Lights, after hitting rock bottom, have first playoff berth in sight
The Lights hit rock bottom April 27.
The season was young. There was still plenty to play for. But the club believed another long year could be on the horizon when it left Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, after a 6-0 loss to the Charleston Battery.
The defeat dropped the Lights to 3-5. First-year coach Dennis Sanchez did what he could, preaching patience to his team.
It paid off. The Lights have lost just twice in 15 games since.
The team extended its unbeaten streak to 11 with a 1-1 draw against Detroit City FC at Cashman Field on Saturday. The Lights (8-7-8) haven’t lost since falling 1-0 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 25.
Sanchez said the club’s collective spirit has powered it through this run. The Lights have used eight different starting lineups during their unbeaten streak and fielded 24 different players in that span.
“We believe we have depth,” Sanchez said. “We believe that we have options.”
The early stumbles reminded the Lights of what they were before. And what they hope to never be again.
They experienced the worst season of their six-year existence in 2023, finishing 3-21-10. Former MLB slugger Jose Bautista bought the team in January and hoped to turn things around.
So far, so good. The Lights’ first-ever playoff berth is in reach with 11 games to go.
Their 5-0-6 run their last 11 matches has pushed the team to fifth in the Western Conference standings of the United Soccer League Championship. The top eight teams make the playoffs.
“It comes down to the tightness of the group,” midfielder Valentin Noel said. “A lot of teams I feel in the first half would turn down on each other and point fingers, which we didn’t. We stick to the plan and find a result.”
The Lights have needed to rally several times during their unbeaten streak to win or force a tie. That included Saturday.
Detroit City took the lead in the 39th minute thanks to a goal from forward Ben Morris. Sanchez made two substitutions at halftime, putting forward Khori Bennett and midfielder Charlie Adams on the pitch.
Bennett proceeded to score his seventh goal of the season in the 66th minute to tie the game 1-1. The Lights had some quality looks for a late game-winner as well, including a shot in extra time that Detroit goalkeeper Carlos Saldana stopped.
“We came out in the second half with a bit more energy,” Bennett said. “I don’t know if it was because we were behind a goal or not, but the guys responded well. We’ve been down that road before in the season.”
The Lights felt they could have won Saturday, but they still enjoyed the fact they extended their unbeaten streak. They have a strong chance to keep it going as well.
The Lights’ next game is Aug. 17 on the road against Hartford Athletic, which is 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference. They host the Indy Eleven, who are 1-2-2 their last five matches, on Aug. 24.
“We still have a long ways to go, which is a really positive thing for us,” Sanchez said. “But we’ve also made a lot of progress over the season.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.