Lights FC enjoys rare card-free day on Wednesday

The Lights FC lost 3-1 at Orange County SC on Wednesday but still managed to set a team record.

For the first time all season, the Lights were not awarded a yellow or red card during a match, a minor miracle given the club’s tendency to be aggressive off the ball. The team even found out that winning the card battle has its advantages, even though it wasn’t able to capitalize.

“We just want to be disciplined. Play aggressive and play smart,” defender Juan Herrera-Perla said. “We don’t really focus on yellow cards or red cards or anything like that.”

The Lights (7-11-5) have 72 combined yellow and red cards in 23 matches, 11 more than the next-closest team in the United Soccer League. Not adding to that total Wednesday gave them a chance at an upset.

Orange County goalkeeper Andre Rawls received a red card in the 56th minute for a handball outside the box, giving the Lights a man advantage with plenty of time left in a 2-1 game. They struggled to break the home team’s retreated defense, though, partly because they haven’t practiced that situation much.

The Lights played a man up only twice previously, for 18-plus minutes March 24 against Reno 1868 FC and for 10-plus minutes June 2 against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

Most of Wednesday’s lineup hadn’t worked 11-on-10 all season because the team doesn’t train that way often.

”That’s just something that happens in the games,” Herrera-Perla said. “The coaching staff, we trust whatever they want to do, whatever they say (in the moment).”

The lack of 11-on-10 time showed for the Lights because they were outscored 1-0 and didn’t get a shot on goal up a man against Orange County. They’ve been far more used to playing down a man, as their six red cards are tied for the most in the league.

That includes recent reds to midfielder Carlos Alvarez and defender Miguel Garduno, who both had to sit out Wednesday’s match because of them. Alvarez is eligible to return Saturday after a three-game suspension for his red card, which he received after elbowing a Seattle Sounders FC 2 player July 26.

“Once I hit him, I knew it was a red card,” Alvarez said. “I’ve never done that. That’s the first red card of my whole career. I was ashamed of myself. I let the coaching staff down, I let my teammates down.”

The Lights will be happy to have him back as they try to repeat their card-free performance at 8 p.m. Saturday against Phoenix Rising FC (12-6-5). Technical director Jose Luis Sanchez Sola and coach Isidro Sanchez have been unapologetic about the team’s physical, aggressive play, but Wednesday still had to feel like a refreshing change of pace for the two.

”It was a little bit hard, because we had (almost) never been in that situation, where the opponent gets the red card, not us,” Alvarez said. “At the end of the day, I think the guys did pretty good things. We just didn’t finish an opportunity.”

More Lights: Follow all of our Las Vegas Lights FC coverage online at reviewjournal.com/lights and @RJ_Sports on Twitter.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.