A Light Preview: Lights FC look to bounce back vs. Sacramento Republic FC

After a humbling 5-0 loss to open the season, Las Vegas Lights FC will travel north to the California capital to take on Sacramento Republic FC in Wednesday night action.

Las Vegas Lights FC  (0-1-0)

The LAFC-affiliate era of Lights FC did not get off to a banner start. After a scoreless first half, Steve Cherundolo’s side conceded five times in the lopsided defeat vs. LA Galaxy II. Eight players were loaned down from the first team at LAFC to join the players on the official roster.

There were some bright spots in the season opener like the midfield duo of Bryce Duke and Frank Daroma and some explosive plays in attack. But, the defense was not good enough, allowing 20 shots (14 in the box) and seven efforts on goal. Against Republic FC, they will need to be much more disciplined, take away the space of attacking players, and win the aerial duels more often in the attacking half.

Updated LAFC Loanees: Bryce Duke, Danny Musovski, Alvaro Quezada, Christian Torres, Kwadwo Opoku, Tomas Tomero, and Cal Jennings.

Vegas Player SpotLight

Danny Trejo: LAFC’s first round pick from the 2021 MLS SuperDraft made his professional debut off the bench in the second half vs. Los Dos. He almost had an assist within the first few minutes of his shift and also forced a save. Whether he starts or plays again as a substitute, you can expect Trejo to be an action man in the Lights’ attack.

Sacramento Republic FC (1-0-0)

Who to Know

Cameron Iwasa: He’s the all-time leading scorer for Republic FC in all competitions and he tallied three goals and two assists in the 2020 regular season.

Kharlton Belmar: An explosive player in the attack, Belmar led Sacramento with four assists last season. He also put up two double-digit goalscoring seasons for Sporting Kansas City II (known as Swope Park Rangers at the time) in 2017 and 2018.

Tomas Gomez: A two-time Golden Glove winner in the league, Gomez is one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the USL Championship, already notching clean sheet #1 this season.

What to Know

  • Republic FC started their season with a 1-0 win over Los Dos on 4/30 and have been out of action since.
  • Tied for 7th-fewest goals conceded, 14th-most goals scored last season
  • Have played four matches vs. Lights FC all-time (one win, one loss, two draws)
  • Made the playoffs in all seven seasons of existence, including winning the 2014 USL Cup in their inaugural season

The Deets

Tonight, 7:30 PM Pacific, at Heart Health Park

Las Vegas Lights FC at Sacramento Republic FC

Carson A Merk

Reporting live from Sin City, I have covered both RGVFC and Las Vegas Lights FC since their inceptions. I also write profiles to highlight players from the NCAA to USL to NWSL and everywhere in between.