Whether you love the game of soccer, of can't stand the sight of a pitch, Las Vegas has itself a soccer team that is on the rise. The Las Vegas Lights have seen a recent surge of successful results, but the reasons may surprise you.
The month on June did not start off so kindly for the Las Vegas Lights as they were demolished 4-0 in Reno on June 1st. This loss was then followed up with a signing that has since shaped the future of the Lights towards more positive results. on June 7th, it was announced that the Lights had loaned out defender Dejan Jakovic from MLS side Los Angeles FC (who are currently sitting at the top of the MLS standings). Jakovic is well known for playing with DC United and captaining the Canadian National team (he has made 41 international appearances for the senior team).
This signing sparked change for Head Coach Eric Wynalda's side. Before the signing of Jakovic, the Lights would take the field under a 4-3-3 formation (four defenders, three midfielders and three attackers). Once Jakovic was placed in the starting eleven, Wynalda made the change to have five defenders. This would compromise either the midfield or forwards at times, but it would prove to be the right move heading forward in the season.
June 8th, just one day after the signing of Jakovic, saw the debut of Dejan and this new formation in front of the Cashman Field home crowd. The Lights were set to take on Orange County SC and the match ended in an unappealing 1-1 draw. The Lights had 50.8% of the games possession, but this game served as an ironing board to fix the blemishes of the side.
So, what else changed for the Lights, you may ask? Possession... or lack thereof.
June 15th saw the Lights host New Mexico United who, at the time, was on top of the Western Conference. Although the Lights ended this match with roughly 35% of the games possession, it ended in a rout. 5-1 was the final score in favor of the Lights where there were just 7 shots on target for the Lights (which is an astonishing 71.4% conversion rate). The Lights also had 361 total passes as New Mexico had 663 total passes.
Oh, but the fun does not stop there.
June 22nd saw the Lights hit the road to face off against El Paso Locomotive. This time, the Lights had just 25% of the games possession and 218 total passes in comparison to El Paso's 645 passes. The Lights still won 1-0. The Lights had just ONE shot on target and it ended up as the games only goal.
If there is one thing this new style of play has proven, it's that the Lights do not care if you have the ball more or pass the ball more. What they care about are the chances they are able to create on the offensive end and how they will treat each chance at goal as if it's their last.
The Lights final match in June will take place Saturday the 29th at Cashman Field at 7:30pm when they face Oklahoma City Energy who are tied with the Lights at 22 points in the Western Conference.
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