The Lights head to South Central Texas to face San Antonio FC, an opponent that’s yet to lose at home
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (4-7-3, 11th in Western Conference) at San Antonio FC (6-2-7, 2nd in Western Conference)
When: Saturday, July 18
Where: Toyota Field, San Antonio, Texas
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. PT
How to Watch: SSSEN, ESPN+
USL Championship, we are back.
The Lights travel to the Lone Star State for a regular season showdown against Western Conference second-placed side San Antonio FC.
It’s been quite the season for San Antonio. They currently stand second in the Western Conference standings and fourth in the general table with 25 points. Undefeated at home, San Antonio have won four and drawn three of their seven regular season matches at Toyota Field.
That’s not all. San Antonio recently won their Prinx Tires USL Cup group, qualifying for the knockout stages in unbeaten fashion and conceding only a single goal.
In their last match, they defeated USL League One’s Chattanooga Red Wolves 2-0 with goals scored by Santiago Patiño and Curt Calov.
For the Lights, the start of the season was shaky. Nonetheless, the team has shown clear signs of improvement in its latest matches, out-possessing and generating more opportunities than the opposition.
In their latest match, Vegas came back from a 2-0 deficit to earn three Prinx Tires USL Cup points on the road against Monterey Bay FC (3-2) in a phenomenal display by Vincentian forward Oalex Anderson.
The standings tell one story: the gap between both clubs is significant. But the Lights are on the come up, statistically and mentally. And there’s nothing better than good vibes to beat the odds.
A Blast from the Past
The Lights and San Antonio faced each other twice last season.
San Antonio defeated Vegas 3-0 at Toyota Field on June 7th, with Andres Paredes, Luke Haakenson, and Jorge Hernandez scoring the opposition’s goals.
On their second encounter (August 9th), both teams split points at Cashman Field, with Johnny Rodriguez scoring the Lights’ only goal of the night through a penalty kick (1-1). This match also represented the start of Devin Rensing’s tenure as the team’s head coach.
The Lights have not been able to win against San Antonio since April 2024. Saturday night’s match represents a golden opportunity to end a short but unfortunate streak.
Keys to the Match
Here are the keys to returning to winning ways in the Alamo City.
Hernandez, The Creator
Jorge Hernandez is a USL Championship staple.
The Mexican midfielder is at the core of all of San Antonio’s creative efforts, and the numbers are there to prove it.
Hernandez is second in the league in assists (5), tied to Lights captain Christian Pinzon and only one behind Oakland Roots’ Wolfgang Prentice.
What’s even more impressive is that he leads the Championship in chances created (44) with a significant advantage over second placed Ihsan Sacko (35) from Phoenix Rising. No player can compare to Hernandez regarding that metric. It’s not even close.
Hernandez is the most important player in San Antonio’s offensive apparatus, leading the team in goals, assists, and shots on goal per 90 minutes. If the Lights want to earn three points on the road once more, they must properly mark Jorge Hernandez and not allow him any space to push his team forward.
Joseph Batrouni, The Wall
Joseph Batrouni is perhaps the best young goalkeeper in the USL Championship. He’s played an impressive role in San Antonio’s strong 2026 campaign.
A San Antonio native, Batrouni is on his first season as San Antonio’s starting goalkeeper.
In 14 appearances across all competitions, Batrouni has conceded 14 goals, kept five clean sheets, and currently holds third place in the save percentage metric in the Championship (74.5%), only behind Hartford’s Anthony Siaha (78%) and New Mexico’s Kris Shakes (76.4%).
Batrouni is also seventh in saves per match, making an average of 3 stops every 90 minutes.
San Antonio are not exactly impeccable in defense. They tend to concede a lot. As a matter of fact, they drew 4-4 against Sporting JAX, who currently stand last in the Eastern Conference and general table with only seven points.
But Joseph Batrouni wasn’t there. That’s how important he is. If the Lights want those three points, they’ll have to get past him.
Oalex Anderson, The Cheat Code
Oalex Anderson has been one of the Lights’ best players this season.
In 11 appearances, the Vincentian speedster has scored six goals despite not playing the totality of most matches.
His high-speed, high-energy approach to soccer has earned him fans across the team’s fanbase and the league, cementing his reputation as one of the USL Championship’s most dangerous attacking players.
Oalex Anderson is on fire, and so is Johnny Rodriguez. If Oalex and the rest of the Lights’ attack have a good night in Texas, then victory is within reach. Sorry Ella, but the Lights are choosin’ Texas for their next win on the road.
