The 2025 season has arrived. The Las Vegas Lights return to Cashman Field for a new season just a few months removed from reaching the 2024 Western Conference Final.
Under new Head Coach Antonio Nocerino, the Lights will welcome the Tampa Bay Rowdies to Las Vegas on Saturday night to kick off a new journey in 2025!
Read on for the keys to the match and more information to prepare for the new season.
Match: Las Vegas Lights FC vs Tampa Bay Rowdies
When: Saturday, March 8
Where: Cashman Field
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT
How to Watch: Fox 5, TUDN, CBS Sports Golazo Network
Tickets: Buy your tickets now!
The 2024 Results
Last year, Las Vegas achieved incredible success in the first year of Jose Bautista’s new ownership. The team overcame a late start to roster building and preseason (after Bautista acquired the team in late January) to finish fourth in the Western Conference, host a first round playoff match, and reach the Western Conference Final… all historic achievements for the club.
On the other side of the equation, the Rowdies continued their consistent success as one of the premier franchises in the league. After finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference, Tampa Bay downed Detroit City FC in a penalty kick shootout in the Conference Quarterfinals before falling 2-1 to the Charleston Battery in the next round.
The teams only saw each other one time in 2024, a 1-0 victory for the Rowdies on May 24. Cal Jennings (a former Lights striker) scored a late game-winner for Tampa Bay in the 85th minute.
The good news for Lights fans? Jennings, one of the premier strikers in the league, moved to the Charleston Battery in the offseason, leaving one less big threat up top to defend on Saturday night.
Important Offseason Moves
Speaking of premier strikers in the USL Championship, Las Vegas made a seismic late move for one of their own just last week to replace 2024 leading goal scorer Khori Bennett, who departed the club for a record transfer fee in January.
The club acquired Johnny Rodriguez on February 25 from the Oakland Roots SC, breaking the Roots’ outgoing record transfer fee. Rodriguez scored 12 goals in each of the last two seasons for Oakland, putting him amongst the best goal scorers in the league.
With his additional three assists in 2024, he contributed to a whopping 40.5% of the Roots TOTAL goal output for the season.
Rodriguez got off to a great start in a Las Vegas uniform, scoring two goals in just two minutes in his debut for the club in last Saturday’s final preseason friendly.
Elsewhere, the Lights signed 12 new players in addition to Rodriguez. Sporting Director Gianleonardo Neglia refreshed the squad to fit the style of Head Coach Antonio Nocerino, adding the new players to an existing core of 13 returning players.
And, ultimately, the acquisition that kicked off the entire offseason was that of new Head Coach Antonio Nocerino. After previous Head Coach Dennis Sanchez departed for the same role at New Mexico United, Neglia zeroed in on Nocerino as the ideal replacement.
The Italian brings a legendary playing career to Las Vegas along with a budding managerial record. How he fits the new-look roster together tactically on the field will be one of the biggest questions to be answered in the opening few matches of the season.
Keys to the Match
As Antonio Nocerino and his coaching staff prepare for Tampa Bay, here are the three keys to the match to look out for on Saturday night:
Solidify Tactical Identity
Nocerino’s first mission will be to solidify his team’s tactical identity. A new Head Coach always brings change with him, and it will take time for the team to become a well-oiled machine that can execute the tactical plan on autopilot.
However, the quicker that these principles can be drilled into the players, the easier the team will find it to get victories and climb the table early in the season.
What Nocerino’s tactical identity with this group will look like exactly is still a mystery. However, this process began in preseason with three matches against MLS competition in Coachella, California and a final preseason friendly in front of fans at Cashman Field on March 1.
We can glean some clues from some player press release quotes and Nocerino’s own comments following the preseason matches that the team is looking to get tougher through the midfield, as seen by the acquisitions of physically imposing midfielders Daouda Peeters (still unavailable as he awaits his visa) and Christopher Pearson.
What other changes await? Time will tell, starting with the first real test of the season against the Rowdies tonight.
Mentality Monsters
Nocerino has spoken consistently about the mentality he wants to see from his players. He offers no excuses with a direct coaching style that demands 110% effort and application at all times.
After a poor first half in the team’s final preseason friendly against The Town FC that saw them down 2-0 at the break, the Lights Head Coach was clearly unhappy with his player’s level of intensity.
The team looked like a different monster in the second half as Rodriguez quickly equalized with two goals inside the first 10 minutes of the half. Nocerino will want to see that intensity from his players from the opening whistle this time around.
Embrace the Moment
Home Openers are always pressure-filled environments.
With thousands of fans bringing the noise after months away from their favorite team, the pressure can be intense to deliver a great result for your supporters. It will be crucial that the players embrace that pressure and use it to reinforce their mentality, rather than jeopardizing their focus.
Emotions will be high, tempers will run hot, and the initial challenges will be physical. The first team that rides that wave, settles into the rhythm of the match, and finds a level of calm focus will see success in the early stages of the match.