Antonio Nocerino Sacked by Las Vegas Lights
3-0 Defeat to San Antonio Last Straw for 9th Place Las Vegas Lights
237 days: the amount of time between Antonio Nocerino sackings in the USL Championship.
It was announced today Antonio Nocerino has been sacked by the Las Vegas Lights. A run of 6 without a win with 5 straight losses, while giving up 15 goals and only scoring 1, proved to be Nocerino’s undoing.
The decision was made after meeting with Sporting Director Gianleonardo Neglia after a defeat in San Antonio where the Lights were 5th best in a 2 team contest. Negila on the Las Vegas Lights website made the split look as amicable as possible. “We agreed that now is the right time for Antonio to step away as we sit one point out of the playoff positions. I appreciate his professionalism throughout his time in Las Vegas and wish him the best in his next opportunity.”
Nocerino’s stubbornness in wanting to fit round pegs into square holes proved to be his undoing. The team played too defensively in a shape that did not suit the team’s talent. Whenever Las Vegas went to 3 at the back, more so in April and May, everyone knew to buckle up because it was going to be a long night. The last time the Lights score multiple goals against a USL Championship side (they did defeat AV Alta 2-1 in the Jagermeister Cup on April 30th), was in a 3-2 defeat to New Mexico United on March 15th.
The decision to sign Johnny Rodriguez as a replacement to Khori Bennett (transferred to Al-Nasr SC in the offseason) has not paid off. While he does have 3 goals in league, his 1 goal in 3 matches average is not going to be enough to get Las Vegas back on track. Valentin Noel, someone who was good for a goal last season in midfield (11 goals in league play last season), has had to come from so deep most matches he really hasn’t been a factor.
The next manager will have plenty of talent to work with in this side, outside needing to find a goal scorer up top. While the Lights have scored 5 goals in their 3 Jagermeister Cup matches (tied for most in Group 1), their 7 USL Championship goals this season is enough for last place in the goals scored column.
Assistant Coach Giovanni Troise, the good cop to Nocerino’s bad cop, will lead training this week ahead of their home match this weekend against Monterey Bay while a search is underway.
It’s the second sacking in the thunder dome that is the Western Conference in 7 days as teams near the playoff positions jostle to find the right manager to see them through the rest of the season. The gap between 7th and 12 in the USL Championship’s Western Conference is only 5 points, 1 point fewer than the 6 point gap from 6th to 7th. This is without factoring in Sacramento Republic’s 2 games in hand, and Orange County SC’s game in hand on everyone 9th-12th in the west.
It also ends one of my favorite impromptu segments on The Third Half podcast (and likely Kartik’s least favorite) ‘Quotes with Nocerino’.
I have some thoughts on this having worked with him closely last season but let me refine those thoughts before posting them. I genuinely am hopeful he can succeed in the future. Sometimes it is tough for great players to turn into great coaches.
So, I’m not trying to be a jerk but I still don’t understand why Sr. Joey Bats thought that he was the right hire in the first place.
Kartik and others with insights maybe will understand better than me.
But he is who we knew him to be. At least at this stage of his coaching career.
That doesn’t take away anything from his playing career. Not one thing. I put respect on his name when it comes to that.
But this makes two USL Championship head coaching positions that he failed in. A certain moment comes when you must adapt to do a job with the tools you have available.
Until I see differently, he’s another very good player that isn’t ready to be a head coach of a USLC club.
After the Miami debacle—that he played a huge role in-It really sucks that he got that gig when so many dudes are grinding themselves to catch a break or a second opportunity.