Opponent: Las Vegas Lights FC
Match Date: November 16
Location: Weidner Field
Head-to-Head in 2024: Las Vegas 3 (Joe Hafferty 28’, Khori Bennet 45+4’ PK, Valentin Noël 80’), Switchbacks 3 (Quenzi Huerman 6’, Jairo Henriquez 31’, Ronaldo Damus 69’) on June 18 th at Cashman Field in the Silver State. Switchbacks 1 (Jonas Fjeldberg 30’), Las Vegas 1 (Shawn Smart 26’) on July 26 th at Weidner Field.
Doors Open: 6pm MT. Tickets remain available HERE!
How to Listen: XTRA Sports 1300am with the Voices of the Switchbacks, Ryan Kaufman and Roland Vargish. Coverage starts at 6:30pm MT.
Look at the Lights: “There wasn’t much in the games this season [against the Lights],” said Switchbacks Head Coach Chambers. “I think they were better here, [and] we were probably a little bit better [there]. And I feel like they’ve probably been one of the most enjoyable teams to watch. [They’re] really good in possession [and] can hurt you in transition. [Head Coach] Dennis [Sanchez] has done a fantastic job – the players they’ve brought in really stick to his style of play, and we’ll have our work cut out for us. [Las Vegas is] really comfortable in possession. They can slow the game down [and] speed it up at their own tempo. [They have] good rotations in the wide areas and in central midfield, and obviously the talisman who puts the
ball in the net in Khori Bennett. There are a lot of players to be wary of. “We’re really, really pleased that we can bring a [Western Conference] final here,” continued Chambo. “That’s all we’ve done is brought it here – it doesn’t give us any divine right that anything is achieved yet. We know we’ll have our work cut out for us, but we’re just pleased to be able to bring it here to the people who supported us throughout the year. I felt that last
weekend the energy was exceptional – we’d love to see that again this weekend and just make sure that we continue to try and enjoy it.”
Players’ Points: Switchbacks captain Matt Mahoney. On Wednesday, Mahoney was named to the USL Championship All-League Team: “[Las Vegas] love pure soccer – they like to keep the ball moving well. [In some ways] that suits us at home [with] the way we like to attack and press and hopefully be able to win the ball in advantageous spots up the field and then turn those into goals. [The fans at Weidner Field are the] backbone of this club. We see all the fans in similar seats each week and it’s just incredible – they’re the reason that this atmosphere and the club is so great.” Zach Zandi, who scored both goals in the Switchbacks’ 2-1 extra-time win over Orange County SC last Saturday at Weidner Field: “It’s a massive opportunity for us to advance this club to some history, so we’re all really looking forward to it [and we’re] really excited for the game. [Las Vegas are a] good team – [they have] a lot of good attacking pieces, but you know we’re focused on ourselves and [on] executing our game plan. The fans here [at Weidner Field] are
incredible. They really help us get extra points in every game, so if they can come out and support us this weekend it’ll be massive.”
Vargish’s View: This could be [by far] the most exciting match of the entire 2024 USL Championship season. The Las Vegas Lights – while admittedly not setting stat-page records – play a brand of honest, open, free-flowing soccer that is terribly easy on the eye. But in living with good offensive soccer principles, the Lights also leave themselves with defensive gaps – or at least they did in the regular season. Back-to-back playoff clean sheets have followed a regular season where the Lights conceded 46 goals. Keeping the Switchbacks scoreless will be key if the Lights are to earn their first ever victory at Weidner Field. The magnitude of Saturday’s moment must be confined to the capacity crowd at Weidner Field. Yes, the Switchbacks are in the USL Championship Western Conference Finals for the second time in club history. But corralling Las Vegas is a monumental task that demands complete focus. There will be patches of the match where the Switchbacks need to rely on their defensive organization and let the Lights have possession, and it’s imperative the Switchbacks remain disciplined and exercise stubborn stoicism in these moments. As Mahatma Ghandi said, “To lose patience is to lose the battle.”
