NEWS

September 1, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) — Lights FC Head Coach Frank Yallop and Major League Soccer veteran Quincy Amarikwa have a long (and successful) history together.  In 2008, when Yallop served as Head Coach of MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes, Yallop selected Amarikwa in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft where he would go on to start his eleven year long career in Major League Soccer.  Yallop & Amarikwa would reunite again in 2013 when Yallop was Head Coach for MLS’ Chicago Fire where he would go on to play three seasons with the Fire appearing in 60+ matches and launching his popular web series #QuincyTime.  This player & coach bond is now reuniting again at the Las Vegas Lights FC — and both couldn’t be more excited about it.

“Quincy is an established MLS player — but he’s an even better person,” said Yallop.  “I am excited to have him join us for the remainder of the season to provide not just depth to our roster, but there are very few players better to learn from as Quincy has experienced so much in his career to date.”

Amarikwa, originally from Bakersfield, California and 2019 UC Davis Hall Of Famer has also played for Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids, New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and most recently last season with D.C. United where he appeared in over 20 matches and served as back up to Wayne Rooney.  Further, he won MLS Cup in 2010 as part of the Colorado Rapids organization.

In recent years, while still playing in Major League Soccer, Amarikwa also founded Perfect Soccer which originally focused on publishing books focused on the mental side of the game and has recently evolved into a web based platform helping soccer players, parents and coaches. The company is also a strong supporter of (and collaborator with) Black Players for Change, an organization of over 100+ MLS players which Quincy is Co-Founder and Director of Negotiations & Strategic Partnerships. (More information may be found at www.PerfectSoccerSkills.com/BlackPlayersForChange.)

ROBINSON LOANED TO COLORADO SPRINGS FC:  Lights FC also announced today that defender Gabe Robinson has been loaned for the remainder of the 2020 USL Championship regular season to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks. 

 

ABOUT QUINCY AMARIKWA

Quincy was born the eldest and only son of four to father Charles Amarikwa from Owerri, Nigerian and mother Veronica Amarikwa from Superior, Montana. He learned his work ethic and self-reliance early on from his parents and has applied that not only to his soccer career but to every aspect of his life.

August 12, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) — When Las Vegas Lights FC launched in 2018 it announced the “Lights FC Homegrown Player Program” presented by Nevada State College.  This initiative set forth a firm commitment by Lights FC to become the first professional sports team to guarantee that at all times in its future history it would always have at least one player on its roster that was either born in Las Vegas, raised in Las Vegas and/or went to college in Las Vegas before their professional career began.  Today, in year three of the Club’s existence, Lights FC announced Blake Frischknecht as the eighth player in club history to be a “Home Grown Player.”

Frischknecht, 24 years old, starred at Centennial High School where he was named first-team All-State, All-Sunset Region and All-Northwest Division.  He initially attended college at Brigham Young University before taking a two-year hiatus to complete a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.  Upon returning to the States he joined the NCAA Division One soccer program at Utah Valley University where he thrived setting numerous school & conference goal scoring records and was named the WAC Offensive Player of Year.

However, Lights FC fans will likely remember Frischknecht’s goal scoring prowess when he led his summer amateur team — Orange County FC — into Cashman Field during last year’s 2019 U.S. Open Cup and scored the game winning goal in the 89th minute.

Most recently, Frischknecht’s senior season in college was unfortunately cut short due to a knee injury that required surgery — and caused him to have to forego the 2020 MLS Draft where he was widely considered to be a high draft pick had he not been injured.  Frischknecht has been training with Lights FC for many months during his rehabilitation and was cleared this week for full contact play setting in motion today’s official signing.

