We're pretty much ready to go, right? I mean, what else do we need?
Oh. Players. Right, well, I suppose those are fairly important.
All kidding aside, this Friday and Saturday the Lights will be hosting a player combine. Apparently over 700 players have signed up to try-out for the team - which means we'll have a huge squad, with plenty of rotation choices.
In reality, of these 700 players, there may be a handful (3 or 4) that actually will sign up with the team. There are going to be a few UNLV alumni, some cast-offs from other USL clubs, and various other chancers there willing to take a shot at the dream. A choice few of them will get selected and be able to represent the club going forward.
It's open to the public for those who don't already have plans, and are interested in just how a 700 player tryout will work. I, for one, hope they just use the whole field for a scrimmage of 350 on 350.
In another announcement today, the team stated that they would hold one roster spot open for a Las Vegas native (well, someone with "roots in Las Vegas," which is the same thing).
This seems like a pretty smart move. There is very little that excites a fanbase like having one of their own on the field to cheer for. Look how much the Sounders fans have taken to Jordan Morris, for example - I think he was like they're #2 or #3 most popular jersey, even with established starts like Demspey, Lodeiro, Torres, and Alonso to choose from. And I've noticed that even though he definitely had a "sophomore slump" this year, the fans were willing to give him some time, since he was a local. The same story plays out the world over, from Everton welcoming back an aging Wayne Rooney, to Arsenal sticking with Jack Wilshere for 35 years despite him never reaching his potential. Fans love to have locals to pin their hopes and dreams onto.
And, there is not much downside. The USL roster rules allow up to 30 players, and most USL clubs don't actually register that many. So, throwing a Las Vegas native onto the roster, even if he isn't good enough to play, probably isn't going to screw up the finances of the team. If thy can't find a guy that is good enough, just pick out a young guy and hope he can develop into someone better.
On that note, I think there should be someone out there from Las Vegas who is good enough to contribute at this level. Las Vegas has never exactly been a "sports town," but I'm honestly surprised that a city this size hasn't produced more professional athletes than we have. Right now we have a few baseball players (Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant), a few football players whose names escape me, and there's probably a few fighters out there.
But soccer-wise, I don't know if we've produced anybody besides the great Herc Gomez. (He wasn't born here, but he went to school here, so I'm counting it).
That's kind of surprising, given that we have a big latin community that loves soccer here, plus plenty of the traditional suburban soccer family demographic. Plus we have weather that permits soccer to be played 12 months out of the year.
Given all of these factors, I wouldn't be too surprised if, in the medium-to-long-range future, Las Vegas starts to produce some quality soccer players, now that we have a pro team to give kids something to aspire to.
Anyways, let's hope that the combine unearths a hidden Las Vegas gem, and he becomes the #2 most popular jersey sold in 2018 (behind our star signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who I'm sure they'll announce any day now).
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