Las Vegas Lights FC have made history during the 2024 regular season. Most points in club history? Check, with 50 points. Most wins in club history? Check, with 13 wins. First-ever playoff match? Check, and at home, no less.
With the regular season in the rearview mirror, attention now turns to a playoff run to the USL Championship Final.
“Next week is a new season,” said Head Coach Dennis Sanchez following the final regular season match at NCFC. “…nobody picked us to be in the place that we’re in. We have already achieved a lot this year. But, I know this group and I know myself, and we’re going to continue to be hungry for more.”
So, for the team to lift the trophy at the end of the road, what is their path through the playoffs? Read on for a full breakdown on the playoff system and the Lights’ road to a championship.
Format
The USL Championship Playoffs is a straightforward, no-nonsense system.
The top eight teams from each conference (Western and Eastern) qualify. With a clean field of 16 teams, there are four rounds in a single-elimination bracket – one on each successive weekend of November. Win four matches in a row, and you’re champions. Simple!
The higher seed will always have hosting privileges. Both conferences will crown a champion on their respective sides of the bracket, and then those two conference winners will face off in the USL Championship Final.
All matches (obviously) must have a winner. If two teams are tied at the end of regulation, they will play two 15-minute overtime periods (no golden goal). If still tied, they will head to a traditional penalty shootout to determine a winner.
The First Step
As the fourth seed in the Western Conference, Las Vegas is the final team with home field advantage in the first round (Conference Quarterfinal). The team will face Sacramento Republic FC, who fell to fifth place on the final day.
The Lights have seen great success against Sacramento this year with two wins from two matches. Christian Pinzon scored the game-winner in both matchups, a 1-0 victory away on July 3 and a key 2-1 home victory on September 21.
Tickets are available now at LasVegasLightsFC.com/Tickets for this historic match at Cashman.
The Path Beyond
After the first round (Conference Quarterfinal), the path gets a bit murky as everything depends on results in other matches.
The second round (Conference Semifinal) is the clearest picture. Should the Lights win on Friday night in the first round, they will have to wait until Sunday night to know their opponent.
Phoenix Rising FC, the eighth seed but one of the most in-form teams in the field, will be traveling to face New Mexico United, the number one seed in the Western Conference. Should New Mexico emerge victorious, the Lights will travel to Albuquerque for the second round.
However, should Phoenix pull off the upset, then Las Vegas will have another home match at Cashman Field on the second weekend of November.
For the third round (Western Conference Final), it is a wait-and-see on who will emerge from the four team gauntlet of Memphis 901 FC, Colorado Switchbacks FC, Oakland Roots SC, and Orange County SC.
The Lights would host against Oakland or Orange County but would travel for a matchup with Memphis or Colorado.
And finally, the USL Championship Final. Louisville City FC and Charleston Battery are the clear favorites as the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference. However, if this league has shown anything, it’s a propensity for insanity and crazy upsets in the playoffs, so anything is on the table.