NEWS

Las Vegas (NV) — That’s right.  Never-ever done before. We are putting the power of design into one fan’s hand as to what our players will wear for a match this season.

Do you want to put your child’s face on the jersey?  Do you want to tell your wife how much you love her? Do you want to promote a cause that’s near and dear to your heart?  Do you want to create something for your design resume? Or maybe you just want to become famous?!

The only rule is simple — keep it within the realm of reasonableness (so the League Office doesn’t ban it!).   Basically, don’t be stupid or from Reno; otherwise, the team won’t take your money. (Sorry Reno fans — all of your inevitable stupid ideas are banned!)

Fans are encouraged to go to LightsFC.com/HighestBid to learn more and bid for the right to design the jersey to be worn by Lights FC for a match later this season.  All current Lights FC sponsor logos on the front and sleeve areas must remain on the jersey (e.g., Zappos on the chest and Jarritos & USL Championship on the sleeves). However, the back of the jersey may potentially include third-party sponsor logos above and below the players’ name & number locations.

“Believe it, folks.  The Most Interesting Team in America trusts its fans so much we’re giving you the power of the design — so make us proud!,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “We are the first team in sports history to design a different jersey for every home match so we can’t wait to see what the highest bidder designs!”

As previously announced, Lights FC will wear a different jersey during each 2020 Regular Season home match.  The first two designs were part of a fan design contest and featured bold confetti inspired designs from local 16-year old graphic design student Ryan Opelac from Southwest Career & Technical Academy.

Las Vegas (NV) — Lights FC struck a deal to add El Salvador National Team member Junior Burgos to its roster, pending league and federation approval. The midfielder immediately becomes a clear-cut option to be Lights FC’s main offensive play-maker and a player who will be a threat in the final third for opposing defenses.

“Junior is a player that plays internationally for his country. I met him many years ago and was able to coach him with the Atlanta Silverbacks at the very forefront of a great career,” said Lights FC manager Eric Wynalda. “To be able to coach him again is a great opportunity. He was hitting some spectacular free-kicks today and he had a huge smile knowing that he had signed his contract to play here. We’re thrilled to have him with our team.”

Selected in the MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC in 2011, Junior Burgos made his Major League Soccer debut on March 31, 2012. He joined Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL in 2014, where he was coached by Eric Wynalda. His professional career includes two stints in USL Championship, first with the Orange County Blues in 2015 and afterward with Reno 1868 FC in 2017. He returned to his native country the following year to play for Salvadoran titans FAS, before returning to the United States by signing with the New York Cosmos in 2019, where he scored 15 goals.

“I’m excited because this is a good opportunity for me, to come in and reunite with Coach Wynalda to build something special,” stated Burgos. “I know that this team needs to be important this year and I hope that I can add to that. My goal is to help Las Vegas to go into the playoffs”.

Junior Burgos has over 20 appearances with the El Salvador National Team, most recently playing in a friendly against Iceland on January 19, 2020. His stellar 2019 season with the New York Cosmos has the attention of the El Salvador coaching staff, and he wants to continue to impress them with big performances with Lights FC that will help both the team and himself.

“I’m a technical player.  I try to include and get the best out of all the players around me and to make everyone better,” added Burgos. “I’m here to add my experience to a team that’s already talented and that’s what I would say about myself. I think this team has fallen short in the last two seasons, I came here to try to achieve big things. Anything can happen, why not dream of winning a championship?”.

The addition of Burgos adds another experienced member to Lights FC’s roster, but manager Eric Wynalda also wants to have the next generation ready to embrace the opportunity. That’s why he signed a pair of players who just finished up their collegiate careers in goalkeeper Edward Delgado and midfielder Grant Robinson, pending league and federation approval.

“I’ve been very impressed by ‘Lalo’ Delgado. He didn’t play division one at the collegiate level, but what that means is that not everyone knows who he is. He has been with us for nearly a month now and he has gotten better every second,” said Wynalda. “Grant (Robinson) is a great player, he fits right into this group. We love the way he plays, he’s versatile, young, and is a fast learner. I’m thrilled to be the guy to offer these two players their first professional contracts.”

Lights FC will practice Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at Kellogg-Zaher Soccer Complex and at the same time on Friday, but at Cashman Field before traveling to San Diego for the team’s USL Championship season opener on Saturday, March 7. Both training sessions are open to the public and the media.

Las Vegas (NV) — Las Vegas Lights FC announced Monday, March 2nd, that it was becoming the first-ever professional sports team to wear a different jersey design for each home match during the USL Championship regular season.  Leading the team once called by Sports Illustrated as the “Most Interesting Team in the World” to be even more interesting!

