Las Vegas Lights FC is visiting Monterey Bay FC on Saturday in the first of two meetings on the season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PT at Cardinale Stadium in Seaside, Calif.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available to watch locally on SSSEN and streamed nationally on ESPN+ (subscription required).
2024 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Las Vegas: 3-2-0 (9 points, 4th West), Monterey Bay: 2-1-2 (8 points, 6th West)
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Las Vegas: WWWLL, Monterey Bay: WLDWD
PREVIOUS MEETING: Monterey Bay defeated Las Vegas 3-2 at Cardinale Stadium on Sept. 16, 2023. Marcelo Lage and Azriel Gonzalez opened the scoring for Vegas, but Monterey Bay responded with three unanswered from Sean Okoli, Alejandro Lara and Rafael Baca to take all three points.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Vegas defenders Shawn Smart and Emrah Klimenta joined Head Coach Dennis Sanchez on the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 5 following their impressive display in a 1-0 win over San Antonio FC. Smart scored his first professional goal, Klimenta helped keep a clean sheet and Sanchez led Vegas to a third consecutive win, which equals Las Vegas’s entire 2023 total.
MAKING HISTORY: In addition to its third straight win, Vegas notched its third consecutive shutout last week, which sets a franchise record. The Lights haven’t conceded in over 300 minutes of game time.
PLAYER SUSPENSIONS: Monterey Bay will be without Carlos Herrera and Walmer Martínez, each of whom were red carded following the conclusion of their 1-0 win over Oakland Roots SC last weekend.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Las Vegas Lights FC defender Shawn Smart
On the back line’s performance lately…
We’re growing together every game and are really starting to develop chemistry. You can see it on the field…The back line can’t get all the credit though. As Dennis likes to say, ‘We all attack, and we all defend.’ And we stand true to that. The clean sheets are a reflection on the whole team as a collective working behind the ball because it takes 11 men.
Las Vegas Lights FC forward Solomon Asante
On what makes the Lights click offensively…
When you have a good midfield, it helps the team a lot. Players who can break lines, players who can play through passes and then players who can also defend. It makes the team solid. I know that once our midfielders have the ball, if I make a run, I’m going to get the ball and we look dangerous.
Las Vegas Lights FC Head Coach Dennis Sanchez
On the team’s veteran leadership…
The entire group is a fantastic group of people. Looking back on how we went about the recruitment process, we were really intentional about bringing in good people, good characters first…The way the group has meshed off the field has been fantastic. We wanted to ensure that we had some veteran, senior players within the group. When your culture and the environment really takes fold and reaches its maximum potential is when it’s being player-led.
MONTEREY BAY PLAYER TO WATCH: Rafael Baca, M
Monterey is led in midfield by the 34-year-old veteran Baca. The Mexican spent the first three years of his career in Major League Soccer with the San Jose Earthquakes before making over 250 appearances in Liga MX for Cruz Azul from 2014-23.
