Las Vegas Lights at Real Monarchs SLC
April 30, 2018; Zions Bank Stadium
7:00 p.m. MT; RealMonarchs.com/ESPN+
Real Monarchs SLC (4-1-0, 12 points); Las Vegas Lights (2-1-2, 8 points)
Players to Watch – Lights FC defender Joel Huiqui has proven himself on both sides of the ball in the part of this season. The freshly inked center-back has seemingly found his role within the team to lead the back line, all while being tied for leading goal scorer for the side. Huiqui has found the net twice this season, becoming a threat to the opposition going forward and on set pieces. Huiqui scored in the first minute against Sacramento Republic on a low diving header into the lower corner off the back of an early Las Vegas corner.
History – This will be the first meeting between the two sides in club history, with Las Vegas Lights FC debuting their club in late 2017. Their first full season in the USL will see an early matchup with the Monarchs, potentially sparking a rivalry with the closest geographical club to the Monarchs.
Last Five – After a tough loss on Friday and a quick turnaround in Utah on Monday, Las Vegas will look to forget everything about the match against San Antonio. One thing that can’t be forgotten about the loss is the red card Christian Torres received late in the game to carry over to Monday’s match. The loss to San Antonio marked the first loss of the season for the Lights after starting the season with a four-game unbeaten run (two wins, two draws). The Las Vegas back line allowed three goals in the 3-1 loss on Friday, after only allowing a combined 5 goals in the rest of their matches combined this season. Having suffered its first loss of the regular season, Las Vegas will need to shake off its disappointing performance as it sees the Monarchs open their new home at Zions Bank Stadium on Monday night.