Lights FC unveiled today the initial jersey designs for the first month of the season, including its season opener on March 7th at San Diego and it’s home opener one week later on March 14th vs. Sacramento.  The designs both prominently feature elements centered around confetti blasts which occur after each goal the Lights FC score at Cashman Field and how our fans participate in our unique matchday experience. The design process originated last fall when Lights FC solicited design concepts & inspirations from its fans as to what its uniform should look like in 2020.

Ryan Opelac’s design submission was selected out of hundreds received by Lights FC’s front office.  Ryan is sixteen years old and a student at Southwest Career & Technical Academy in Clark County.  He initially participated in the fan initiative when his teacher Jeff Ball used the opportunity to help design the Lights FC 2020 official jersey as a class project last semester.  Opelac learned of his winning submission when he was surprised in his classroom in front of his fellow students by Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook and Cash the Soccer Rocker, the team’s official mascot.

“Everyone who attended a Lights FC home match last season knows how much we love having fun with confetti.  So much so that we are doubling the number of confetti cannons in 2020!,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “When we saw Ryan Opelac’s design ideas we immediately loved it. It was so creative & unique that we knew we had to use it.”

The two jerseys unveiled today will be worn at the first two USL Championship regular-season home games at Cashman Field on Saturday, March 14th and Saturday, March 28th.  The white jersey will be worn at the Lights FC home opener and for all away matches when the hosting team wears a dark-colored jersey. And the black jersey will be work at the Lights FC’s second home match, as well as at all road matches where the home team elects to wear a light-colored jersey. (Note: USL Championship league rules dictate that the home team decides what colored jersey to wear.)

Lights FC intends to publicly unveil the designs for its future home games on a rolling basis on the first day of each month.  Future jersey designs will be a combination of fan submissions, Club initiatives and upcoming match theme nights. All fans are encouraged to submit their ideas at LightsFC.com/JerseyDesign.

“We are really excited to wear a different jersey each home regular-season match this year and to include so many fans in our design process,” said Lashbrook.  “So if there are any fans that don’t like the initial designs we have the absolutely perfect solution — keep submitting new design concepts & ideas. Let’s have some fun with it!”

In addition, both Ryan Opelac & his teacher Jeff Ball also won free season tickets this season and will be honored at a home match in front of the fans.

Las Vegas (NV) — The pro soccer club once called by Sports Illustrated as “The Most Interesting Team in America” is at it again!  This time Las Vegas Lights FC is ready to revolutionize how pro soccer teams design their uniforms.

In the Fall of 2019 Lights FC issued a challenge to its fans to help it design the 2020 uniform — and Lights FC fans responded en masse.  Hundreds of design inspirations and concepts were submitted for review. Upon reviewing the multitude of designs the club decided it needed to re-think the whole process and is announcing today the following expanded developments for its official 2020 uniform…:

• Different Designed Jerseys For ALL USL Regular Season Home Matches!

• Fans Still Encouraged to Submit New & Creative Design Inspiration Ideas & Concepts at LightsFC.com/JerseyDesign

  • Specifically looking for a “We Hate Reno” design (or anything unique for any of our other fun promotional nights scheduled such as Midnight Match, July 4th, etc.

• Limited Number of Jerseys To Be Sold on a First-Come, First-Serve basis at Each Home Match

• Initial Jersey Design Theme to Be Unveiled Tuesday, March 3, 2020

• First Two Official Jersey Designs to be Released on Wednesday, March 4, 2020

• Additional Special Announcement Regarding 2020 Jerseys on Thursday — Stay tuned!

“We don’t do boring!  Anyone who is a sports fan knows there are so many boring and cookie-cut jersey designs across all sports — but not us!,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “And if you don’t like any of the 17 designs? Well, submit something to us that you think is better — it’s really quite simple!”

All Lights FC season ticket members will receive the official home opener jersey for free.  Each jersey will retail for $99.00 — but are available for free to all fans that purchase a season tickets package that start at only $200.  More information on season tickets is available at LightsFC.com/SeasonTickets

“This is the best deal in Las Vegas sports.  Every home game. Free official jersey. And the ability to exchange tickets for any games missed!,” added Lashbrook.  “Seriously, it’s the best deal in Vegas!”

Las Vegas (NV) — Hard work and perseverance paid off for defender Johnny Fenwick and midfielder Jose Carrera, who got signed by Lights FC to a contract for the 2020 USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval.

