Las Vegas Lights FC is visiting FC Tulsa on Wednesday in their second and final meeting of the regular season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. PT at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Okla.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available to watch locally on SSSEN and streamed nationally on ESPN+ (subscription required).
2024 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Lights: 10-8-8 (38 points, 6th West), Tulsa: 7-9-9 (30 points, 8th West)
FORM GUIDE (all competitions, most recent first): Las Vegas: WWLDW, Tulsa: LLWLD
PREVIOUS MEETING: FC Tulsa defeated the Lights 3-1 at Cashman Field in Las Vegas in the second week of the 2024 season back on March 16. Stefan Stojanovic, Phillip Goodrum and Milo Yosef scored for Tulsa, while Riki Alba pulled one back for the hosts.
BENNETT BAGS A BRACE: Lights forward Khori Bennett continued his fantastic first season in Vegas with a two-goal effort last time out against Orange County. The Jamaican earned USL Championship Team of the Week honors and enters this week tied for sixth in the league with 11 goals.
CHASING HOME PLAYOFF SPOT: The fight for a top four spot in the Western Conference is tightly contested, with five teams separated by just three points. A win on Wednesday could catapult Las Vegas as high as tied for second in the table.
NEW MLS NEXT PRO ADDITIONS: Tulsa recently added forwards Aaron Bibout and Matthew Bell on loan from Ventura County FC and Real Monarchs, respectively. Bibout scored his first Tulsa goal on Aug. 24, while Bell just signed on Sept. 5 and will be looking to make an immediate impact.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Diogo Pacheco, winger
Pacheco is tied for the team-lead in goals (four) and assists (three). The Lisbon, Portugal, native is in his first season in Tulsa after two seasons with Minnesota United FC 2.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Lights FC Head Coach Dennis Sanchez
On the club’s bye week last weekend…
Similar to our other bye weeks, in one way it’s needed rest and recovery for guys — we have a couple guys who are out with minor or nagging injuries and it helps them get back to full fitness — but at the same time, at this point in the year, guys want to play games. Finding that rhythm and getting back into that rhythm is going to be important.
On overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat Orange County last time out…
It was a great response. There are a couple different ways to look at it. It’s not our preference to go down early in a game, but at the same time, my message to the guys after was that I was really proud of their resiliency, the way they responded and staying true to our identity in the process. We kept playing the way we can play. There is probably going to be another time where we’re down a goal, down two goals, and having that confidence that we can come back in any situation is really valuable.
On the focus heading into Wednesday’s match against Tulsa…
We’re expecting a really competitive game. Both teams are desperate for points. Our sights are on finishing strong and securing a playoff spot, but also seeing if we can pay it back to the fans and get a home match or a couple home matches [in the postseason]. We’re viewing every game from here on out as a lot more weight. They’ll very much feel like playoff games. We owe Tulsa one as well because they came into our place and beat us earlier in the year. The guys are going to be up for it.
