defensively, center back Nate Jones said: “Set piece defending. Tracking our guys in the box. Transition defending. Making sure we communicate with our center midfielders… we’ve got to be able to communicate better.”
After a promising preseason with three shutouts in four friendly matches, the team has struggled to keep a clean sheet in official games. Against a young, dynamic team like Monterey Bay, order is of the upmost importance.
If the team’s defensive system communicates properly, improves in set piece defending, and stays solidary when the team is transitioning back to a defensive phase after losing possession, then a clean sheet is achievable.
And a clean sheet is essential to drive the team to victory.
Here’s Johnny!
Johnny Rodriguez is back to scoring ways.
After a fruitless preseason and a couple of rough matches on the road, Rodriguez came out flying against FC Tulsa, scoring the team’s first goal and assisting Abraham Okyere on the second.
“Obviously, scoring a goal feels good. It’s what I like to do. And then obviously getting an assist, helping the team…” said Rodriguez in this week’s episode of the Lights Lounge.
Now, with his confidence boosted, Rodriguez is set to continue leading a productive Lights attack that has managed to score five goals in three matches for an average of 1.67 goals per match. This is much better than the Lights’ anemic 2025 season output, as the team was only able to score 0.77 goals per match.
If Rodriguez and the Lights continue scoring as they have been, then odds are the three points will stay at Cashman Field this Saturday night.
