Parra beats his former club as Lights FC lose in their return

Las Vegas Lights FC all-time leading scorer Irvin Parra buried a match-winner for San Diego vs. his former club.

Las Vegas Lights FC got back on the pitch last night after COVID-19 put their season on ice for over four months. Battling some rust and adjusting to a new manager, the Lights were defeated 2-1 by San Diego Loyal SC. Tumi Moshobane put Loyal up early before Rashawn Dally equalized for the Lights. Former LV forward and the club’s all-time leading scorer, Irvin Parra, scored the winner for Landon Donovan’s side.

Key Stats

23.8% shooting accuracy. While Las Vegas did register 21 shots on the day, they couldn’t break out offensively as they only put five of them on target.

13 fouls. This number itself isn’t surprising, but the fact that San Diego tallied 16 fouls to “out-foul” the Lights is surprising. One of their trademarks under Chelis/Isidro Sanchez and Eric Wynalda was their willingness to get whistled for physical play.

30 minutes for Conneh. Lights forward Seku Conneh could only go for 30 minutes before he had to leave due to injury. In just one half hour, he looked like he might be a problem for the Loyal defense, registering three shots, winning all three of his duels, and winning two fouls.

Three Brightest Lights

Rashawn Dally: In his debut on loan from FC Cincinnati, the Jamaican pounced on the chance to finally knock home a rebound following Jose Carrera’s penalty and follow-up shot being saved.

Javan Torre: Subbing on in the first half for Conneh, he had a major impact in his shift. In the attack, he created four chances and had two shots. While off the ball, he made four tackles and an interception.

Jose Carrera: While he couldn’t convert from the spot or on the rebound, he was great in the midfield for Las Vegas. He completed 36/40 passes (92.3% in the attacking half), created three chances, and made two tackles.

Quick Kicks

  • Tough break for the Lights as their own all-time leading scorer beat them in their return to play. Less than five minutes after substituting on, Parra smashed in a diving header to give Loyal SC the victory.
  • When they are all fit, an attacking trio of Seku Conneh, Rashawn Dally, and Yamikani Chester is a terrifying thought for defenses. All three are tall, physical players that also possess elite pace and skill on the ball. Add in Raul Mendiola pulling the strings as a number 10 and that’s a quality group going forward.
  • There was obviously rust for Las Vegas, but it wasn’t a poor match, by any means. They completed almost exactly the same percentage of passes and out-shot San Diego, who have played multiple matches since the return to play.

What’s Next?

The Lights will play at home for the first time this season as they host Reno 1868 FC, who lost to Sacramento Republic FC in their only match of the return so far. The Northern Nevada side faces Portland Timbers 2 on Wednesday before making their way to Sin City. *Note* Fans will not be in attendance at Cashman Field.

Carson A Merk

Reporting live from Sin City, I have covered both RGVFC and Las Vegas Lights FC since their inceptions. I also write profiles to highlight players from the NCAA to USL to NWSL and everywhere in between.