Football Season Guide

Las Vegas Lights were unable to build on their 4th placed finish in 2024, instead reverting to their status as (almost) perennial strugglers by finishing rock bottom of the Western Conference. It was a season, in which nothing worked. They finished with just 23 goals scored – the poorest record in the league – while they conceded an alarming 50. There was something of an uptick in their fortunes when Devin Rensing was appointed in August, and while this was not maintained through until the end of the campaign, a significant improvement to their defence record was something they could at least hold onto. Now the challenge is maintaining that while coupling it with an improved attacking line. Unfortunately for Vegas, they have lost one of their main creative forces in the form of full-back Gennaro Nigro, who supplied an impressive 7 assists. No one else in their squad had more than 2, so this is a huge gap to fill. Indeed, Lights have lost 4 of the 8 players who amassed the most minutes last season, so many of their most reliable players have gone. Goalkeeper Raiko Aronzarena has also departed after keeping a clean sheet in 40% of his games – a remarkable record given Vegas’ overall struggles. What is there to build on? Top scorer Johnny Rodriguez, who somehow amassed 9 goals remains, while defender Elias Gartig who played every minute of every game is also still present. It was Vegas’ road record that was particularly alarming. They only scored 8 goals on the road while they also conceded 33. They have tried to keep the risk to a minimum via their recruitment strategy, which has centred around signing players from either MLS or USL. With a high turnover throughout the squad, they do look to have improved their options in defence, with Aaron Guillen and Benjamin Ofeimu adding strength and depth in the middle, while Themi Antonoglou looks a strong addition on the left. In the midfield, they have picked up Marc Ybarra from Rhode Island with Patrick Leal set to retain an important role in this area after being a regular last season. The wide areas are perhaps the most important in terms of improvement for Vegas. Ben Mines arrived after a successful season with Loudoun United, where he delivered 7 assists. A similar return is vital here. The other really interesting signing is Manuel Arteaga, who scored 9 for Tampa Bay in 30 last season and netted 17 in 33 the previous season. His arrival offers Rodriguez genuine competition and could see him pushed out to the wing.