Las Vegas Lights FC is visiting North Carolina FC on Saturday in the final match of the 2024 USL Championship regular season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m. PT at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised locally on SSSEN and streamed nationally on ESPN+ (subscription required).
2024 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Lights: 13-9-11 (50 points, 2nd West), North Carolina: 12-12-9 (45 points, 8th East)
FORM GUIDE (all competitions, most recent first): Las Vegas: LWDWW, North Carolina: WLWWL
PREVIOUS MEETING: This is the first meeting between the two clubs since North Carolina rejoined the USL Championship this season after three years in USL League One.
TWO SEED UP FOR GRABS: The Lights can secure the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a win on Saturday. They can also claim that spot with a draw AND if Memphis 901 fails to win against New Mexico United AND Sacramento Republic and Colorado Springs Switchbacks play to a draw.
UNBEATEN STREAK SNAPPED: Last weekend’s loss to Oakland Roots ended an 11-match home unbeaten run for Las Vegas Lights FC, as well as an eight-match undefeated streak overall. The Lights have lost just twice in their last 21 contests.
POSSESSION DOMINANCE: Possession isn’t everything, as evidenced by the 3-2 defeat to Oakland last week, but the Lights controlled 77.6% of the ball, which was the highest in a single USL Championship match this season.
FIGHTING FOR PLAYOFF LIFE: North Carolina enters this weekend as one of five teams vying for two remaining postseason spots in the East. A win on Saturday would guarantee a berth.
GOALS GALORE: North Carolina boasts one of the most potent attacks in the league, having scored 52 goals this season, which is tied for third. The duo of Evan Conway (12 goals) and Oalex Anderson (11 goals) lead the way up front.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Evan Conway, F
The former San Diego Loyal striker is tied for seventh in the USL Championship with his 12 goals and has scored in three consecutive matches entering this weekend.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Las Vegas Lights FC Head Coach Dennis Sanchez
On what the group learned from the loss against Oakland Roots last weekend…
“Every time we step on the field is an opportunity to grow as a group. We know that these games, as we approach the end of the season and into the playoffs, things start to become a lot more critical. If I look at the overall performance and remove the score line, there were a lot of things that we did really well in terms of having control, the chances that we created, especially in the first half, the energy that we brought, but in saying that, goals change games. It was a humbling experience for the guys to remind them that, yes, we can come back and be successful in games, but at the same time, we want to put ourselves in the best position to win.”
On having a home playoff match solidified…
“It’s a great accomplishment. We set out at the beginning of the year to make the playoffs. In all transparency, a home game wasn’t really on the horizon at the beginning of the year, but as you start to build momentum, we know that playing at home in front of our crowd and not having to travel to some really difficult places in the Western Conference is going to give us a better opportunity to achieving our main goal of lifting a trophy. We’re hopeful that it’s more than one game, and that’s what we’re setting out to do this weekend.”
On keys to the match against North Carolina FC…
“North Carolina is a very good side. They’re organized, they have good players. They’ve had some mixed results throughout the year, but this is a league of parity. We know that they’re in a position where they have to win to solidify themselves making the playoffs. We know that we’re going to get everything [from them]. They’re a team that can hurt you in transition. They have a striker in Oalex Anderson, who is dynamic and very good in transition. They have good attacking wingbacks that provide a numerical advantage in wide areas, but as always, we’re going to go in and play the way that we want to play…We’re going in with the mindset to win the game.”