Below is a list of all previous Lights FC Home Grown Players Presented by Nevada State College:

• Thomas Olsen (Born & Raised in Las Vegas; Attended Bishop Gorman H.S.) (2018, 2019, 2020)

• Angel Alvarez (Born & Raised in Las Vegas, Attended Rancho H.S.) (2018, 2019, 2020)

• Matt Thomas (Born & Raised in Las Vegas; Attended Palo Verde H.S.) (2018 & 2019)

• Julian Portugal (Raised in Las Vegas, Played for UNLV Soccer) (2018)

• Marco Jaime (Born in North Las Vegas) (2018)

• Sebastian Hernandez (Raised in Las Vegas, Attended Bonanza H.S.; Played for UNLV Soccer) (2018)

• Adolfo Guzman (Born & Raised in Las Vegas; Attended S.E. Career & Technical Academy) (2018)

The Lights FC Home Grown Player Initiative is proudly presented by Nevada State College.  Located on more than 500 acres in Henderson, Nevada State College was founded in 2002 and is one of the fastest growing educational institutions from a percentage basis not just in Nevada (but the entire country).  With over 3,000 undergraduate students representing our diverse community, Nevada State College is a proud partner of Lights FC.  Be Bold.  Be Great.  Be STATE!

August 11, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) — Las Vegas Lights FC announced that New Zealand Men’s National Team player Noah Billingsley joins the roster on loan from Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United.  Billingsley, a defender, is expected to play immediately upon receiving his work visa in the coming weeks and per the terms of the loan agreement may be recalled by Major League Soccer at any time.

Only 22 years old, Billingsley has appeared three times for the New Zealand National Team and represented his country during the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.  He is no stranger to living in America having attended college soccer powerhouse UC-Santa Barbara where he won multiple conference and national awards before being selected in the first round of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.

“I’m excited to have Noah join the roster,” said Lights FC Head Coach Frank Yallop.  “He is a strong addition to our current roster and will help further reinforce our backline during his time with us.”

Billingsley becomes the 11th all-time Lights FC player to accomplish every soccer player’s dream of representing their national team in international competitions, joining current Lights FC players Junior Burgos (El Salvador), Seku Conneh (Liberia) and Yamikani Chester (Malawi).  Other national teams represented on previous Lights FC rosters include the United States, Mexico, Canada, Japan, El Salvador, Panama & Guatemala. 

DATE CHANGE — AT LOS ANGELES GALAXY II MATCH MOVED BACK ONE DAY:  It was also announced that Lights FC’s originally scheduled match at Los Angeles Galaxy II for Saturday, August 29th has been moved back to the following day.  The match will now kick-off on Sunday, August 30th at 2 pm.  

August 10, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) — Las Vegas Lights FC & COX Communications announced today a partnership to re-air select Lights FC television broadcasts on YurView Las Vegas TV.  YurView is available locally via COX Cable on channel 14 (standard definition) / 1014 (High Definition). The deal is for the remainder of the 2020 season. 

 

YurView Las Vegas is the local origination television network managed by Cox Communications.  It regularly features the best of local, regional, and national content showcased on multiple platforms.  In Las Vegas, the channel is also the home for Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres.

 

“We’re excited to partner with the Las Vegas Lights FC as they move forward with its 2020 season without fans in the stands at Cashman Field,” said Cox Media Las Vegas Vice President Tonya Ruby.  “The Saturday broadcasts, while not live, are a chance for the team’s enthusiastic fan base to be a part of the action.”

 

“All of us in the sports industry find ourselves in a very unique position in 2020.  While the COVID-19 virus has kept fans from watching Lights FC in-person at Cashman Field this season, it has increased the desire of fans to watch on television,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “We are excited to further grow this relationship with COX.”

 

Below is the planned schedule for upcoming Lights FC match re-airs on YurView TV.  All matches to air at 12:30 pm PT (except the September 5th broadcast will air at 6:00 pm PT):

 

YurView Air Date                      Opponent (Original Match Date)

Sat., Aug. 15th                             San Diego Loyal SC (Aug. 8th)

Sat., Aug. 22nd                            Tacoma Defiance (Aug. 12th)

Sat., Aug. 29th                             Phoenix Rising FC (Aug. 22nd)

Sat., Sept. 5th                             Orange County SC (Aug. 25th)

Sat., Sept. 12th                          Phoenix Rising FC (Sept. 5th)

Sat., Oct. 3rd                               Los Angeles Galaxy II (Sept. 26th)

Sat., Oct. 10th                           Orange County SC (Oct. 3rd)

 

All Lights FC match broadcasts (both home & away games) will continue to air live on ESPN+ with the upcoming August 25th match airing live on national television via ESPN Deportes. 

