Former Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista, team director Gianleonardo Neglia have USL's Las Vegas Lights shining brightly
Trey Higdon/Las Vegas LightsThanks to a friendship formed during their time with MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays, Bautista and Neglia have managed to turn things around at the USL club.
Gianleonardo Neglia settled into the couch in his Venice flat. The TV was already on and NFL Red Zone was primed to start. As the assistant sporting director at Venezia FC, his team had just gotten back from a challenging away game in Bari. Now, it was time to unwind.
Then, a text came in.
“What’s your opinion on the Las Vegas Lights?”
Neglia’s attention was instantly captured by the message. It was from his close friend, Jose Bautista, the former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder and imminent owner of Las Vegas. This was not a casual catch-up, but something of much larger significance.
Neglia and the legendary Dominican outfielder have a long-standing relationship that dates back to when Neglia was a bat-boy for the Blue Jays. He spent almost every day of ten consecutive summers with the outfielder, leading them to develop a close friendship. Their shared love for soccer eventually saw them reunite as coworkers. Neglia later became the sporting director of Bautista’s USL team, the Las Vegas Lights. This transition from America’s favorite sport to his dream sport was the climax of an unexpected journey.
In November 2023, Neglia was seeking a higher position. At that time, he held the second highest position in Venezia’s front office, playing a crucial role in the daily operations of the club which was soon to join Serie A. However, he was aware that he might need to be patient for his promotion, considering the fierce competition in the European soccer job market.
“At my age, realistically, in Italy, I was probably still three, four, five years away from getting an opportunity to be a sporting director. That's just the reality of it,” Neglia told GOAL. “So the opportunity to be the head guy and work under an owner who I have this relationship with, I mean, it was really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I couldn't pass up.”
