A Light Preview: Las Vegas Lights FC travel to face the struggling Real Monarchs SLC

After losing a close match on the road vs. a top club, Las Vegas Lights FC will take on a club tonight that’s at the opposite end of the spectrum, Real Monarchs SLC.

Las Vegas Lights FC (4-8-1)

Saturday’s performance vs. El Paso Locomotive FC was far from a poor one from Lights FC. They limited the hosts to one goal, created some opportunities of their own, and just came up a little bit short. It was a tall task for a young, everchanging roster like Las Vegas has to take down the club listed #1 on last week’s Power Rankings.

Tonight’s match is a completely different story. Steve Cherundolo’s side will be facing the club ranked 29th out of 31 teams. While Lights FC aren’t a powerhouse by any means, they are the better club on paper tonight. One of the biggest steps the young roster can take is to continue to win matches against clubs they should beat. They couldn’t extend Sacramento’s lengthy winless run when they played recently, but Las Vegas handled their business against Tacoma Defiance twice and vs. Oakland Roots SC.

LAFC, the MLS affiliate of Lights FC, played on Wednesday and the only player of note that got match time in the loss to Portland Timbers FC was Bryce Duke. Danny Musovski was listed as out with a knee injury and Cal Jennings was not in the matchday squad. With another match for LAFC on Saturday, it will be interesting to see who joins Lights FC in Utah.

Vegas SpotLight

Roberto Molina: While a lot of the Lights FC offensive numbers are based on who joins from LAFC, the 20-year-old Molina needs to be more consistent with his production for the club. He has played every match this season, 866 minutes total, and has just one goal and one assist. He has shown flashes of what he can do and if Las Vegas are to secure a win tonight, Molina could play a key role.

Real Monarchs SLC (2-8-4)

Who You Should Know

Milan Iloski: The younger brother of Lights FC’s Eric Iloski, the 21-year-old has three goals and two assists this season (both tied for a club-high).

Kyle Adams: A star defender, the New Zealander leads Monarchs SLC in clearances, blocks, interceptions, aerial duels won, and passes.

Malik Johnson: He leads the club in chances created and has one goal and one assist.

What You Should Know

• Winless in July so far, outscored 7-2 in the three losses
• Tied for 7th-most goals conceded, 23rd in the league in goals scored
• Four all-time meetings vs. Las Vegas Lights FC (one win, one loss, two draws)

The Deets

Tonight, 7 PM, Zions Bank Stadium

Las Vegas Lights FC at Real Monarchs SLC