Fenwick is a center back born in Newcastle, England. After being in the youth level with Newcastle United and Sheffield Wednesday he went on to have a stellar collegiate career with High Point University, where as team captain he led the Panthers to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018.

“Fenwick came to us on an unofficial trial at first, after seeing him we had to find a way to fit him in”, stated Lights FC manager Eric Wynalda. “It’s part of the process when evaluating players and how they’d make your team better. That’s exactly what happened with Johnny, our group got better with his arrival”.

He was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Big South conference in his final two seasons at High Point, being recognized as one of the top collegiate players in the country during his senior season before signing his first professional contract with USL Championship’s San Antonio FC in 2019. With this new addition to Lights FC’s back-line, it opens up options to free up players like Javan Torre and Jordan Murrell for offensive pushes when needed.

“This opportunity means everything to me. I feel very valued here, I love it here and I’m really excited to get this going”, stated Fenwick. “My job every game is to keep a clean sheet and bring leadership onto the pitch with character”.

Jose Carrera is a player that brings dynamism and creativity to the midfield. He was a four-year starter at the University of California, where his ability to keep the ball flowing by connecting with strikers and wingers earned the Golden Bears a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2014 & 2017).

“I’ve been trying for a long time to get him here. I know how valuable of an asset he is for us”, stated Wynalda on Carrera. “His college coach Kevin Grimes has always been a friend of mine, so I’ve known about Carrera for a very long time. It’s not often that you find a guy that can play the 10 or 8 positions, even in his time in Mexico he was forced into a defensive 6-mode and he was terrific.”

After concluding his stellar career with the Cal Golden Bears, which included earning All-Pac 12 honors three times, “Josecito” took his talents south of the border by joining Celaya FC in Ascenso MX. Carrera played three seasons in the Mexican Second Division, getting minutes both in league and cup action.

“I want to contribute to this team as much as possible. I want to be able to perform at a top-level day in and day out,” said Carrera. “The style we used to play in Cal-Berkeley is similar to the brand of soccer that Coach Wynalda likes.”

Lights FC’s roster is now up to 16 signed players after the team and Edwin Rivas agreed to mutually terminate the midfielder’s contract.

Las Vegas (NV) —  From the team that Sports Illustrated called “The Most Interesting Team In America” the annual release of Las Vegas Lights FC’s season promotional schedule has become one of the most anticipated days on fans calendars.  After seeking input from fans (and receiving hundreds of suggestions and ideas), the Club officially announced today its promotional calendar for its third season starting with its home opener on Saturday, March 14th.

In chronological order, the 2020 Lights FC Home Promotional Night Schedule is as follows….:
 

• Sat., March 14th:  Guaranteed Win Night

  • If Lights FC loses or ties the match then all fans in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next home match. 
     

• Sat., March 28th:  Halftime Paper Airplane Toss Competition (Salute to Local Heroes / Military Appreciation Night)

  • In honor of Nellis Air Force Base being our neighbor, all fans invited onto the field at halftime to see who can throw their paper airplane the furthest.
     

• Thurs., April 9th (U.S. Open Cup):  $20 All-You-Can-Drink Thirsty Thursday Beer Night

  • This match will feature open seating throughout the stadium and all-you-can-drink Estrella Jalisco beer for $20. 
     

• Sat., April 18th:  Fun Run During the Match!

  • Fans will compete during halftime in a unique “Fun Run,” including obstacles and tricks.  Fans dressed in their best costumes will be given a valuable head start!

• Sat., May 2nd:  The Great American Llama Derby & Llama-Bobble Giveaway

  • In celebration of Kentucky Derby Saturday and our very own Dottie & Dollie Llamas, we will involve fans in our very own version of “The Great American Llama Derby.” Presented by Zappos.com
     

• Sat. May 9th:  Salute to Soccer Moms

  • We will crown the “Soccer Mom of the Year” during the match. Presented by Silver State Schools Credit Union

• Sat., May 30th:  Donate Life Night

  • Lights FC players will wear specially designed jerseys and bring much-needed awareness to organ donation. Presented by Nevada Donor Network.

• Sat., June 13th:  Paws on the Pitch

  • Bring your dog to enjoy the match and participate in the “Doggie Olympics” at halftime. Presented by America First Credit Union.

• Sat., June 20th:  Father’s Day

  • Come join us for the third annual “Dad Bod Dance-Off” at halftime. Presented by De Castroverde Law Group.

• Sat., July 4th:  Post-Game Fireworks Extravaganza

  • Come onto the field post-match to experience post-game fireworks with the players. Presented by Jarritos.
     

