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Everything was on point for a special night Saturday at Cashman Field, and had things broken just a few inches one way or the other in the opening minute, the match may have played out differently.
Instead, Las Vegas Lights FC’s season-best 4-match home win streak was snapped in front of 6,720 fans in Downtown Las Vegas, 2-0 at the hands of Phoenix Rising FC.
After the match, Lights FC Technical Director Chelís and Head Coach Isidro Sánchez called the team back to the bench for a rare on-the-pitch talk.
“Today, all the players, the same as Wednesday, they gave everything,” Sánchez said. “I’m prouder and much more satisfied than what you might think. Today and Wednesday, I have seen the closest to my dream in the way I want my team to play. But to the fans, to the owner, I need to give results.”
The effort came in front of 6,720 fans at Cashman Field, which pushed the club’s 2018 season attendance total to more than 100,000 in just 14 home matches.
The loss closes a three-games-in-eight days stretch, as Lights FC (7-12-5, 26 points) now has a bit of time before returning to the pitch next Saturday night at 8 p.m. The home match vs. Fresno FC (8-9-9, 33 points) closes the August “Saturday Night Lights” schedule. Tickets start at just $15 at LightsFC.com/August.
Saturday’s loss dropped Lights FC to 0-2 on the season against Phoenix (13-6-5, 44 points), but the second go-around was much more encouraging to the staff than the first back in June.
The feel of the match was nearly entirely different right from the onset, as one of Lights FC’s top scoring chances came less than 30 seconds into the match.
Off of the opening kick, Lights FC headed towards the Phoenix goal, where forward Omar Salgado collected a ball just outside of the 18-yard box, spun and fired it towards the target with his left foot. However, Phoenix goalkeeper Zac Lubin dove towards the right post just in time to punch it away.
“I said to Lubin (after the game), you won this game in the first minute with that save,” Sánchez said. “Those are the kinds of saves that change everything. We knew this would be a big game. This lasted 85 minutes, until it was 2-0. We were alive, we were competing.”
Phoenix’s first score came in the 10th minute courtesy of Solomon Asante, who Sánchez after the game dubbed the best player in the USL. The score came from up close on the right side of the box off of a rebound after Lights FC keeper Ricardo Ferriño acrobatically punched away the first shot attempt.
Lights FC had its chances, even out-shooting one of the league’s most prolific offensive clubs, 11-8. The hosts couldn’t finish in the final third, though, and Phoenix put things away for good with an 85th minute penalty kick score.
However, the Lights FC staff felt their changed strategy this time around against their Western Conference rival paid dividends. They’ll have a rare third shot at Phoenix, as Rising FC makes another trip to Downtown Las Vegas in the final match of the season at Cashman Field on Oct. 6.
“They have very quick players,” Sánchez said. “The first time, we suffered a lot because we play with a lot of heavy players. They are a very light team. Today, we played with a light team. They had fewer shots than us, but their first shot, they finished it.”
Lights FC, despite the result, remains just eight points outside of the final Western Conference playoff spot with 10 matches to go, and now will have two more big showdowns on tap in close proximity to one another.
Following next Saturday’s home match against Fresno, three nights later, the Silver State Cup series continues with Reno 1868 FC with a trip up north on Tuesday, Aug. 28. It will be the first of two trips to Reno remaining on the schedule for Lights FC.
Sánchez feels he has something solid to build off of heading into another important late-season stretch.
“The rest and recovery will be important,” Sánchez said. “I have a big job. After every game we pray. Today, the only thing I asked after the prayer was to give us intelligence to see what we got out of these eight days, and its importance. It has a big importance for what’s coming on.”
