We’re 17 matches into the 2026 season. Here’s our analysis of the Lights’ overall performance as we head into the second half of the season.
We’re officially halfway through the 2026 season, and it’s time to evaluate the Lights’ year so far.
After a disappointing 2025 season, the Lights dove into 2026 with high hopes and a different mentality. Sporting Director Gianleonardo Neglia and Head Coach Devin Rensing built a balanced squad, prioritizing experience in the league and strong leadership skills.
Players with an impeccable USL Championship trajectory such as Aaron Guillen, Manuel Arteaga, and Oalex Anderson joined the team’s ranks, bolstering an already talented group of players, with names such as Johnny Rodriguez, Christian Pinzon, and Shawn Smart.
After a successful preseason at home and abroad, the Lights officially started their 2026 season on Saturday, March 7, earning a point on the road against the always difficult Orange County SC at Championship Soccer Stadium. From that point onward, the team has had its ups and downs, earning four wins, four draws, and nine defeats.
The Lights currently stand second to last in the USL Championship Western Conference standings, tied on points with last-placed Monterey Bay FC. As for the Prinx Tires USL Cup, the Lights are last in Group 1, with no chances of qualifying for the next round.
But not everything is as bleak as it seems…
The Good: The Team is Scoring!
Let’s be honest: 2025 was a terrible year for the Lights’ attack.
The team possessed the least productive offense in the entire Championship, scoring an astonishingly low 0.77 goals per match. Not enough high-quality scoring opportunities were generated, a fact made evident by the team’s low expected goals per match (1.11).
Despite all this, Johnny Rodriguez still managed to perform at a high level, adding nine goals to his USL Championship tally and cementing himself as one of the league’s deadliest strikers.
Things are looking quite different this year. Well, except for Johnny. He has already hit the nine-goal mark, but now as part of a highly functioning attack that has managed to almost double its output per game compared to last season.
The Lights are now scoring 1.5 goals per match, slightly outperforming their xG (1.31) and establishing themselves as the fifth best attack in the West.
Johnny Rodriguez and Oalex Anderson have scored a combined 13 goals and team captain Christian Pinzon has notched five assists, helping the team reach new heights when it comes to offensive output.
The Not So Great: Defensive Issues
2025 was not a good year defensively, either.
The Lights conceded 50 goals in 30 USL Championship matches, holding the third worst defensive record in the league, only surpassed by Oakland Roots (52) and Indy Eleven (52). That’s 1.67 goals allowed per match. When you’re only scoring 0.77 goals every game, this only means one thing: you’re going to lose… a lot. And that’s precisely what happened all season long.
Head Coach Antonio Nocerino’s low-block, low-pressure defensive system did not work. Alongside the low scoring, the team’s attacking players defended poorly from the front, leaving open spaces for the opposition to dominate.
Unfortunately, when you look at only the numbers, there hasn’t been a major improvement in this department this year.
The Lights have conceded 25 goals in 14 matches so far, for an average of 1.79 goals allowed per game. The team is conceding 0.12 more goals per 90 compared to last season. If this trend continues, the team could potentially allow 54 goals by the end of the year.
However… many of the goals the Lights have allowed this season have been unforced errors: mistakes that come from a lack of defensive coordination or goalkeeping misjudgments.
From the eye test, a significant percentage of those errors were totally avoidable. That is something the team needs to work on to increase their odds of playoff qualification in the second half of the season, but it’s something that can be fixed (as opposed to the structural issues of 2025).
Structurally, the defense looks more solid than last year. Head Coach Devin Rensing’s high-pressure, high-energy defensive system has been successful in counteracting the consistent pressure of some of the league’s most incisive sides, such as Sacramento Republic and the Switchbacks.
Whatever the cause for the defensive issues, there is certainly work to be done to turn things around.
The Improvable: Quantity In Attack
A common thread tying both the 2025 and the 2026 seasons for the Lights is a lack of quantity in attack.
The team struggles to generate a high number of goalscoring chances, standing 22nd in the Championship in big chances created (22). The team’s attack is incredibly efficient, though, scoring a decent number of goals despite the lack of opportunities.
The Lights are also dead last in touches in the opposition box (218), less than half of those of leaders Louisville City (443). The team does not arrive in numbers in the box, having mainly relied on breakaways, crosses, or set pieces to generate chances over intricate combinations in the final third thus far.
An example of this can be seen in Oalex Anderson’s goal against Birmingham Legion on June 13. Manuel Arteaga, a striker, crossed the ball towards Anderson, the Lights’ only player in the box. The only players who could’ve contested a potential rebound were Marc Ybarra and Christian Pinzon.
The Lights scored two goals from two big chances that night. Tremendous efficiency, but low overall productivity.
If the Lights want to qualify for the playoffs, they must become a richer team up front. More variants and combinations are essential. They must get closer to the opposition’s box and arrive in numbers, generating high-quality opportunities for the team’s attackers.
The efficiency is already there due to the quality of attacking players the Lights have. With more chances to score, the sky is truly the limit for the Lights offense.
Conclusion: Have Faith
It’s true. The Lights are currently second-to-last in the Western Conference standings, barely ahead of Monterey Bay. But it’s also true that the team is only four points away from playoff positions, and six points away from third place. A three-match winning streak could place the team among the best in the West, and a five-match winning streak could consolidate a firm path towards playoffs.
Additionally, the team’s latest matches have shown dramatic improvement in overall performance despite a lack of luck in front of goal. The Lights deserved better fortune against both Orange County and El Paso Locomotive.
If the team’s attack continues scoring (with a higher number of chances generated) and the team’s defense tightens upwith less unforced errors, then we’re in for a very interesting second half of 2026.
There’s still 16 matches left in the 2026 season. Have some faith.
