Practice offers family feel for Lights FC midfielder

There’s no doubt Lights FC midfielder Carlos Alvarez has been the team’s best player through three games. There is doubt as to whether he’s the best player in his own house.

Alvarez is married to Renae Cuellar, a member of the Mexican national team who will play in two friendlies against the U.S. on Thursday and Sunday. To prepare for the matches and her next pro contract, Cuellar trained with the Lights often in the last three weeks, adding plenty of competition to practice.

“I love it,” Cuellar, 27, a forward, said last week. “I tell (Alvarez) to treat me like one of the guys.”

Lights technical director Jose Luis Sanchez Sola, who has known Alvarez since drafting him into Major League Soccer in 2013, came up with the idea of inviting Cuellar to train.

She needed the the practice ahead of national team duty, especially because she’s been off most of the last year after the birth of her and Alvarez’s son Romeo last April. Sola didn’t consider it charity though; he just thought he was adding another quality player to training.

“If you didn’t know she was a woman, you wouldn’t (be able to tell),” Sola said. “She thinks that I help her. She helps me.”

Alvarez, 27, treated her just like any other teammate, especially because competition always has been a part of their relationship. Two weeks ago in practice he kicked her in the shin when they were both fighting for a ball.

“Obviously I love her, I’m going to take care of her as much as possible, but on the field if she’s not on my team, she’s my enemy,” Alvarez said. “At the end of the day, that’s the way I see it, and that’s the way we’re going to compete.”

Cuellar said the two always have to figure out who’s the best at everything, whether its games at Dave & Buster’s or Jenga matches. Soccer is the only exception, because Cuellar said their different positions make for an unfair comparison.

Besides, she doesn’t want people to forget about the third member of their family.

“Our son is better than us, and he can’t kick a ball yet,” she joked.

Bye week blues

The Lights (2-0-1) get to relax this weekend, as their next game doesn’t come until April 14th at Cashman Field against the Sacramento Republic (2-0-1). As part of their first bye week the team cancelled training Monday and Tuesday, though Alvarez doesn’t want the time off.

“The bye week, it’s not going to benefit us because obviously we’re not going to be in rhythm,” Alvarez said. “Obviously, as a player you want to compete each weekend. So we want to play, but if we’re getting the bye week we keep working.”

Huiqui honored

Defender Joel Huiqui was named to the United Soccer League’s Team of the Week on Tuesday. Huiqui wore the captain’s armband in the team’s 2-1 win over the Swope Park Rangers and had three interceptions and seven clearances against the USL’S top offense.