A look at the Lights FC’s season-opening roster
The Lights unveiled its inaugural roster Wednesday and will bring 23 players into the United Soccer League regular season, which begins Saturday at 7 p.m at Fresno FC. The team includes two goalkeepers, eight defenders, nine midfielders and four forwards, with six of those players being locals.
Here is a look at the Lights’ first roster, broken down by position.
Goalkeepers
Ricardo Ferrino (#1)
*Age: 26
*Hometown: Torreon, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Venados FC (Mexico’s 2nd division)
*Notable: Probably the most aggressive goalkeeper in USL history.
Angel Alvarez (#22)
*Age: 20
*Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
*Previous Club/Team: Laramie County Community College
*Notable: Played at Rancho.
Defenders
Zak Drake (#2)
*Age: 26
*Hometown: Ottawa, Canada
*Previous Club/Team: FC Maia (Portugal)
*Notable: Has also played in Germany, Australia and Brazil.
Joel Huiqui (#3)
*Age: 35
*Hometown: Los Mochis, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Potros UAEM (Mexico’s 2nd division)
*Notable: Has made 14 appearances for the Mexican national team.
Jorge Guillen-Torres (#5)
*Age: 23
*Hometown: San Diego, California
*Previous Club/Team: N/A
*Notable: Has trained with the Argentinian and Mexican national teams.
Marco Cesar Jaime Jr. (#6)
*Age: 23
*Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
*Previous Club/Team: Deportivo Toluca FC (Mexico’s 1st division)
*Notable: Moved to Mexico when he was 6-years-old. Watches the news to learn English.
Juan Herrera-Perla (#13)
*Age: 23
*Hometown: San Miguel, El Salvador
*Previous Club/Team: N/A
*Notable: Played in FC Dallas’ youth academy.
Marcelo Alatorre (#16)
*Age: 33
*Hometown: Guadalajara, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Venados FC (Mexico 2nd division)
*Notable: Wore the captain’s armband during the preseason. Watches reality TV to learn English.
Christian Torres (#23)
*Age: 21
*Hometown: Tulancingo de Bravo, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Dorados de Sinaloa (Mexico’s 2nd division)
*Notable: Despite his youth he’s already played in Mexico’s first and second divisions.
Miguel Angel Garduno (#33)
*Age: 26
*Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Venados FC (Mexico’s 2nd division)
*Notable: Sports braces. Scored during the preseason.
Midfielders
Carlos Alvarez (#7)
*Age: 27
*Hometown: Los Angeles, California
*Previous Club/Team: Orange County SC (USL)
*Notable: Was drafted into Major League Soccer by Lights technical director Jose Luis Sanchez Sola.
Juan Jose Calderon (#10)
*Age: 27
*Hometown: Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Venados FC (Mexico’s 2nd division)
*Notable: Led the Lights with three goals during the preseason.
Freddy Adu (#11)
*Age: 28
*Hometown: Potomac, Maryland
*Previous Club/Team: Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL)
*Notable: Former U.S. soccer prodigy turned journeyman.
Alex Mendoza (#14)
*Age: 27
*Hometown: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
*Previous Club/Team: Harrisburg Heat (Major Arena Soccer League)
*Notable: Has been on first-division teams in the U.S. and Mexico.
Sebastian Hernandez (#20)
*Age: 24
*Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
*Previous Club/Team: Las Vegas Mobsters
*Notable: Played at Bonanza and UNLV.
Matt Thomas (#21)
*Age: 22
*Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
*Previous Club/Team: Rocky Mountain College
*Notable: Trained at Real Salt Lake’s Academy in Arizona and played at Palo Verde.
Adolfo Guzman (#24)
*Age: 21
*Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
*Previous Club/Team: William Jessup University
*Notable: Played at Tech.
Julian Portugal (#26)
*Age: 25
*Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
*Previous Club/Team: Tulsa Roughnecks (USL)
*Notable: Played at Palo Verde and UNLV.
Daigo Kobayashi (#44)
*Age: 35
*Hometown: Fuji, Japan
*Previous Club/Team: New England Revolution (MLS)
*Notable: Lives in Las Vegas during the offseason.
Forwards
Isaac Diaz (#8)
*Age: 25
*Hometown: Guadalajara, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Mineros de Zacatecas (Mexico’s 2nd division)
*Notable: Nicknamed “Pajaro” (The Bird).
Sammy Ochoa (#9)
*Age: 31
*Hometown: Morelia, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Sacramento Republic (USL)
*Notable: Scored eight goals in 25 appearances last season.
Juan Carlos Garcia (#17)
*Age: 33
*Hometown: Puebla, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Venados FC (Mexico’s 2nd division)
*Notable: Nicknamed “Kabe.”
Anuar Kanan (#18)
*Age: 22
*Hometown: Puebla, Mexico
*Previous Club/Team: Young Harris College
*Notable: Scored during the preseason.
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
