The Lights return to Cashman Field to face a stacked Sacramento Republic FC
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC (1-3-1, 10th in Western Conference) vs Sacramento Republic FC (2-1-2, 4th in Western Conference)
When: Saturday, April 11
Where: Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT
How to Watch: FOX5, SSSEN, ESPN+
The Lights are back at Cashman Field to face Sacramento Republic FC for matchday six of the USL Championship regular season.
Vegas’ start to the season has been underwhelming results-wise despite the significant improvement in performance. The Lights have earned four points out of a possible 15, scoring eight goals but conceding 10. The team’s offensive output has been impressive compared to last season, but there’s still significant areas for improvement in the backline.
In their last match, the Lights lost 3-2 away to Western Conference favorites El Paso Locomotive in an intense, hard-fought match that could’ve gone either way.
Meanwhile, Sacramento has had a solid start to their year, earning seven out of 15 points in the Championship and making it through to the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup.
In their last match, they defeated Phoenix Rising 2-0 thanks to goals from youngster Blake Willey and Dominik Wanner.
This Saturday’s match is as promising as they get, with two teams that love attacking-minded soccer taking on the pitch at Cashman Field.
Where are those Men In Black Neuralyzers when you need them…
The Lights and the Republic faced each other three times last season, with Sacramento winning all three matches in comfortable fashion.
The first time they faced off was on May 17th at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, California. The Lights lost 5-0 in the first of a string of five consecutive defeats.
The next time they squared off was on May 31st at Sacramento once more, but this time for the USL Cup. The result wasn’t that different, as the Republic blasted past the Lights with a resounding 4-0 victory in front of their fans. Ouch.
The Fourth of July match promised to be different. The Lights arrived at their third encounter with the Republic, this time at Cashman Field, on a high after three consecutive wins across all competitions. But the outcome was the same as in previous games, with goals from Aaron Edwards and Russell Cicerone sealing the deal for Sacramento (2-0).
But history doesn’t repeat itself. And even if it rhymes sometimes, this time things promise to be different.
With a rebuilt squad and now under Head Coach Devin Rensing, the new Lights are ready to take on any challenge in front of them, including Sacramento.
Keys to the Match
Here are the keys to victory at Cashman Field this Saturday.
Get Past the Indefatigable Danny Vitiello
Sacramento Republic’s Danny Vitiello is arguably one of the greatest goalkeepers in USL Championship history.
With 61 clean sheets, Vitiello is the all-time shutout leader of the Championship (61) and is the second active goalkeeper with the most saves (390) behind FC Tulsa’s Alexandros Tambakis (664).
And at 30 years old, he’s still that guy.
Vitiello has kept five clean sheets in seven appearances across all competitions this season, conceding only three goals and saving 72.7% of all shots.
If the Lights want to win this Saturday, they’re going to have to get past one of the best guardians this league has ever seen.
Is it impossible? Not really. Will it be difficult? Very.
A Defensive Awakening
The Lights’ defensive system has struggled so far this season.
The team has conceded ten goals in five matches for an average of 2 goals allowed per game. This is not sustainable in the long run.
Issues with communication, set piece marking, and tracking the opposition’s attacking elements have led to the team owning the worst defensive record in the West.
Sacramento has the elements to potentially exploit these weaknesses.
Alongside the MLS experience of Mark-Anthony Kaye and Memo Rodriguez, their squad is rich in athleticism and grit, with Mayele Malango, Forster Ajago, and Kyle Edwards bolstering the team’s attack this season.
The Republic is third in the Championship in big chances generated (13) behind Charleston Battery and Louisville, and they’re first in possession won in the final third (5.6).
This means Sacramento creates significant scoring chances per match and keeps up an incessant press that’s uncomfortable for any defense but has been relatively unlucky in front of goal.
It’s in the Lights’ interest to keep things that way.
But for that to happen, the team’s defense needs to shine and perform at least as well as it did in the club’s last home match against Monterey Bay FC, where they were able to keep a clean sheet.
Let’s keep rollin’, Johnny
Johnny Rodriguez is officially on a scoring streak.
After scoring his third consecutive goal at El Paso, Rodriguez has confirmed his excellent goalscoring form and placed himself just one goal away from the top of the Golden Boot race.
And those goals will come in handy this Saturday for the Lights.
The team stands 13th in the shots on target per match metric with 3.8, which is not high but is a significant improvement compared to last season. Most of these shots are coming off Johnny Rodriguez’ boots.
If the Lights want to win against a stacked Sacramento side, they must take advantage of every opportunity in front of them, and Rodriguez plays a huge part in making this happen.
