Back
Las Vegas Soccer Team: Complete Guide | LeoVegas NZ

Las Vegas Lights - Soccer Team in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Lights FC, established in 2017, is a professional soccer team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The club competes in the United Soccer League (USL), the second tier of American soccer, just below Major League Soccer (MLS). The team has garnered attention for its unique and fan-centric approach to the sport.

Table of Contents:

Standout initiatives include allowing fans to vote on the team’s starting lineup before each match and offering free beer to fans who show up in full team jerseys. These efforts have helped Las Vegas Lights build a reputation as one of the most fan-friendly teams in the world.

Lights’ eye-catching and colourful branding is also another reason the team has attracted a loyal following in such a short time. Being from Las Vegas, a city particularly known for its popular culture and entertainment, also contributes to the team’s global attention.

Las Vegas Soccer Teams

Las Vegas, often dubbed the Entertainment Capital of the World, is not just about shows and casinos; it's also a thriving hub for sports. The city proudly hosts major league teams in the NFL, NHL, and WNBA. Additionally, Las Vegas is home to a rising soccer team in the USL, bringing the excitement of the sport to the minor leagues as well.

The growing and diverse population of Las Vegas makes it the ideal place for professional soccer, as it has fans from many different cultures. Around 35% of the Las Vegas population is Hispanic, and they are known for their strong affinity with soccer, coming from Latin American roots. This, combined with the city’s overall enthusiasm for sports, makes Las Vegas an excellent market for soccer to flourish.

The establishment of Las Vegas Lights in 2017 brought another professional soccer team to the region, which meant that fans now have the option to support a team from their city. The team was founded by Brett Lashbrook, previously a consultant to USL. In January 2024, José Bautista bought Las Vegas Lights from Lashbrook, and he is now the team's current chairman and governor.

In 2021, Las Vegas Lights formed a one-year partnership with Los Angeles FC (LAFC), one of MLS's top teams and the city's biggest team. This collaboration enabled them to share resources and train together. It also meant that Las Vegas’s lineup could feature players from LAFC for a few games.

Las Vegas Lights History and Achievements

Las Vegas Lights are well known for keeping their fans as involved as possible in club affairs, and they were crucial in the logo creation and naming process as well. After receiving thousands of fan submissions, they shortlisted six potential names: Las Vegas FC, Club Vegas, Las Vegas Silver, Viva Vegas, Las Vegas Action, and Las Vegas Lights FC. Ultimately, Las Vegas Lights was the name everyone decided to go with.

After the name was finalised, fans were invited to submit design inspirations for the team’s logo. Local designers were then hired to make the logo from these concept submissions. The famous ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign inspired the logo design. Vibrant colours like blue, yellow, and pink were chosen as many fans seemed to favour these colours. Lashbrook also believed these colours would help the logo stand out and help the team catch everyone's eye.

Since their inaugural season in 2018, Las Vegas Lights FC has had its ups and downs. In their debut soccer season, they finished 28th overall, with eight wins, seven draws, and 19 losses. Despite strong fan support, the Lights have yet to make it to the USL playoffs.

Their 2022 season was one of their best performances, as they managed to secure 9th position in the USL Western Conference with 12 wins. However, they failed to maintain this momentum the following season and ended up 12th in 2023 after securing only three wins.

On the brighter side, the ownership change in 2024 has brought about strategic and operational adjustments that many expect will improve their performances and help them climb the US Soccer ladder.

Key Players

Throughout the club's seven-year history, Las Vegas Lights has featured players from Las Vegas as well as players on loan from other places. Since their inaugural season in 2018, the team has guaranteed one roster spot for a player with roots in Las Vegas to have local representation.

While the Lights have yet to record any major wins, some players have delivered standout performances in their time with the club. Cal Jennings is the team's highest scorer, with 21 goals and nine assists in his 45 appearances. Irvin Parra and Danny Trejo are next to him in the highest number of goals, with 15 and 14 goals each, respectively.

Frank Daroma is the club's record appearance maker, with 65 appearances in total before he left for Tacoma Defiance last year. According to many, Thomas Olsen is the best goalkeeper to have played for the club so far. In the 2019 USL Championship, Olsen finished in the Top 8 for saves in the league with 93 and kept nine clean sheets.

These players have played crucial roles in the team's efforts and development, highlighting some of the potential and talent within Las Vegas Lights FC. Some of these players have moved on to achieve success elsewhere, such as in the MLS and other teams in the same division, but they played an important part in shaping the club to where it is right now.

