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.
