Las Vegas Lights (8 wins, 8 draws, 11 defeats) currently sit in 14th place in the USL Western Conference on 32 points – less than half of Rising’s haul of 65 points.
Lights are the dirtiest side in the Western Conference, and lead the conference for fouls (433) and red cards (7). They also sit just one behind Orange County in second place for yellow cards (62).
A formidable opponent at home, Vegas has only lost two games at Cashman Field all season.
Tonight’s hosts are by far most lethal as the first half draws to a close.
At the other end, Vegas’ defense is solid for the first 45 minutes of play, but starts to weaken after the break. They concede the most goals during the last 15 minutes of play.
LAST MEETING
Rising ran rampant the last time these sides met on May 18. Kevon Lambert opened the scoring in the 40th minute, and second half strikes from Solomon Asante, Adam Jahn and Junior Flemmings sealed a comfortable 4-0 victory.
Mobi Fehr was sent off for Vegas in that match, receiving a second yellow card in the 82nd minute with the score at 3-0.
Rising had the upper hand in possession (55.6%), and also won the aerial game (57.1%).
Vegas had no shortage of shots – recording 13 to Rising’s 16 – but was unable to place a single one on target.
TOP PLAYERS
Irvin Parra is Light’s top scorer, and usually plays either as a striker or a winger. He has ten goals, making this his best season to date. It’s also his first year with Lights. He played with UPSL side Cal FC last year, after previous stints with Orange County SC and Sounders 2. Parra also leads the team in assists, with five.
Pablo Cruz is the chief chance creator for Vegas. He’s set up 47 so far (which is still well behind Solomon Asante’s tally of 73), and has shown himself to be a skilled passer of the ball with 86.2% completion. However, very few of those chances have been buried, and Cruz has just two assists to his name this season. This is his first season in USL since 2016 with the Orange County Blues. He more recently played for California United and Armenian club Shirak.
Gabe Robinson has missed just one match all season, and has played for all 90 minutes in the other 26. Not only is he a consistent part of the Lights’ defense, he’s a consistently solid part of it. Robinson wins almost 64% of tackles, 65.6% of duels, and an impressive 73.9% of aerial duels. He also puts his head to good use at the other end of the field, scoring two headers and picking up a third with his right foot. This is Robinson’s first season as a full professional.
Thomas Olsen is Vegas’ goalkeeper of choice. He’s featured in all but two of the team’s matches, and has kept nine clean sheets with a save success rate of 64%. Impressively, he recorded an assist in the team’s April clash with Tacoma Defiance. Olsen previously played for FC Tucson in 2015 and 2016, and will be well known to Coach Schantz.
Junior Sandoval leads his team in one category, although it isn’t one he’ll be too happy with. Sandoval has been sent off twice this season, including against El Paso last weekend, which means he’ll miss tonight’s match through suspension. He’s also picked up six yellow cards this season.
NEW ACQUISITIONS
There’s been at least six changes to the Lights roster since they last played Rising in May.
Cristian Martínez joined Vegas late last month on loan from Chicago Fire. The Panamanian midfielder has featured three times for his temporary club, showing decent distribution with an 80.5% passing success. This is Martínez’s third spell in USL, but none of them have lasted long. He played three games for Pittsburgh in 2016, and one match for FC Cincinnati last season. Martínez has seven full caps for Panama, all of which have come in friendlies.
Rodolfo Zelaya joined Lights on loan from LAFC in mid-August. Zelaya is a highly-regarded forward, with 20 goals on the international stage for El Salvador. He’s just played the Dominican Republic with his national side, so is almost certainly not available for selection today. Zelaya was highly sought after in MLS after his standout 2013 Gold Cup performance, but was suspended later that year as part of a match-fixing scandal that saw 14 Salvadorans receive lifetime bans from FIFA.
Dejan Jakovic is another loan player from LAFC. He’s featured in four matches for Vegas, showing his class with a 93.6% passing accuracy from the back, and a 100% tackle success rate. Jakovic also won his fair share of duels in those four matches (57.9% success on the ground; 66.7% success in the air). The good news for Rising is that 41-capped Canadian has spent the last few weeks with his parent club, so may not be available for selection.
Jose Villarreal signed for Vegas at the end of May. A former youth international who was part of the U.S. squad at the U-20 World Cup in 2013, he’s made 13 appearances for Lights. However, the striker has managed only one goal in that time, That’s lower than his club career average of one goal every seven games. Villarreal’s previous clubs include LA Galaxy and Cruz Azul. He was released by Orlando City at the end of last season after making just three appearances.
Jesus Gonzalez was announced as a signing at the same time as Villarreal, reuniting the midfielder with Eric Wynalda, who had coached him in the lower leagues in California. Gonzalez was left bedridden in the offseason after being involved in a car accident that he believed at the time could have cost him his career. This season, he’s made eight appearances for Lights, many of them off the bench, scoring once. Gonzalez is known for his technical skill with his left foot.
Meanwhile, Matt Thomas has departed Lights after being released from his contract in late June. According to a release from the club, he wanted to leave for Saint Louis to receive more consistent playing time. Thomas hasn’t featured for his new club since early July.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Canadian referee David Barrie will fly in to officiate tonight’s match. He is no stranger to second division competition, having refereed his first NASL match in May 2012. This season, Barrie has taken charge of numerous matches in the Canadian Premier League, as well as games in USL hosted in Canada and the U.S. He also serves from time-to-time as a fourth official in MLS.
From the Ashes Prediction: Expect a fiery encounter between a dirty side and the league’s best, but don’t bet on Lights to extinguish Rising’s run.
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