August 3, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) — The United Soccer League announced today that the Las Vegas Lights FC home match on Tuesday, August 25th against Orange County SC will now air on national television via ESPN Deportes (Spanish language), as well as ESPN+ (English language).  As a result, the kick-off time has been moved up to 7:00 pm PT (instead of 7:30 PM PT).

“In this unique season with restricted access to fans in-stadium there is obviously an increased number of eyeballs watching sports on television,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “Being chosen by ESPN Deportes is something for the club and each of our players to be proud of as it allows Lights FC to be seen in front of a significantly larger audience nationally and internationally via the ESPN family of networks.”

The Lights FC returns to play this weekend at Cashman Field on Saturday, August 8th against San Diego Loyal SC (7:30 pm kick-off; Aired live on ESPN+).

July 24, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) — After a 140 day unscheduled break in the middle of its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Las Vegas Lights FC finally return to action on Saturday night to start a stretch of 15 matches in 11 weeks.  The match at San Diego Loyal SC is set for 7 pm PT and will air live on ESPN+ and is a rematch of the Lights last regular season match, which was also coincidentally their first home game of the 2020 season prior to the suspension of sports across the world, on March 7th.  That match resulted in a 1-1 draw. 

Tomorrow night also features new manager, Frank Yallop on the sidelines for Lights FC.  He will be facing U.S. National Soccer Team legend Landon Donovan, who is the manager for San Diego Loyal SC.  Yallop and Donovan have a long (and friendly) history with each other that began with Yallop serving as Donovan’s head coach during his early seasons in Major League Soccer.  The pair combined for two MLS Cup titles with the San Jose Earthquakes. 

In addition, as announced yesterday, Lights FC’s second all-time leading scorer Raul Mendiola rejoins the club for the remainder of the 2020 season after playing for the San Diego Loyal most recently. Mendiola played a half-season for Lights FC in its 2018 inaugural season scoring 10 goals which ranks him tied for second all time in Lights FC scoring history.  The signing of Mendiola signals a huge addition to the roster for the second half of the current season. 

Lights FC will return home to Cashman Field in downtown Las Vegas one week later for a Saturday, August 1st match against in-state rival Reno 1868 FC. This will be the first installment of the 2020 Silver Cup Classic.

Lights FC’s roster is shaping up nicely ahead of its revised 2020 season schedule.  The Club will continue updating pertinent information regarding game schedules, fans in attendance, and Health & Safety protocols.  For more information, please visit LightsFC.com or call 702-728-4625.  

July 23, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) — Las Vegas Lights FC’s new manager Frank Yallop is putting his stamp on the club by signing the return of Lights FC’s second all-time leading goal scorer Raul Mendiola for the 2020 season. 

Fans will remember Raúl Mendiola from the 2018 inaugural season when the 26-year old former Los Angeles Galaxy player signed mid-way through the season and still led the club in scoring with 10 goals. Mendiola joins the team immediately and is eligible for this weekend’s match. 

“Obviously Raul is a great player who the fans here know well. I am excited he’s agreed to join us this season,” said Lights FC Head Coach Frank Yallop.  “This is obviously a unique season and we are excited to add further depth to the roster today.”

Born in Mexico but raised in Southern California, Mendiola signed a Homegrown Player contract with Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy where he stayed for four seasons before signing with Lights FC in 2018.  Mendiola has also played for Reno 1868 FC and San Diego Loyal SC, both of whom he’ll face in his first two games back in a Lights FC uniform.

Specifically, after a four-month break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lights FC returns to play this Saturday at San Diego Loyal SC (TV: ESPN+, 7p PT kickoff) before returning to Cashman Field for their home opener on Saturday, August 1st versus in-state rival Reno (TV: ESPN+, 7:30p kickoff).  