José Luis Sánchez Solá, more commonly referred to as Chelís, was appointed as the team's first head coach. With coaching experience in Major League Soccer (MLS) and Liga MX, Chelís was an ideal fit for the role. His time at the club was short-lived, as he served as the head coach for just one season before being replaced in the following season.

Home Arena

Las Vegas Lights’ home stadium is Cashman Field in Las Vegas, which was built in 1940 and rebuilt in 1982 as a baseball stadium for the Las Vegas 51s. When Las Vegas Lights FC first started playing in 2018, the stadium served both as a baseball and soccer venue. In 2019, after the baseball team moved to a new venue, Cashman Field was fully converted into a soccer stadium.

With plans for Las Vegas Lights FC to stay until at least 2032, the stadium has been renovated to better suit soccer. It has a total capacity of 12,500, 9,334 seats, and a standing room of 3166 people.

The stadium is part of the 50-acre Cashman Centre. It has ample parking space with easy access for fans, making it more accessible for fans in the US. Inside the stadium, there are plenty of food and drink options to enhance the game-day experience. However, further improvements in the infrastructure will be needed if the stadium is to compete with the top stadiums in the US.

Quality infrastructure is crucial for the success of any sports team, impacting both player performance and fan experience. An excellent example of this is the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, one of London's largest multi-purpose stadiums. While nobody is expecting the LA Lights to get their stadium to that level, if they aim to play in the MLS someday, they will have to undergo considerable upgrades to suit the demands of the league.

Fans

Las Vegas Lights FC does not have a widely recognised nickname or an official ultras group but is known for its highly vibrant and engaged fan base. This is due to the team’s creative approach to fan engagement and the fact that they are still a relatively new team.

The club arranges a "Zappos Tailgate" party before every home game, which includes music, food, games, and other entertainment for all fans to attend for free. They also have a designated “Supporters Section” area for the most active fans at each game.

While the primary fan base is in Las Vegas, the collaboration with LAFC in 2021 helped expand their reach to California and surrounding markets. Additionally, Las Vegas Lights has an active Facebook, Instagram, Facebook, and X presence, allowing fans to stay in touch with them.

Colours and Sponsors

Just like their logo, the primary colours of the team's jersey are pink, yellow, and blue. The home jersey is predominantly black with unique elements of pink, blue, and yellow, paying homage to the city's iconic lighting. On the other hand, the away jersey is white with blue and yellow elements, inspired by the state’s desert and wind erosion patterns.

For the first two years, Las Vegas Lights’ kits were produced by BLK, followed by Tigra and Meyba for the next three years. Recently, the club announced its new apparel partner, Hummel, a Danish sportswear brand. Hummel will now provide the club with kits, training gear, travel wear, and other retail options.

The club's unique and colourful branding has made merchandise popular with fans. These are available online on Amazon, eBay, Dick’s Sporting Goods and other online stores.

Community Involvement and Player Development

Along with its fan engagement initiatives, Las Vegas Lights is known for its commitment to community involvement.

The club introduced ‘The Pink Scarf’ initiative as part of this commitment. This program honours community members who symbolise the club’s mission of unity and support within the Las Vegas community. These members receive a pink scarf during a ceremony before every match. The Pink Scarf is presented by the Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada.

‘School Goals’ is another initiative in partnership with Silver State Schools Credit Union. The club collaborates with local schools to motivate students to achieve their academic goals by rewarding them with a free ticket to one of their games if they meet their math, attendance, test scores, and reading targets.

Las Vegas Lights also focuses on its player development by allowing local talents to join their team and train with them. Their partnership with LAFC also contributed to player development, exposing the players to new coaches and professional environments. The club’s new head coach, Dennis Sanchez, is also known for his experience in developing young players.

Future

Las Vegas Lights have not been doing very well on the pitch. In 2023, they finished last in the Western Conference with three wins, 34 losses, and ten draws. However, Jose Bautista's acquisition gives hope for the future.

Bautista has brought significant changes in management, including the appointment of Dennis Sanchez as the Head Coach and Gianleonardo Neglia as the Sporting Director. These changes have improved the Lights' current game, as they are fairing significantly better this season.

Bautista is optimistic about the team's performance and states that their first task is building a competitive team. He hopes to attract more fans by winning and believes that bringing a respectable product to the field is the only way to do that.

Las Vegas Lights FC has a strategic plan to improve its performance and potentially move to higher leagues. Under their new head coach, José Bautista, the Lights aim to achieve this quickly.