Officially, Las Vegas Lights FC’s 2-0 victory against El Paso Locomotive FC this past Friday night at Southwest University Park equaled the longest undefeated streak in club history.
The last time the Lights went eight games without defeat? It was a stretch at the end of the 2022 season and the start of 2023 that saw the side avoid defeat in four consecutive games either side of the break between the seasons.
Compare then to now. Feels different, doesn’t it?
That’s how far the Lights have come in the six months the club has been owned by six-time Major League Baseball All-Star José Bautista. The official anniversary of the takeover is on Tuesday, with everything having moved at a rapid rate since then.
There was the assembly of a new front office and coaching staff, an entirely new roster, and upgrades that added new amenities to Cashman Field. In all facets, the Lights now feel like an organization that’s determined to do things the right way and is prepared to put its money where its mouth is in that regard.
That’s produced results the kind of which haven’t really been seen in the club’s history. The Lights hadn’t recorded shutouts in three consecutive games prior to this season. Now it’s done that twice this year, helping fuel victories like those on Friday night. The side is currently tied for third in the Championship in shutouts as goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena shows the sort of form he’s displayed for Cuba at the international level.
“Anytime you’re winning games, you’re gaining confidence,” said Lights Head Coach Dennis Sanchez. “The back four have shown that they can work well together, and the expectation is that our goalkeeper comes up big when needed. Raiko’s been fantastic over this last set of games and playing to his capabilities like we know he can do.”
This has been a messy season in the Western Conference, where New Mexico United has emerged to lead the pack but no-one else has been able to put together results with enough consistency. That could be the opening the Lights need to not only reach the postseason for the first time, but be dangerous in the single-elimination format.
With a week off before two big road games to close the month, the Lights are ready to recharge their batteries before they get a shot at making club history
“We’re getting away,” said Sanchez. “We’re going to rest emotionally, physically, mentally. We’ve played the most games in the USL Championship right now, so it’s a needed break to let the guys get away and live life a little bit and then come back in fully refreshed and ready for the second part of the season.”
Want the best of the USL Championship and more brought to your inbox each week? Sign up now for The Rondo, our weekly newsletter.
Here’s how the rest of this week’s rankings look.
Rank |
Team |
Change |
Summary |
|
1 | New Mexico United (11-4-1) Week 20: v. BHM |
Last Week: 1 |
New Mexico had the weekend off and remained five points clear at the top of the Western Conference. Nice work if you can get it. | |
2 | Loudoun United FC (7-6-5) Week 20: --- |
Last Week: 2 |
Loudoun could come away from its visit to Indy Eleven disappointed not to have made more of its chances and taken all three points. It’s still a good point on the road, but there are higher expectations now. | |
3 | Louisville City FC (12-4-2) Week 20: v. COS |
2 Last Week: 5 |
LouCity had the weekend off, but is still in first place as the Battery failed to jump them. This Friday night’s game against Colorado Springs should be a good one. | |
4 | Charleston Battery (10-2-8) Week 20: v. MIA |
Last Week: 4 |
The Battery were way off the pace in the first half against Hartford, but managed to come back and salvage a point after throwing the kitchen sink against the Athletic’s 10 players. | |
5 | Indy Eleven (9-5-4) Week 20: v. TBR |
1 Last Week: 6 |
Mark of a good side – finding a way to get a result in a game you weren’t at your best. Indy avoided an Open Cup hangover and gained a valuable point at home to Loudoun. | |
6 | Memphis 901 FC (8-7-4) Week 20: @ TUL |
2 Last Week: 8 |
Bruno Lapa tied his single-season best for goals with his seventh of the season against Detroit City FC. He earned All-League honors in 2020 and could be headed that way again. | |
7 | Tampa Bay Rowdies (9-4-5) Week 20: @ IND |
2
Last Week: 9 |
The Rowdies never felt out of control of their victory against Orange County SC. They might need to find a higher gear in the next two weeks against Indy and Charleston. | |
