The Las Vegas Lights are poised to name Frank Yallop as their next manager, multiple sources have told ESPN.
Yallop’s commitment is only expected to last until the end of the current season, with an announcement from the USL Championship side expected to come within the next few days.
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Yallop will take over for Eric Wynalda, who was fired on June 18. Sources told ESPN that move was due in part to a disagreement with owner Brett Lashbrook over a practice session that because of liability concerns Wynalda was not allowed to oversee. Although, there remains disagreement as to whether Wynalda actually did run the session.
Yallop’s last position was with USL Championship side Fresno FC where he served as general manager, but the team folded after the 2019 campaign.
Yallop had previously served as manager of second-tier side Phoenix Rising from late 2015 until early in the 2017 season when he resigned for family reasons.
Yallop hit his greatest heights as a manager in Major League Soccer, leading the San Jose Earthquakes to MLS Cup titles in 2001 and 2003. He left following the 2003 season to take over as manager of the Canada men’s national team, a position he held until 2006 when he departed to become head coach of the LA Galaxy. He had considerably less success in Los Angeles, despite the arrival of David Beckham and the presence of Landon Donovan.
The former Canada international returned to San Jose for parts of five seasons, winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2012. But overall the ‘Quakes struggled to once again reach those heights and Yallop departed midway through the 2013 campaign.
Yallop resurfaced with the Chicago Fire in October of 2013, but after two seasons outside the playoff places and he was dismissed following the 2015 campaign.
His overall record as a manager is 183-184-130.
As a player, Yallop spent the bulk of his career with English side Ipswich Town, where he made 385 appearances in all competitions. Yallop finished his career in MLS with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, where he played for three seasons.
At international level, Yallop made 52 appearances for Canada.