Las Vegas Lights FC midfielder Valentin Noël and forward Christian Pinzón were named to the USL Championship’s Team of the Week for Week 25 of the 2024 regular season on Tuesday morning.
The pair earned spots on the league’s TOTW following their goal contributions in last Saturday’s 3-2 home win against Indy Eleven. Noël tallied a beautiful goal in the 43rd minute that was nominated for the league’s Goal of the Week, along with adding another five shots and three chances created to the stats sheet. Pinzón acted as playmaker by notching two assists – one for Noël – out of his six total chances created throughout the evening.
This marks Noël’s fourth appearance on the weekly best XI, having previously earned plaudits in Weeks 4, 14, and 22, and the first TOTW accolade for Pinzón this season.
Previous TOTW honorees on the Lights roster include forward Khori Bennett (Weeks 14, 16, 17), midfielder J.C. Ngando (Week 17), and defenders Gaoussou Samaké (Week 4), Shawn Smart (Weeks 4, 5, 21), and Emrah Klimenta (Week 5). Lights Head Coach Dennis Sanchez has earned Coach of the Week honors on three occasions throughout the 2024 season (Weeks 5, 14, 17). In addition to weekly nods, Bennett was named the league’s Player of the Month in June for his standout performance.
Las Vegas Lights FC will return to action this Saturday, August 31, when the club travels to Orange County SC for a 7:00 p.m. PT kickoff.
Las Vegas Lights FC have not lost at home since May 4 and previously announced a slate of late-summer and early-autumn theme night matches at Cashman Field. Beginning at just $20 for all fans, single-match tickets to all remaining home matches are available at lasvegaslightsfc.com/tickets.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 25
GK – Koke Vegas, Rhode Island FC: The Spanish shot-stopper posted a five-save shutout in RIFC’s scoreless draw against Loudoun United FC that included a stoppage-time penalty kick save to preserve a point on the road for the visitors at Segra Field.
D – Emmanuel Samadia, Hartford Athletic: The Sierra Leone native notched one assist and had three chances created while completing 53 of 62 passes overall and defensively won 2 of 2 tackles and 5 of 8 duels while making four interceptions and three recoveries.
D – Alexis Souahy, FC Tulsa: The Comoros international made eight clearances, six recoveries and one interception, recorded a pair of blocked shots, and won 4 of 6 duels as Tulsa earned a 1-0 victory on the road against Detroit City FC.
D – Luke Biasi, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Biasi helped the Hounds keep Birmingham Legion FC’s attack in check, winning 4 of 5 tackles and 9 of 11 duels while making five clearances, six recoveries and blocking one shot at Protective Stadium
M – Christian Pinzón, Las Vegas Lights FC: The Mexican winger notched a pair of assists in the Lights’ 3-2 victory against Indy Eleven at Cashman Field and had six chances created overall while completing 43 of 44 passes and winning 4 of 7 duels.
M – Edwin Laszo, FC Tulsa: Lazso put in a strong performance in the center of midfield as Tulsa took victory against Detroit City to move above the playoff line, winning 4 of 4 tackles and 13 of 20 duels while making 11 recoveries, four interceptions and five clearances.
M – Valentin Noël, Las Vegas Lights FC: The French midfielder bagged his ninth goal of the season and had five shots and three chances created overall while completing 40 of 47 passes in the Lights’ 3-2 victory against Indy Eleven at Cashman Field.
M – Jack Blake, Indy Eleven: The English midfielder bagged a pair of assists in the first half of Indy’s loss in Las Vegas before coming off at the break in his first start since an injury on June 22, and completed 15 of 20 passes overall while winning 2 of 3 ground duels.
F – Nick Markanich, Charleston Battery: The Golden Boot leader recorded his second hat trick of the season in the Battery’s 6-0 victory against Orange County SC, scoring on all three of his shots in the game, while completing 17 of 22 passes and winning 7 of 9 ground duels.
F – Edward Kizza, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Kizza bagged a pair of goals to lead the Hounds to a 3-0 victory against Birmingham Legion FC, recorded four shots and one chance created overall while winning 4 of 4 ground duels and completing 11 of 15 passes.
F – Mamadou Dieng, Hartford Athletic: Dieng scored both goals as Hartford rallied for a 2-1 victory against Louisville City FC, recording six shots overall and completing 10 of 12 passes while winning 5 of 11 duels.
Coach – Bob Lilley, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: The legendary coach notched the 400th victory of his career across all competitions as the Hounds took a 3-0 victory against Birmingham Legion FC to move the side within three points of the playoff positions.
Bench: Eric Dick (PIT), Akeem Ward (MEM), Jared Timmer (SAC), Mukwelle Akale (NM), Ben Morris (DET), MD Myers (CHS), Manuel Arteaga (TBR)
