LOYAL SETTLES FOR TIE IN DEBUT

Donovan pleased with ‘incredible crowd’ support

The San Diego Loyal reported a sellout Friday ahead of the new soccer team’s first official game, played Saturday night at USD’S Torero Stadium.

A sellout meant all 6,100 tickets were sold or distributed.

The crowd that showed up saw the Loyal walk off with a 1-1 tie against the Las Vegas Lights.

It met the sellout standard — a few hundred seats were empty, but a few hundred fans stood above the seated bowl — and noisy enthusiasm held through both 45-minute halves and three minutes of extra time.

“Incredible crowd. San Diego showed up for their team,” Loyal coach Landon

Donovan said.

The soccer, played in dry, cool conditions, was true to the forecast of Eric Wynalda. “The game could be erratic at times,” said the San Diego State alum, who coaches the Lights, “but it will be full of energy.”

Ultimately, the Loyal were unable to attack as much as Donovan said he wanted to, nor was San Diego able to control the ball as much as planned.

“Give a lot of credit to Vegas,” Donovan said. “They played really well. They did exactly what they need to do.”

“They sat back,” Loyal forward Irvin Parra said of the Lights.

Four plays stood out: Uncorking a 40-yards shot worthy of World Cup soccer, Vegas forward Junior Burgos, a 31-year-old from El Salvador, rifled the ball into the left upper corner for a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute. Donovan, who owns five World Cup goals, stood stunned on the sideline. “That might have been goal of the year in the first five minutes of the season,” he said.

The Loyal’s Charlie Adams, exploiting a collision between Light defenders, tied the score 10 minutes later.

The Englishman connected from the top of the box. “I was able to stop a counterattack … and had a good touch,” Adams said.

A Lights defender, erasing a teammate’s mistake, ran down Loyal forward Irvin Parra to block a shot and deny the forward a potential tie-breaking goal with 10 minutes left.

“The defender came back out of my blind spot — I didn’t get to see him,” said Parra, 26.

Preserving the tie, Loyal goalkeeper Jake Fenlason stopped a short, firm shot later in regulation. “Jake really played well. He kept us in the game at certain points.”

Parra said the players felt extra energy from the atmosphere.

He mentioned not only the capacity crowd but the “two legends on the sideline” in Wynalda and Donovan.

For Donovan, it was his first official game as a coach. “Stressful,” he said. He said losing top defender Joe Greenspan to a leg injury early in the game added to his stress.

As for the team’s overall performance?

“I was little disappointed,” Donovan said.

“I think we can be better and the guys know that. Probably we were a little excited, and we never really got control of the game. We have a lot to learn … a few small things we can build on but we can be better.”

tom.krasovic@sduniontribune.com