Las Vegas Lights FC
Founded | August 11, 2017 | ||
---|---|---|---|
Stadium | Cashman Field | ||
Capacity | 9,334 | ||
Principal owner | José Bautista | ||
Head coach | Dennis Sanchez | ||
League | USL Championship | ||
2023 | 12th, Western Conference Playoffs: Did not qualify | ||
Website | Club website | ||
|
Las Vegas Lights FC is an American professional soccer team based in Las Vegas, Nevada, that plays in the USL Championship. The team made its debut in 2018 and plays its home games at Cashman Field.
The team employs
History
The first professional soccer team to be based in Las Vegas was the
The city hosted several
In April 2017, Brett Lashbrook submitted a formal proposal to the Las Vegas City Manager to use
Inaugural season
The team played their inaugural regular season match in
Affiliation with Los Angeles FC
On March 12, 2021, Las Vegas Lights FC announced an affiliation partnership with Los Angeles FC (LAFC) of Major League Soccer. Under the one-year partnership, Las Vegas became the USL affiliate of LAFC and shared technical staff, including new manager Steve Cherundolo, a former U.S. national team player.[31][32] In 2022, the affiliation was extended for another season.[33] The team finished last in the Western Conference during the 2021 season.[34] Cherundolo departed to become head coach of Los Angeles FC and was replaced in Las Vegas by assistant Enrique Duran in February 2022.[35] Duran led the team to an improved finish within a point of earning a playoff berth.[34][36]
Post-affiliation
The affiliation agreement ended in 2023 with the establishment of Los Angeles FC 2 in MLS Next Pro as part of a league initiative to create their own reserve league. Duran moved with the program, along with all existing players. The Lights hired Isidro Sánchez, who had been their head coach in 2018, and signed 25 new players during the offseason.[37] Lights FC finished with a 4–22–10 record in the 2023 season. Dennis Sanchez, a former assistant coach for Austin FC II, was hired as head coach of the club in January 2024.[38]
Stadium
The Lights play their home matches at
The Las Vegas 51s (renamed the Las Vegas Aviators) relocated to a new stadium in Summerlin in 2019, leaving the Lights as the sole tenant of Cashman Field.[42][43] The Lights began renovations to the locker rooms and stadium offices prior to the 2019 season, with further plans to make it a soccer-specific venue.[44] The city government also began exploring options for a larger soccer-specific stadium in downtown Las Vegas to accommodate an MLS expansion team.[45]
The team is scheduled to play two regular season games at Las Vegas Ballpark in October 2023.[46]
Colors and badge
The Lights name was announced on August 29, 2017, after being decided in an online poll ahead of five other finalists, including Las Vegas FC, Las Vegas Silver, Club Vegas, Viva Vegas and Las Vegas Action. The name evokes the
The club's jerseys are manufactured by
Sponsorship
Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
2018–2020 | BLK[48]
|
Zappos[48] |
2021 | Tigra | Findlay Toyota |
2022 | Meyba | Coin Cloud |
2023 | LiUNA! | |
2024–present | Hummel |
Ownership and management
The Lights were founded as Las Vegas Lights, LLC by Brett Lashbrook, a former consultant to USL and MLS clubs in Florida.
The team's first head coach and technical director was
In April 2018, the Lights became the first professional sports team in the United States to be sponsored by a licensed
On January 16, 2024, Las Vegas Lights, LLC were sold to an investor group led by former Major League Baseball star José Bautista.[64]
Club culture
The Lights have used unusual promotions and gimmicks to attract fans, including a
Before home matches, the Lights award a "pink
The team had a rivalry with Reno 1868 FC, the other USL team in the state of Nevada, called the Silver State Cup. The rivalry was named in an online poll by fans of both teams ahead of their first match in March 2018.[72] Reno ceased operations after the 2020 season due to financial issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[73]
Broadcasting
The Lights broadcast their home matches and some away matches on KVCW, an over-the-air channel serving the Las Vegas market. All matches are streamed online on ESPN+ as part of a league-wide broadcast deal that began in April 2018. Some of the club's matches are also scheduled to be broadcast on ESPNews and ESPN3.[74] The inaugural preseason match in February 2018 had been aired on "KCLV", a city-run government access channel, but a broadcast agreement could not be reached due to the commercial nature of the club.[54][75] Radio broadcasts for Lights matches are carried on 1460 AM ESPN Deportes in Spanish.[76]
Players and staff
Roster
- As of March 8, 2024[77]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
- ^ USL Academy contract
Staff
Title | Name | Nation |
---|---|---|
Owner | José Bautista | Dominican Republic |
Sporting director | Gianleonardo Neglia | Italy[78] |
Head coach | Dennis Sánchez | United States |
Assistant coach | Gerson Echeverry | Colombia |
Assistant coach | Ivan Mirkovic | Serbia |
Goalkeeping coach | Armando Quezada | United States |
Head coaches
- Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.
Coach | Nationality | Tenure | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chelís
|
Mexico | November 14, 2017–September 18, 2018 | 30 | 8 | 16 | 6 | 26.67 |
Isidro Sánchez | Canada | September 18, 2018–October 16, 2018 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 16.67 |
Eric Wynalda | United States | October 17, 2018–June 17, 2020 | 36 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 33.33 |
Frank Yallop | Canada | June 29, 2020–January 31, 2021[79] | 16 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 12.50 |
Steve Cherundolo | United States | March 12, 2021–January 3, 2022[31] | 32 | 6 | 23 | 3 | 18.75 |
Enrique Duran | Spain | February 4, 2022–January 25, 2023[80] | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 35.29 |
Isidro Sánchez | Canada | January 25, 2023–January 29, 2024[81] | 36 | 4 | 22 | 10 | 11.11 |
Dennis Sanchez | United States | January 29, 2024–present[82] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Record
Year-by-year
- As of October 14, 2023
Season | USL Championship | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Top scorer | Avg. attendance | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Player | Goals | ||||
2018 | 34 | 8 | 19 | 7 | 50 | 74 | 31 | 15th, Western | did not qualify | Third round
|
Raúl Mendiola | 10 | 6,786 |
2019 | 34 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 46 | 56 | 41 | 13th, Western | did not qualify | Third round
|
Irvin Parra | 15 | 7,711 |
2020 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 34 | 11 | 15th, Western 5th, Group 5 |
did not qualify | Cancelled | Yamikani Chester | 4 | N/A |
2021 | 32 | 6 | 23 | 3 | 41 | 77 | 21 | 15th, Western 8th, Pacific |
did not qualify | Cancelled | Cal Jennings | 11 | N/A |
2022 | 34 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 40 | 50 | 45 | 9th, Western | did not qualify | Second round | Danny Trejo | 14 | 5,615 |
2023 | 34 | 3 | 21 | 10 | 36 | 66 | 19 | 12th, Western | did not qualify | Third round | Danny Ríos | 5 |
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