The Lights travel to Phoenix to play under the Friday night lights in a crucial Western Conference matchup.
Read on to discover the keys to Friday’s match with major playoff implications.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (6-5-11, 12th in Western Conference) vs Phoenix Rising FC (7-8-7, 5th in Western Conference)
When: Friday, September 5
Where: Phoenix Rising FC Stadium, Phoenix, AZ
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT
How to Watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network, TUDN, SSSEN
Western Conference Mayhem
On paper, these two teams are in very different places in the playoff race. Phoenix sit 5th, seemingly comfortably in one of the eight playoff spots, while Las Vegas sit 12th, on the outside looking in.
This is where the beauty of the six-pointer comes in.
Should Vegas pick up three points in Phoenix on Friday, it also means that the Rising will be guaranteed to take zero points – a six-point swing in the standings.
In that scenario, all of a sudden the Lights would be on 26 points and Phoenix would still be on 29 points… a gap that can be bridged much more realistically than the current one (23 points vs 29 points).
Of course, it works the other way around too. Should Phoenix pick up a win, they would widen their gap and put themselves almost surely out of reach. It would be one less team the Lights could potentially catch and pass for a playoff spot.
Therefore, the term “must-win” (often overused at this stage of the season, including by yours truly) actually means “must-win” in the truest sense this Friday.
Three points are an absolute must.
Keys to the Match
Here are the three keys to look out for under the Friday night lights in Phoenix.
Controlling the Chaos
Phoenix have played some wild games over the course of the 2025 season.
With 38 goals scored and 40 goals conceded (both the highest marks in the Western Conference), they’ve rarely played dull 0-0 draws. More often than not, their games tend to be multi-goal thrillers that are very open and chaotic.
Take last week’s match as exhibit A, where the Rising held a 3-0 lead heading into the final 15 minutes but drew 3-3 after El Paso stormed back.
For the Lights to see success, they’ll need to dictate and control the game on their terms. This means engaging the high press, preventing Phoenix from building out effectively, and sniffing out any counter attacking opportunities.
If the game descends into chaos, Phoenix will be comfortable in it. Las Vegas needs a game played on their terms to emerge with three points.
Building Chemistry Quickly
The Lights’ attack has undergone a transformation in personnel through the summer transfer window.
With Valentin Noel gone to New Mexico, McKinze Gaines and Tommy McNamara have stepped into key roles in the team. Coleman Gannon also returned from a lengthy injury layoff, and Nighte Pickering has looked revitalized in a slightly different winger role under Head Coach Devin Rensing.
With all of these changes, it will take time to gel as these new teammates learn each other’s tendencies while also learning Rensing’s attacking game model.
However, with just nine matches left, the clock is ticking. If the Lights can take a major step forward in that attacking chemistry, the goals will flow and the necessary results will come.
Staying Mistake Free
In media availabilities, one of Rensing’s favorite keys to the match is that the team who makes fewer key mistakes will win the match.
We’ve seen this ring true in recent matches, with goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena’s performances a good case study.
Against New Mexico on August 16, the Lights’ star goalkeeper made an uncharacteristic mistake early on as he got chipped on a quick throw-in play. This mistake arguably cost Las Vegas two points as the match ended in a draw, despite it being one of the best performances of the Rensing era.
On the flipside, Arozarena was flawless against Lexington on August 30, pitching his eighth shutout of the season and coming up with an incredibly clutch save deep into stoppage time to seal all three points for his side.
So, in a match away from home against a high-scoring opponent, staying mistake-free will be absolutely essential – for Arozarena and for everyone on the field on Friday night.