• Sat., July 11th:  “Midnight Match”

  • In celebration of Las Vegas’ “24/7” culture, we’ll kick-off at 11pm with a special halftime celebration at the stroke of midnight.

• Sat., July 25th:  “World’s Largest” Water Balloon Fight 2.0

  • Returning for the second year, all fans invited onto the field at halftime to participate in a 15,000+ water balloon fight for the ages.

• Sat., August 15th:  “Salute to Raiders” Night

  • After last season’s “VGK Lights Night,” this year will celebrate the arrival of the Raiders with special player uniforms and match entertainment.
     

• Sat., August 22nd:  Back to School Bash

  • We’ll be celebrating throughout the match sending the kiddos back to school. Presented by Southern Nevada Weather Authority.

• Sat., September 5th:  $5,000 Cash Drop

  • The most famous promotion in sports returns for its third season.
     

• Weds., September 16th: Independence Fiesta

  • We kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with special pre-game and halftime festivities.  Presented by Patria Energy Drink.
     

• Sat., September 26th:  Beat Reno / Fan Appreciation Night / VW Beetle Giveaway

  • Numerous tributes planned for the best fans in the league as we beat Reno on the field & celebrate our fans off the field.  One lucky fan will drive home the “Final Edition” Volkswagen Beetle, presented by Findlay Volkswagen in Henderson.

• Sat., October 3rd:  #PaintTheParkPinkNight

  • Join us in special tributes as we honor survivors, family members and loved ones who battle breast cancer. Presented by Desert Radiology and Comprehensive Cancer Center of Nevada.

“People know us for having fun promotions and this season will be no different,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “We asked the fans for input and they didn’t disappoint us. Many of the new promotions that you’ll see this year came from ideas submitted by our fans — and the returning promotions are the direct result of fans loving them from last season.  Buckle up Lights’ fans!”

All dates and promotions subject to change.

Las Vegas (NV) —

“What Happens Here, Only Happens Here.” — New Visit Las Vegas campaign slogan.

Just as our community slogan suggests, Lights FC embraces doing things that only occur in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Lights FC announced today that its home match on Saturday, July 11th will be a “Midnight Match.”  The match against Orange County SC will then kick-off at 11pm with a special midnight celebration at halftime.

The original concept of “midnight” sporting events started with the former Las Vegas Wranglers professional hockey team which produced the wildly successful tradition locally years ago.  Lights FC is re-starting the local tradition and bringing it for the first time ever to professional soccer.

“Lights FC is for Las Vegas, by Las Vegas, of Las Vegas,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “We live in such a unique community and so many locals have to work during our typical 7:30pm kick-off times so this is a perfect way to play a game at a time so that those individuals can now attend — and, well, for us to create a new kind of fun at our Saturday night soccer parties!”

In conjunction with today’s announcement, Lights FC also announced several unique aspects for the match….:

• Open Seating:  The stadium will all be open general admission seating, including all pitch-side beer gardens & special seating areas.  Season Ticket members will be allowed first entry into the stadium to ensure they can secure their seats.

• Halftime Midnight Celebration:  Confetti?  Fireworks? Special Guests?  Trust us that you’ll want to be there!    

• Food & Drink Specials:  Several unique food & drink specials to be announced in the coming weeks.

“Be ready for pro soccer Vegas style!,” said Lashbrook.  “If you’re overly traditional or don’t like staying up past your bedtime then this game probably isn’t for you — but if you’re one of the many thousands of individuals that work non-traditional hours in Las Vegas then this game is created specifically for you!”

Season Ticket members that wish to not attend due to the start time may exchange their ticket for any other home match as part of the “No Ticket Left Behind” program.

Lights FC continually seeks input and suggestions from its fans on new ideas, fun promotional concepts and other ways to retain its title as the “Most Interesting Team in America”. Fans are encouraged to submit all suggestions, including any ideas for the Midnight Match pre-game & halftime activities, at LightsFC.com/Ideas.

February 24, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) – Las Vegas Lights FC is unveiling a new community-focused initiative to bring much needed local awareness to a different Clark County-based non-profit community organization during each Lights FC home match.  The only qualification is that the organization must be focused on making our community better in any number of a wide variety of potential ways. A different organization will be featured during each home match during the upcoming 2020 season that begins on Saturday, March 14th.

Specifically, each selected organization will be prominently recognized in a number of ways and provided the opportunity to share their mission statement with Lights FC fans. The selected organization will also receive an assortment of in-stadium and online promotional opportunities, as well as having a booth during the pre-match Zappos Tailgate.  There is no cost to the community organizations to participate.

