Lights’ offense lacks punch in defeat

Phoenix snaps Las Vegas’ four-game home win streak on UFC Night

The Lights FC welcomed fighter Forrest Griffin to Cashman Field on Saturday and showed the UFC Hall of Famer that the USL has weight classes too.

There are heavyweights like Phoenix Rising FC, which is well on its way to a second straight playoff appearance. And then there’s the Lights, who are still figuring a lot of things out in their first season.

So naturally it was Phoenix that came away with a 2-0 victory in front of an announced crowd of 6,720, showing the home team that it’s still a class or two away from true contention. The loss snapped a fourgame home winning streak for the Lights (7-12-5), who were shut out for the seventh time.

The two teams played evenly for most of the game, but Rising FC (13-6-5) finished its chances. Midfielder Solomon Asante scored first in the 10th minute, corralling his own rebound and shooting it under goalkeeper Ricardo Ferrino for his 11th goal.

Forward Kevaughn Frater then sealed the match in the 85th minute with a penalty kick conversion. That was enough for Phoenix to win a game in which it was outshot 11-8 and move into third place in the Western Conference.

The loss dampened what was otherwise a festive atmosphere at Cashman Field despite the 104 degree temperature at kickoff. In addition to Griffin, the Lights got fighters Claudia Gadelha and Joseph Benavidez to appear at their pregame tailgate and take part in a halftime penalty kick competition as part of their UFC Night.

The club also used the match to test out a sideline microphone on technical director Jose Luis Sanchez Sola. A select number of fans got to listen to Sola on the sideline the entire match through an online livestream on the condition they complete a survery afterwards.

The audio certainly didn’t disappoint, with Sola passionately yelling at his team in Spanish for much of the match. He had plenty to correct throughout the course of the game, as the Lights lost their third straight.

Richard Brian Las Vegas Review-Journal @vegasphotograph Phoenix Rising FC defender Joseph Farrell, left, and Lights forward Omar Salgado battle for the ball during the second half Saturday at Cashman Field. The Lights FC lost 2-0.