WHERE TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO LIGHTS FC AT PORTLAND:
– Sunday’s match will stream nationwide on ESPN+.
– The Spanish-language radio broadcast takes place on ESPN Deportes 1460 AM, and can be streamed live at LVSportsNetwork.com.
PORTLAND, Ore. – As Lights FC embarks on the second half of a 4-match road stretch to close out July, it does so not just with a healthy mindset, but with a healthy collection of bodies.
During a business-like week of preparations on the training pitch, Lights FC (5-8-5, 20 points) was able to prepare with a full complement of players, with the entire 23-man roster available to compete.
“This is the first time we have had 23 healthy players, with three healthy goalkeepers available,” Head Coach Isidro Sánchez said. “When you are in that position, the main responsibility of the coaching staff is to make all 23 know what to do in all positions, and then it’s easy – You pick the 11 players (to start) who show that they want to do what it takes. It gives us confidence as a team.”
Both health and confidence will come in handy on Sunday, when Lights FC takes on Portland Timbers 2 (9-8-2, 29 points) at Providence Park in the first leg of a Pacific Northwest road trip. Sunday’s match kicks at 2 p.m., and streams nationwide on ESPN+. It will be followed by Thursday’s return visit to face Seattle Sounders 2, who Lights FC defeated at home on June 16, 4-1.
The road stretch is followed by a busy August ahead, including three home matches at Cashman Field, with several special promotions planned as part of the club’s “Saturday Night Lights” schedule. For full details, visit LightsFC.com/August.
The buttoned-up nature of training in the week leading into another extended road trip was the product of last week’s 2-match away swing, which saw Lights FC come home empty-handed in terms of points on the USL Western Conference table. Despite some highlights along the way, including Raul Mendiola notching the first Hat Trick in club history last Wednesday in Oklahoma City, points are what matters most with 16 matches left the play.
Lights FC currently sits eight points outside of the Western Conference’s Top-8 in the race for a playoff spot, while Portland is residing in 7th place, at the moment.
“We just need to make sure we’re adding points – Our main focus is just going into these games and making sure we bring something back,” midfielder Carlos Alvarez said. “It’s all business right now. We do come with smiles and we support each other, but we have to be ready to compete, to play and to perform.”
One area where Lights FC truly hopes to bounce back on Sunday will be on the attack. Not finding the back of the net in a 2-0 loss at Rio Grande Valley FC Toros came on the heels of scoring 17 goals in the team’s previous seven outings. The mid-summer scoring spurt has Lights FC in the top-third of the league in terms of goals scored in 2018.
Breaking through will have to be done against a Timbers 2 squad that has been steady on both ends of the pitch.
“They’re very disciplined and very balanced, and most of the time when facing a balanced team, it can seem like they’re playing with 12 or 13 players,” Sánchez said. “That’s a great characteristic for a team to have. They change around a lot of players, and it’s clear they’ll want to try to build from the back.”
At the end of last week’s road trip, the roster not only came around in terms of getting healthier, but also now has the availability of four midseason transfers, who each made their debuts last Saturday in Rio Grande Valley.
For a team looking to get on track before a big 2-month stretch with seven home matches, the healthier pool of bodies is coming at the perfect time, for multiple reasons.
“Obviously, it keeps anyone from getting comfortable, and keeps everyone competing,” Alvarez added. “It feels good as a player, honestly. You want to grow and compete. Now that we have a full squad, it is raising the level of everything on the field.”
LIGHTS FC NOTES HEADING INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON:
MENDIOLA HONORED BY USL: For the fourth time this season, Lights FC landed a player on the USL’s “Team of the Week” Starting XI.
The latest honoree’s inclusion was maybe the biggest no-doubter to date.
Midfielder/Forward Raul Mendiola earned the honors earlier this week, stemming from his electrifying Hat Trick in last Wednesday’s road match at OKC Energy FC. The 3-goal performance capped a stretch of five goals in three matches for the former LA Galaxy attacker. His five goals in just seven appearances so far for the club have him tied with Carlos Alvarez for the team lead in the category.
NEW LIGHTS ACCLIMATING FAST: Injected into the Starting XI for last Saturday’s road match at RGVFC Toros were all four midseason transfers who became eligible just days before following the open of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s summer transfer window.
Defenders Rodrigo Iñigo and Joseph Patrick Perez, plus forwards Omar Salgado and Daniel Guzmán Jr., all drew starts, with Iñigo going the full 90 minutes and the other three all subbing off in the second half.
Each showed individual flashes of what he can bring to the club. Now, they’re expected to continue to grow in a hurry, as physical fitness and chemistry within the team’s framework will continue to improve.
“It was easy to recognize the quality and effort they each have,” Head Coach Isidro Sánchez said. “Now, we have a better idea of where they stand in terms of fitness and what we can put on them. Any of them can be starters. They have to now continue to grow within the group, not just by themselves.”
DISCIPLINE UPDATES: No Lights FC players will be serving suspensions entering Sunday’s match, though a trio of defenders each find themselves one yellow card away from an automatic 1-match accumulation suspension – Marco Cesar Jaime Jr. (7), Marcelo Alatorre (4) and Miguel Garduño (4).
INJURY UPDATES: Five players are entering Saturday’s match officially listed as questionable, while recovering from varying lower body injuries – defenders Miguel Garduño, Joel Huiqui and Christian Torres, plus midfielder Matt Thomas and forward Juan Carlos Garcia.
WHO TO KNOW FOR LIGHTS FC
Midfielder Raul Mendiola (#40) has quickly become a fan favorite with Lights FC as a midseason signee. The former LA Galaxy fixture scored his second goal of the season on Saturday, July 7 – the deciding score in a 1-0 home victory over Saint Louis FC – then followed it up with the first Hat Trick in club history in last Wednesday’s loss at OKC Energy FC. He’s proven to be an aggressive, speedy force within the attack, and others are feeding off of his energy and hunger.
Midfielder Carlos Alvarez (#7) continues to do it all in the middle of the field, leading the offensive attack for Lights FC. With five goals and three assists to his credit in USL play, he’s tied as the team’s top creator and finisher to this point in 2018. He has also worn the Captain’s armband in each of the club’s last five matches, while Joel Huiqui continues to work back to full strength from a midseason lower body injury.
Defender Rodrigo Iñigo (#4) showed quickly last Saturday night that he can be a versatile veteran asset for the club. After making his mark as an elite defender for years in Liga MX, he displayed the versatility to also be able to contribute in the midfield on the attack.
Goalkeeper Ricardo Ferriño (#1) has recorded two clean sheets in 2018. The aggressive “sweeper keeper” keeps opponents on their toes, and his 50 goalkeeper saves are the 9th-most in the 33-team USL this season.
Defender Marcelo Alatorre (#16) has continued to be an anchor on Lights FC’s back line while the unit has dealt with injuries over the last several matches and had to change up personnel. The LigaMX veteran has been a valuable leader both on and off of the pitch all season.