The Lights also announced today that Santiago Echeverria is no longer a member of the roster effective immediately in order to comply with the United Soccer League’s roster regulations.

Lights FC’s roster is shaping up nicely ahead of its revised 2020 season schedule.  The Club will continue updating pertinent information regarding game schedules, fans in attendance, and Health & Safety protocols.  For more information, please visit LightsFC.com or call 702-728-4625.  

 

Large Cardboard Cutout Pictures of Individual Fans to be Placed in Cashman Field Seats In Response to Current State of Nevada Restrictions Against Fans Attending In-Person;

 

Home Opener Set For Saturday, August 1st against “That Team Up North.”

 

July 16, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) — Las Vegas Lights FC announced today a unique opportunity for all of its fans to still “attend” all of their matches this season at Cashman Field.  Specifically, as a result of the current State of Nevada restrictions on fans attending sporting events, Lights FC has created a way for fans to submit pictures of themselves that will be converted into over-sized “cardboard fan cutouts” that will be placed throughout the Cashman Field seating bowl all season long.

“Obviously this season wasn’t what we originally planned, but we are going to do our best to make the best of a bad situation,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “We have the best fans in American soccer and we’re gonna prove it yet again.”

Fans can go to LightsFC.com/CutOut to purchase the cardboard fan cutouts at $30/each ($20/each for Lights FC Season Ticket Members).  Fans will be given the option of keeping their personalized cutout once fans are allowed back into Cashman Field for home matches.  Net proceeds will be donated to the Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas L.I.F.E. which is currently spreading donations across a multitude of local charities focused on the various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lights FC started its season on March 7th with an away game.  And its original home opener was scheduled for March 14th — but was postponed a mere 48 hours before kick-off due to COVID-19.  The Lights FC new home opener is now scheduled for Saturday, August 1st against that “Team Up North.”  Due to the current State of Nevada restrictions against fans attending live sporting events, Lights FC will be playing all matches “closed-door” until further notice.  However, all matches will continue to air live on ESPN+.  Additionally, the Lights FC restart the 2020 season with an away match on July 25th at San Diego.

“We fully understand the Governor’s reasons for not allowing fans currently,” said Lashbrook.  “But this provides a fun solution for us to still find ways to include our fans this season.”

LIGHTS FC ACQUIRE RASHAWN DALLY ON LOAN FROM MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER’S FC CINCINNATI 

Forward Has Experience With Jamaican National Team in the Youth Level, Being Selected by FC Cincinnati in the 2019 Major League Soccer SuperDraft;

In Addition, Las Vegas Signs Defender Jaiden Waggoner To His First Pro Contract.

Las Vegas (NV) — Las Vegas Lights FC has added forward Rashawn Dally to its roster ahead of its 2020 USL Championship revised schedule, pending league and federation approval.

The Jamaican youth international was selected with the 49th overall pick of the 2019 Major League Soccer SuperDraft by FC Cincinnati. On July 6, 2019, he scored his first MLS goal on his third game in the league.

Dally was invited by the Jamaica National Team to their senior camp in March 2018. He has experience in the USL Championship as he was loaned to Memphis 901 FC of the Eastern Conference last season, where he scored one goal in 12 appearances.

Per the Right of Recall incorporated in the loan agreement, FC Cincinnati retains the right to recall their player at any point during the MLS regular season, subject to MLS roster compliance guidelines.

In addition to Dally’s arrival on loan, Lights FC has signed defender Jaiden Waggoner, pending league and federation approval. Waggoner recently graduated from Utah Valley University, where he played for four years. He was an undisputed starter in his senior season, coming back to action after missing extended time in 2018 due to injury.

Lights FC’s roster is shaping up nicely ahead of its revised 2020 season schedule.  The Club will continue updating pertinent information regarding game schedules, fans in attendance, and Health & Safety protocols.  For more information, please visit LightsFC.com or call 702-728-4625.