Capping a run the included the introduction of the NHL’s Golden Knights and the NFL’s Raiders to Las Vegas, the city also landed its first-ever professional soccer team in August, which will play in the United Soccer League. The squad will be the third USL expansion franchise to join the league for the 2018 season, playing at Cashman Field in Downtown Las Vegas. The new franchise, which will be known as the Las Vegas Lights FC – will unveil its logo and other branding elements this week.
Team owner Brett Lashbrook – already a Vegas resident – brings a resume that includes serving as Chief Operating Officer to Major League Soccer’s expansion team in Orlando where he oversaw the Club’s transition from USL to Major League Soccer. In addition, he also previously served as legal counsel and special assistant to the Commissioner’s office at Major League Soccer for seven seasons. Cynopsis spoke with Lashbrook about his preparations and plans as the team gets ready for its first season.
Lashbrook on Las Vegas: Las Vegas is my home. My mother has lived out here for almost 20 years and I came out about 2 and a half years ago. I had been COO down in Orlando and we got them from USL to MLS and got the shovel in the ground. During that process, the team was sold and it was one of those teams where it made sense to transition out as my mother was going through some health challenges. So I came out thinking I would be here for 6-12 months to focus on family, and I started to fall in love with Las Vegas.
On launching a team: I am fortunate that my family has capital to do a project like this and, all of the sudden, it was like life had come full circle given that I had spent the last 20 years working on soccer. In Orlando, I started to see that MLS was only capturing a certain part of the market. Soccer is growing by leaps and bounds but MLS is only in 17 US markets. It became very clear to me in Orlando that there was this whole slot of 50-70 communities that could support professional soccer so I decided to put my investment hat on as the pyramid continues to grow out of the ground.
On keys to success: To succeed, you need a market and a stadium, which is actually the toughest part of the process, nine times out of ten. So here I am, I have 20 years of experience, I have access to the capital, my hometown is the second largest market without a professional soccer team, and wouldn’t you know, there is a 10,000 seat stadium available in the heart of downtown Las Vegas in a redevelopment area that is 100% already paid for. Everything fits perfectly.
On the big picture: We want to provide fans with an authentic soccer experience and what I mean by that is that in soccer, it is the fans who are bringing the energy with 90 minutes of non-stop action. It is the dancing, cheering, marching, the drumming, etc. and that is what we are going to create. The more I look at the demographics and potential here, the more I am convinced we can become the next Cincinnati, Sacramento or Orlando when it comes to the USL. When you look at MLS, we can become the next Portland, Toronto, NYCFC. All the piece are there and we just have to tell the write story and provide the right experience. I just need people to give us one shot because I am convinced that if I can get them to the stadium once, I can get them to the stadium multiple times.
