By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
When your local soccer team has a miserable record of seven wins, 12 losses and six draws, there are always off-beat promotions that would please a guy like Mike Veeck, the man who brought you the Chicago White Sox’s ill-fated Disco Demolition Night at old Comiskey Park in 1979.
Only in this case, the Las Vegas Lights plan to hire a helicopter company Sept. 8 to drop $5,000 to 200 money-hungry Lights fans who are eager for cash if not wins on the pitch.
The raw truth is the Lights’ performance on the field has been spotty this inaugural season.
On Saturday night, the Lights were down 1-0 to Fresno FC before Raul Mendiola and Rafael Garcia each blasted goals from about 25 yards away to give the Lights a late 2-1 edge.
The Lights were literally seconds away from securing the win before Fresno scored in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time in the 94th minute of play.
It was a tie. But it felt like a loss.
The United Soccer League’s team has had an up-and-d0wn first season, with more lowlights than highlights on the field.
But the Lights have at least generated national attention for their non-play activities like partnering with the Paiute Tribe’s Nu Wu Cannabis Marketplace dispensary and William Hill for a sports gambling partnership.
Owner Brett Lashbrook was hoping for a team with a much better won-loss record. But he is trying to make the games in downtown Cashman Field a fun entertainment experience for the fans.
Part of the entertainment product is the team’s “technical director.”
The colorful coach running the team, Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, also known as “Chelis,” was seen during Saturday’s TV broadcast on MyLVTV climbing the stands to apparently communicate with fans. The TV announcers were amused by El Chelis’ antics.
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That’s hardly the first time Chelis has mixed it up with fans. During a previous home game, he was tossed out of a game by the ref and then proceeded to join fans in the supporter section at Cashman and smoke a cigarette.
Meanwhile, there’s crazy goaltender Ricardo Ferrino and his mad dashes outside the penalty area.
And don’t forget the Zappos llamas, team animal mascots that have been known to leave their scatological droppings on the pitch during pregame ceremonies.
The Lights have provided an affordable sports alternative to the pricey Golden Knights tickets, while also serving up a professional sports team for a Las Vegas demographic that has been traditionally ignored in the market here — namely, the Latino sports fans who can relate to the Lights players on the pitch.
While the Lights rank 14th out of 17 USL teams in the Group B standings, at least a dispensary, an animated coach, a crazy goalie and money to be flying through the air above Cashman are giving Lights fans fun times in Las Vegas.
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