To sign-up for consideration and to learn more information, all local non-profit community organizations are encouraged to visit LightsFC.com/Community.

“Lights FC has always been for Las Vegas, by Las Vegas, and of Las Vegas,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “We now are taking this mantra even further by using our powerful platform of being a local sports team to further bring needed attention & resources to the countless number of local organizations that help all of our goals to make Las Vegas the best place to live and raise families.”

February 21, 2020 (Las Vegas, NV) – Las Vegas Lights FC announced today a new program to provide a select number of match tickets to local charities throughout the 2020 season.  The program is open to any local charity, with a special focus for selection will be given to those organizations focused on the following types of initiatives…:

• Focuses on strengthening the family unit;

• Mentorship and Education enrichment (i.e. tutoring programs);

• Positive community involvement (i.e. crime prevention, community service);

• Services for Military families;

• Supports participation in youth sports; and

• Services for underprivileged youth.

Local organizations are encouraged to submit their information at LightsFC.com/TixForKids.

“As Lights FC has grown within the quickly growing local Las Vegas sports eco-system, we have realized that one of the biggest challenges is making sure the entire Clark County population can participate and enjoy professional sports live and in-person,” said Lights FC Owner & C.E.O. Brett Lashbrook.  “Lights FC both wants to support our local community and continue to find ways for more local families to be able to attend professional sporting events even if they have difficulty affording the ticket prices.  There is a true ‘power of sports’ that can help our local youth not only experience new things, but to learn valuable lessons along the way that only sports can provide. Lights FC is proud to launch this program to further help serve our community.”

The “Tixs for Kids” program is in addition to the Lights FC’s long-standing $5 Give Back program which provides opportunities for all local charities to receive five dollars donated to their organization every time a ticket is sold.  More information can be found here: LightsFC.com/GiveBack.

Las Vegas, NV – Two weeks down, two to go. Lights FC’s preseason training camp has reached its midway point. After facing Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake in a closed-door scrimmage in Utah, Las Vegas now has its eyes on a pair of scrimmages in Southern California. The first of them being a closed-door clash on Wednesday, February 19 against USL Championship opponent L.A. Galaxy II.

“The final score in this scrimmage match in L.A. isn’t important. The way our team performs on the field is more valuable at the moment”, said Lights FC midfielder Junior Sandoval. “We need to put our coach’s ideas through the paces. He wants us to attack, to be organized and be very vocal on the field. The scrimmages we have ahead of our season opener will be very helpful with that.”

Las Vegas manager Eric Wynalda has led the way in multiple two-a-day workouts that Lights FC has held during this camp, with morning sessions focused on the team’s on-field performance, and afternoon routines aimed at bettering the player’s strength and conditioning. This is where coach Wynalda is trying to complete the best roster he can, to be able to compete in his second season at the helm of the Lights.

“We’re trying to solidify our defensive shape. For the most part, we’re looking to have cohesion in this group. Not be disjointed in games, not make silly mistakes,” stated Wynalda. “There’s a couple of spots available in our roster up for grabs, we have some trialists that will be going with us to Los Angeles. There’s good competition in every area, I’m really happy with the group”.

The scrimmage against Galaxy II will be the first time African international players Seku Conneh (Liberia) and Chancel Ndaye (Burundi) will be able to face other teams since joining Lights FC’s practices last week. Their inclusion to the Las Vegas lineup gives Eric Wynalda the opportunity to see his vision on the field of what he can expect in his season opener against San Diego on March 7th.

“This will be the first time we have 8 or 9, maybe even 10 players that I see them starting our first game of 2020. This will be the closest so far that we’ve come to formulating a Starting XI”, said Wynalda. “Seku Conneh is getting fitter by the day. I don’t know how many minutes we’ll get out of him, but he has looked very good at practice. We’ve made a decision with Javan Torre to give him a run on the midfield, he provides so much on the offensive side.”

Newcomer Jordan Murrell has earned the coaching staff’s trust with good performances in the left-back position. The Canadian international will be a key part of Lights FC’s defensive line that was almost completely changed compared to how it looked in 2019.

“We’re looking for cohesiveness. We want to play well throughout the whole game, we want to attack and defend well”, stated Murrell. “We’re getting fitter every day, sharper every day. As a team we’re coming together as a family, we’re going to fight for each other on the field. We’re fighting for our crest, our fans, and our family”.

After facing Galaxy II, Lights FC will return to Las Vegas to continue the week’s workouts with a recovery session on Thursday and an open training session on Friday at 10:30 a.m. at the Kellogg-Zaher Soccer Complex.