Las Vegas Lights FC welcomes Major League Soccer powerhouse LAFC to Cashman Field on Wednesday, May 8 in the Round of 32 in this year’s edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Lights and LAFC, who have history together, will meet for the first time in tournament history.
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Las Vegas fought fellow MLS side Real Salt Lake in the Third Round of last year’s Open Cup competition, but a 3-1 loss is the club’s only result against an MLS club in a competitive match.
Now, Las Vegas gets a chance to put on a show in front of its home crowd with big stakes on the line.
“We always love playing at home,” said Lights Head Coach Dennis Sanchez.
“We want to make this a fortress, we want to make it very difficult for teams to come in to Las Vegas and understand if they are going to come here, they have to earn victories or earn points from us.”
Las Vegas hosted and defeated USL League One side Spokane Velocity in the middle of April, though the Lights needed to dig deep through extra time and find a way to win 2-1 with a man advantage.
Having suffered multiple defeats since that time, Sanchez is now looking to center his side before another important run of fixtures.
“Right now, it’s about making sure we’re aligned,” he said.
“If people feel like there’s something that needs to be said or done, I want players to feel like they can voice their opinion in a very constructive way. Ultimately, again, we’re doing this together and moving forward in the same direction.”
Though it’s still early in the season, Las Vegas is seeking to maintain balance and a level head despite the occasion. A former affiliate of LAFC, Las Vegas is now under the direction of Sanchez, who knows that to advance to the next round it will take his team’s very best. However, he emphasized the need to maintain daily focus and discipline and not look too far ahead or past the task right in front of his side.
“I think it’s really important to have balance not only with the objective data that we have access to these days but also the subjective opinion. For me, for where I’m at in terms of my career and leading group, is really focusing on being present and what’s in our control now,” he said.”
“We do really want to take it one game at a time, one day at a time, and focus on our performance and the things that are in our control. When LAFC comes [after New Mexico] and the game after that, it will all be relative in terms of being present in that moment.”
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and tickets are available now. | TICKETS
