The Lights head to California to close the USL Championship regular season against Western Conference rivals Monterey Bay FC.
Read on to discover the keys to victory in Seaside, California.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (6-8-15, 12th in Western Conference) at Monterey Bay FC (7-7-15, 11th in Western Conference)
When: Saturday, October 25
Where: Cardinale Stadium, Seaside, CA
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. PT
How to Watch: SSSEN, ESPN+
Season Finale
This Saturday’s match in Monterey Bay marks the end of the 2025 USL Championship season for Las Vegas Lights FC. Unable to qualify for playoffs, the Lights now aim to finish the season with dignity as they build the foundations for a successful 2026 under Head Coach Devin Rensing.
Monterey Bay’s season has also been rather underwhelming, as the “Crisp and Kelp” have been once more powerless in their attempt to qualify for playoffs for the first time in their short history. After a strong start to their 2025 season, the Californian side slowly lost steam and spent a good part of the second half of the year meandering along the last positions of the Western Conference.
This match will represent the second time both sides have played against each other this season. On June 14th, the Lights defeated Monterey Bay 2-0 at Cashman Field on Giovanni Troise’s debut as Interim Head Coach. Johnny Rodriguez’ brace gave Vegas a valuable victory at home and ended a painful six-match winless streak.
Now, the Lights and Monterey Bay face each other in a match that might seem low-stakes and unimportant for casuals, but that is of crucial importance for the technical staff of both teams as they restructure and plan for the upcoming season.
Keys to the Match
Here are the keys for the Lights to end the 2025 season on a high note with a victory on the road.
Shoot.
The Lights will most likely end the season as the team with the least goals scored in the USL Championship, tallying 22 goals in 29 matches for an average of 0.76 goals per match. On top of that, Vegas also has the lowest shots on target per match (3.0) and the lowest big chances generated across all matches (30), at almost a third of what Charleston Battery, arguably the Championship’s most powerful attack, has been able to produce.
The reasons for the Lights’ lackluster performance up front are multiple, and they will certainly be addressed by Devin Rensing and his team as the club starts gearing up for the 2026 season. But for now, it is imperative for the team to go forward and shoot as much as possible against a side that has shown to be vulnerable in defense.
Nico Campuzano has proven his talent as a goalkeeper this season, leading the league in saves (82) and making an average of 3.1 saves per match. But Johnny Rodriguez has also excelled individually, contributing directly to half of the Lights’ goals (11) this Championship season. If Rodriguez, along with Stefan Stojanovic and Nighte Pickering, are able to get some shots on target in what is expected to be an open-ended, free-flowing match, then the Lights have a chance of winning in California.
Defensive Solidity.
Winning in Monterey Bay will not be easy for the Lights, and it will require a lot of concentration from the team’s defense. Monterey Bay has won 75% of their 28 points and has scored 69% of their goals at home, showing that they are significantly stronger at Cardinale Stadium than when they’re on the road.
The Lights have definitely improved defensively compared to how they performed under Antonio Nocerino and during Giovanni Troise’s interim stint and must sustain this same level of performance, or even improve, to seize victory in Monterey Bay.
While there may be tactical variants like in Colorado Springs with the inclusion of Turner Humphrey as a starter and the deployment of Jack Singer to midfield, the team must maintain an important degree of cohesiveness and compactness to seal the win.
The Right Mentality.
It’s not easy. It’s difficult to perform when you know that whatever you do on the pitch will have no impact on playoff qualification. But this doesn’t mean that the Lights should face this match with less professionalism and importance than previous ones.
To win, the team must show the right mentality and disposition. This is a match for the players to show the technical staff, the front office, and the fans what they’re made of. If they take this game as a must-win match, then a victory is within reasonable reach.