FSM Essential Recap: Lights FC vs Battery- Game 5

FSM Essential Recap: Lights FC vs Battery – Game 5

Franchise Sports Media

A Daniel Trejo brace helps the Las Vegas Lights FC bounce back and secure a 2-1 comeback win in a heated affair in South Carolina.  

The Lights were on the road this Friday in their first East Coast matchup of the season against the Charleston Battery. The USL Championship top goal scorer Trejo scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season to help the Lights answer back from Saturday’s home loss versus Memphis 901. 

The Lights came out with some changes to their lineup since Saturday’s loss, including a new 5-3-2 formation, the third different formation of the season for the team. Abraham Romero remained in goal as the goalkeeper. At the same time, Dekel Keinan joined this past Saturday’s four-man defense of Mohamed Traore, Alejandro Lara, Morten Bjorshol, and Julian Gaines as the fifth defender. Bjorshol and Gaines switched positions from Saturday, as Gaines was the right-back and Bjorshol was one of the three center backs. Captain Daniel Cristosomo was the only midfielder to remain in the lineup, joined by Frank Daroma on his first game back since his red card against El Paso Locomotive and Jorge Almaguer. Both midfielders replaced Roberto Molina and Alvaro Quezada in the lineup, who were both substituted into the game in the 64th minute in place of Daroma and Gaines. Trejo and Cal Jennings were the two forwards leading the lines for the Lights last night as Daniel Musovski saw the bench for the first time since the season-opening loss against New Mexico United. 

The action started quickly as Referee Sergii Demianchuk gifted a questionable penalty call to Charleston in the eighth minute of play, which Augustine Williams converted. The Lights quickly switched into their gears and dominated the game for the remainder of the first half. Just before the end of the half, during added time, Trejo makes a fantastic run with the ball and plays Jennings, who returns the ball to Trejo as an assist. Trejo continued with the ball and took it past Charleston’s keeper, Joe Kuzminsky, to level the game right before the half. Out of the nine goals the Lights scored this season, this was only the second goal scored in the first half of play. 

The Lights entered the half with the same urgency as they did when they were losing. In the 56th minute of play, Almaguer made a brilliant tackle in Charleston’s half to retrieve the ball from a dangerous Charleston counterattack and played the ball to Daroma, who then assisted Trejo for his second goal of the evening.

The remainder of the game was a very intense and foul-full affair, as Charleston finished the game with six yellow cards, while the Lights only picked up three. The Lights‘ defense remained rock solid, as they did everything from goal-line clearances to breaking up any Charleston set-piece and counterattack. Even when the defense slipped, Romero was as big and reliable as a goalkeeper needed to be, racking up four crucial saves that many other goalkeepers would’ve conceded. 

It was an overall fantastic team performance from the Lights.

This new formation saw the Lights playing a very high press in defense, which ultimately led to the game-winning goal and destruction of any potential Charleston attacks. 

Trejo has arguably been the best player in the league this season. Fresh off his back to back USL Championship Team of the Week appearances and USL Championship Goal of the Week award for his long-distance chip goal against El Paso Locomotive, Trejo comes out with a masterclass performance to improve the Lights to a 3-2 season record, which is the best five-game start in franchise history. The Lights are currently tied for third place in the league with nine points but sit at fifth place due to goal differential.

The Lights are on the road again this upcoming Wednesday, April 6th, to face off against FC Tucson in Arizona for their first game in the US Open Cup at 6:30 PM PT. You can catch this game on ESPN+.

Lights FC vs Battery                   Lights FC vs Battery               Lights FC vs Battery               Lights FC vs Battery               Lights FC vs Battery                   Lights FC vs Battery               Lights FC vs Battery                            

-Murad Omaish – Franchise Sports Media

Follow The Franchise on social media

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube