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Do big things on the pitch, and the recognition will naturally follow.
That was the case on Tuesday for Lights FC midfielder Raul Mendiola, who was named to the United Soccer League’s “Team of the Week” for Week 18. The honor was earned as a result of Mendiola notching the first Hat Trick in club history last Wednesday in a road match at OKC Energy FC.
He’ll aim to stay hot when the team heads to the Pacific Northwest this weekend to begin a 2-match road trip, starting Sunday at 2 p.m. at Portland Timbers 2, streaming nationwide on ESPN+. The trip concludes next Thursday, July 26, with a return match against Seattle Sounders 2, who Lights FC defeated at Cashman Field on June 16, 4-1.
Lights FC is next back at home on Saturday, August 4, at 8 p.m. against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. That match will kick off August’s “Saturday Night Lights” schedule, and includes free Lights FC backpacks for the first 2,000 kids in attendance 12 years old or younger. For tickets and full August “Saturday Night Lights” details, visit LightsFC.com/August.
Mendiola’s 3-goal performance last week was the icing on a hot streak that saw the former member of Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy score five goals in a 3-match stretch for Lights FC. The first was an equalizer in a 2-2 draw at Tulsa Roughnecks FC on June 30, and the second came a week later as the lone score in a 1-0 victory at Cashman Field over Saint Louis FC.
“Mendiola is so aware and he picks up everything in his way,” Lights FC Head Coach Isidro Sánchez said following the Hat Trick performance. “He steps on the pitch, and he picks up every opportunity there for him. That’s a reflection of a player who always plays with necessity and desire.”
The 24-year-old Mendiola was a midseason signee for Lights FC, joining the club in late May, and has recorded five goals and an assist in seven appearances since arriving in town.
Mendiola is the fourth Lights FC player to earn a spot on the USL’s 11-man Team of the Week formation, joining midfielder Matt Thomas and defenders Joel Huiqui and Nico Samayoa – Each has earned one appearance in 2018.