8 | Las Vegas Lights FC (7-7-6) Week 20: --- |
2
Last Week: 10 |
The Lights are undefeated in eight games and have won three in a row. Yes, they’ve played more games than most, but they’re the ones with momentum. | |
9 | Oakland Roots SC (9-9-2) Week 20: v. SAC |
6
Last Week: 3 |
The Roots came to earth with a bump on Saturday night, but there’s nothing like a rivalry game to reignite a side. We’re expecting a big performance against Sacramento on Big CBS. | |
10 | Birmingham Legion FC (8-7-3) Week 20: v. RI, @ NM |
4 Last Week: 14 |
We’re still trying to figure out how good this Legion team can be. Rallying to defeat Colorado Springs was impressive, though. | |
11 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (8-7-3) Week 20: @ LOU |
4 Last Week: 7 |
The Switchbacks hadn’t lost this season when scoring first until Saturday night in Birmingham. Finishing was the side’s downfall, putting only three shots on target. | |
12 | Sacramento Republic FC (7-3-8) Week 20: @ OAK |
1 Last Week: 11 |
Republic FC is in the bottom half of the league in Expected Goals, which for a team with this much talent is perplexing. They still haven’t hit upon the right formula. | |
13 | North Carolina FC (5-6-7) Week 20: v. DET |
Last Week: 13 |
Getting a point on the road in Sacramento should add some confidence, but we want to see a higher gear now that the playoff push is starting. | 14 | Detroit City FC (8-5-3) Week 20: @ NC |
2 Last Week: 12 |
Le Rouge still have games in hand to reel the top four back in, but they're going to have to be careful of teams – like Friday’s opponent, North Carolina FC – that could be snapping at their heels in short order. |
15 | Rhode Island FC (4-4-10) Week 20: @ BHM |
Last Week: 15 |
RRIFC did what it needed to against Miami to set up a huge midweek clash with Birmingham Legion. The next four games could end up decisive in its bid for a postseason berth. | |
16 | Monterey Bay F.C. (7-8-5) Week 20: --- |
1 Last Week: 17 |
Monterey Bay added another point to its total, but that felt like a missed opportunity against FC Tulsa thanks to Ousseni Bouda’s saved penalty kick. | |
17 | Orange County SC (7-9-3) Week 20: v. SA |
1
Last Week: 16 |
Forget the result against Tampa Bay, getting veterans Andrew Fox and Dillon Powers back on the field in the second half was big for OCSC’s long-term playoff potential. | |
18 | San Antonio FC (5-8-5) Week 20: @ OC |
Last Week: 18 |
San Antonio notched a pair of goals against Costa Rican champion Saprissa in an exhibition on Saturday. We’re counting that as a win. | |
19 | Phoenix Rising FC (5-7-5) Week 20: v. ELP |
Last Week: 19 |
After a week off, Rising gets to host a team struggling even more than it is in El Paso on Friday night. Three points is a must to close the gap to the playoff positions. | |
20 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (4-9-6) Week 20: v. HFD |
3 Last Week: 23 |
The Hounds’ breakthrough felt like it unbottled a lot of unwanted tension. They’ve got to carry that through in the next few games to get back in contention. | |
21 | FC Tulsa (4-6-6) Week 20: v. MEM |
1
Last Week: 20 |
Shout-out to Johan Peñaranda for saving a point for Tulsa in stoppage time against Monterey Bay, but this still doesn’t look like a playoff side. | |
22 | Hartford Athletic (5-10-2) Week 20: @ PIT |
1 Last Week: 21 |
Red cards are unavoidable at certain points of a season, but the sort that Renan Ribeiro and Beverly Makangila have taken in the Athletic’s last two home games are just momentum-killers. | |
23 | El Paso Locomotive FC (3-12-3) Week 20: @ PHX |
1 Last Week: 22 |
Locomotive’s loss to Las Vegas means the points to make up / games remaining tipping point for the playoffs isn’t far away. | |
24 | Miami FC (2-15-2) Week 20: @ CHS |
Last Week: 24 |
Miami had the better of the box score against Rhode Island FC, but when you’re leaking goals like the South Florida side is that’s not going to be much comfort. |
Tag(s): Power Rankings San Antonio FC CO Spring Switchbacks Orange County SC Phoenix Rising FC Sacramento Republic FC FC Tulsa Charleston Battery Louisville City FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds Tampa Bay Rowdies Las Vegas Lights FC Birmingham Legion FC North Carolina FC Indy Eleven Memphis 901 FC El Paso Locomotive FC New Mexico United Loudoun United FC Hartford Athletic Miami FC Oakland Roots SC Detroit City FC Monterey Bay F.C. Rhode Island FC