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    Categories: Lights

LV Lights FC Draws 9,019 For Soccer Team’s Historic Home Opener; Game Ends In 1-1 Draw

The two llamas, courtesy of Lights' sponsor Zappos, joined the players for the on-field intros.

By ALAN SNEL

LVSportsBiz.com

 

The Las Vegas Lights FC soccer team was tracking for a sellout for its inaugural regular season home opener at Cashman Field Saturday night, but fell just short at 9,019.

The Lights and Reno 1868 clubs played a close game tonight.

 

When the Lights-Reno 1868 FC game started, most of Cashman’s seats were filled for the rookie USL team’s historic first home game during the regular season. The team has more than 3,000 season ticket holders and pro soccer is known for its big walk-up crowds. The team’s first-ever preseason game at Cashman in February was a sellout.

 

The Lights unveiled their new mascot, Cash the Soccer Rocker, while Mayor Carolyn Goodman received the franchise’s first-ever “Pink Scarf” for her work in bringing professional soccer to downtown Las Vegas.

 

The mascot Cash the Soccer Rocker, with an uncanny resemblance to Elvis, struts his stuff before the game.

 

Mayor Carolyn Goodman was honored with the first-even “Pink Scarf” award.

 

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Laborers 872’s catchy Lights firetruck.

The Lights offer an affordable sports option in the Las Vegas market, with some colorful characters ranging from Zappos’ llamas to the Laborers 872 special section on the field in front of third base dugout that has room for 100 fans. (Disclosure Note: Laborers 872 is an LVSportsBiz.com advertiser.)

 

Laborers 872’s presence is also outside Cashman Field, where a firetruck with 872 union and Lights club logos adorn the rig. 872 member Lou DeSalvio drives the firetruck (and the union’s Raiders bus.) He has a special license to drive both the Lights firetruck and Raiders bus.

Lou DeSalvio drives the Laborers 872 firetruck to Las Vegas Lights FC games.

 

“This is like driving a house,” DeSalvio said before the game. “It feels like you’re dragging the neighborhood.”

 

The firetruck is the real deal, equipped with the sirens and other gear.

 

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The Lights oppose fans chanting “puto” when the opponents strikes the ball for a goal kick. It’s an insulting anti-gay slur and LVSportsBiz.com reported about this issue last month.

 

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The team chanted, “Viva Lights,” in an effort to drown out the “puto” chant on goal kicks. It had mixed results as the “puto” chant could still be heard despite the “Viva Lights” chant.

 

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The Lights share Cashman Field with the Triple A Las Vegas 51s ballclub of the Pacific Coast League and roll out turf on the baseball field’s dirt infield and pitcher’s mound.

 

A worker came out during the second half to adjust the turf on the pitcher’s mound. There has been reports that the turf rolled out on the dirt sections have been soft.

 

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Chelis at his post-game presser.

El Chelis.

 

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Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Contact LVSportsBiz.com founder/writer Alan Snel at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alan Snel: Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.
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