Las Vegas Lights FC lost on the road vs. New Mexico United.

Another year is in the books for Las Vegas Lights FC as they dropped their season finale to New Mexico United at Isotopes Park. Chris Wehan scored the opening goal and Devon Sandoval tapped home the second in a 2-0 win that clinched New Mexico’s playoff position.

Key Stats

🔑 Two first-half substitutes. Adam Hobbs and Ferrety Sousa having to leave the match in the first half really put Eric Wynalda in a jam. He only had one substitution to make the entire second half of a match on the road.

🔑 Zero shots on target. Playing against the club that has allowed the 13-most goals in the league, Las Vegas Lights FC could not register a shot on goal. They had seven shots total but couldn’t test Cody Mizell.

Three Brightest Lights

💡💡💡 Vinnie Vermeer: The midfielder completed 48/54 passes and he added two tackles.

💡💡 Javan Torre: Among his five clearances, the central defender helped save a ball off the line in the first half and also made two interceptions.

💡 Gabe Robinson: Outside of his collision with Thomas Olsen on the first goal, he had a solid performance. He connected on 91% of his passes and made three clearances.

Quick Kicks

⚽ Of the three expansion sides in the Western Conference, all of them made the playoffs. Also, one of the two second-year teams out West made it as well, finishing #3 on the table. So, of the five teams that have come into the USL Championship’s Western Conference in the last two seasons, the only team that didn’t make the playoffs is Lights FC. That is pretty indicative of how the club has struggled to get their roster construction right in two years.

⚽ Speaking of the roster, there will definitely be some considerable turnover next season. We will have a deeper look at the roster and how it could shake-up later on this offseason.

⚽ There’s not a ton to go into about this game. The two substitutions in the first half were unfortunate and really put Eric Wynalda up against it. They didn’t have as much to play for as their opponent and couldn’t score an upset at one of the toughest places to play in the league.

⚽ While there’s no reason to go in-depth into tactics, I’ve discussed before that Mobi Fehr is not as influential or effective in the match when he’s playing on the backline.

⚽ Stay tuned for some pieces recapping the season and looking forward to the next.