Smart sparked an inspiring comeback away at Tulsa with a two-goal performance to earn his spot on the Team of the Week
Las Vegas Lights FC defender Shawn Smart was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 19 on Tuesday morning.
Smart earned his spot on the team after a two-goal performance led a spirited comeback away at FC Tulsa last Saturday.
After going down 2-0 inside 16 minutes, the Lights left themselves a giant hole to dig out of. However, after a Johnny Rodriguez goal halved the deficit, Las Vegas drew even with the last kick of the half.
After a sublime build-up from back to front, the two wingbacks – Gennaro Nigro and Smart – found themselves as the furthest advanced players on top of the box. Nigro slipped the pass in for Smart, who took a good first touch on the run and rolled the ball into the bottom corner.
The Lights carried their momentum straight into the second half as they looked to take the lead. That lead came in the 67th minute when Valentin Noel made a smart run into the box and chipped a neat cross into the box. As Smart crashed the box, the Tulsa goalkeeper palmed the cross straight into his path, leaving him with a simple side-footed finish into the net to take a 3-2 lead.
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, FC Tulsa mounted a comeback of their own to find two goals late on and snatch all three points by a 4-3 score.
Shawn Smart is in his second season with the Lights. After winning an NCAA national title with Clemson in his sophomore season in 2023, the right back signed his first professional deal with Las Vegas ahead of the 2024 season.
In 2024, Smart played in 35 matches across all competitions, contributing three goals and one assist. This season, the American has made 15 appearances with two goals and two assists.
This is Smart’s sixth all-time Team of the Week selection. In 2024, he earned a spot on the team on Weeks 4, 5, 21, and 29. This season, he was previously named to the Team of the Round for Round 2 of the USL Jagermeister Cup after a game-winning assist against AV Alta FC.
The Lights will head back on the road this weekend to take on Orange County SC on Saturday, July 19. After a bye week, the team will return to Cashman Field on Saturday, August 2 against El Paso Locomotive. Tickets are available now at lasvegaslightsfc.com/tickets.
Full USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 19
GK – Daniel Namani, San Antonio FC
D – Grant Robinson, Monterey Bay FC
D – Talen Maples, New Mexico United
D – Kieran Sargeant, Lexington SC
M – Michel Benítez, Sacramento Republic FC
M – Houssou Landry, Charleston Battery
M – Marcos Cerato, FC Tulsa
M – Shawn Smart, Las Vegas Lights FC
F – Danny Trejo, Birmingham Legion FC
F – Sebastián Herrera, Sacramento Republic FC
F – Ronaldo Damus, Birmingham Legion FC
Coach – Neill Collins, Sacramento Republic FC
Bench – Danny Vitiello (SAC), TJ Presthus (HFD), Blake Willey (SAC), Tyler Pasher (BHM), Robbie Mertz (PIT), Taylor Calheira (TUL), Ates Diouf (DET)