One shot on goal, zero points for Lights FC in a loss to Orange County
Last night, Las Vegas Lights FC finally returned to action after two matches were postponed over the last week. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot going forward for Vegas as they dropped a 1-0 result at Orange County SC, via a second-half goal from Aodhan Quinn.
Key Stats
One shot on goal. Simply put, that’s not good enough from the Lights going forward last night. They only tallied seven shots total and with only one on frame, that doesn’t give you a high likelihood of taking three points.
56.9% passing accuracy in the attacking half. This is a kudos to Orange County’s defense, which has been really good this season and also highlights a lack of a central playmaker for the Lights.
Three Brightest Lights
Ramon Martin Del Campo: In fairness, the entire Lights’ backline was pretty solid (bending but not breaking for the most part), but Del Campo was the best. He had four clearances and an interception, while also finishing with 82% accuracy on his passes.
Bryan de la Fuente: The lone shot on goal belonged to the captain as his curling left-footed effort forced a great save from Frederik Due. He finished with three shots total (out of LV’s seven), connected on two crosses, and had one key pass.
Seth Moses: In his debut for the club, the holding midfielder did the dirty work for Las Vegas. He tallied five tackles, one interception, and completed 19/21 passes.
Quick Kicks
– It’s really tough to score consistently if you don’t have a competent striker. And, if you don’t have one, you need your wingers to be elite at finishing chances. Unfortunately, the Lights don’t have any of that. Without a striker, you have nobody that can hold up play or serve as a consistent target on crosses (21.7% crossing accuracy last night).
– There is a level of humor/irony that the club just signed Blake Frischknecht last week and the number nine kit was available for him. It’s just a number, but the fact that there was not a striker there to claim the typical striker’s number is somewhat indicative of the roster construction. The club should consider bringing in another target man like free agents Sammy Ochoa, who played multiple years for the Lights (eight goals and seven assists in 2018), or Qudus Lawal, who Yallop signed with Fresno.
– Showcasing how strapped the Lights are for impactful attacking options, Jaiden Waggoner played on the left wing for a good portion of the match. While he did bring good energy to the flank, the rookie was a defender in college at Utah Valley and finished his collegiate career with zero goals and two assists.
– Raul Mendiola is definitely the action man for Las Vegas with his shiftiness and energy opening things up for his teammates. But, he’s only at his best when other players can get on the end of crosses or make runs into the box that allow him to cut the ball back.
– The goal was a combination of quality quick passes and a nicely placed shot from close-range from Quinn. It would’ve been a really solid result to come away with a point in spite of the biteless attack.
– The only thing benefitting the Lights on the Group B table is that they have only played four times. Because outside of that, they sit eight points below LA Galaxy II, who are only one spot ahead of them with the same amount of matches played.
What’s Next?
A busy slate of matches lies ahead for the Lights, starting with a rescheduled match vs. Tacoma Defiance on Wednesday. That’s followed by a Saturday matchup with Phoenix Rising FC and a rematch vs. Orange County SC on Tuesday, 8/25. All three matches are scheduled to take place at Cashman Field.
