EDINBURG, Texas (May 31, 2019) – The Rio Grande Valley FC (4-4-4, 16 pts.) is set for an away match against Orange County SC (3-3-6, 15 pts.). The Western Conference matchup at Championship Soccer Stadium is set to kickoff at 7:30 P.M. CST on ESPN+.
After a short home stand which resulted in four points for the Toros, they hit the road for a pair of matches. The first matchup features a bout with Orange County SC in Irvine, CA who displays a strong offensive presence this season.
The overall record between these teams stands at 3-2-1 in favor of the Toros. The road record for RGV FC against Orange County sits at 2-1-0 which gives optimism to the RGV coaching staff. After a pair of draws in the last two weeks, Orange County looks to earn three points at home, something they have done well this season. All three of their wins have been home match results which has given them nine out of their 15 total points.
RGV FC earned three points in a derby matchup against nearby rival San Antonio FC at H-E-B Park on May 25 by winning in convincing fashion, 3-1. The ball kept rolling on offense for Gerson Echeverry’s squad as Michael Salazar and Jesus Enriquez lit up the scoreboard. Salazar scored a brace in the match to make him the Toros goal scoring leader with seven goals.
Both sides match up almost evenly in the attacking statistics. OC has scored 21 goals and conceded 19 on the season while RGV has been able to find the back of the net on 22 occasions, allowing 21 opponent goals.
RGV FC head coach Echeverry commented on the team’s current success on the road and overall chemistry; “I mean right now it is just a matter of just continuing to do what we are doing. If we continue playing as a team, solid defensively and scoring goals then we are going to give ourselves an opportunity to get points. I think that is the key.” A confident side is a good tool for any coach to use especially on the road and his players understand their worth and ability to win
even away from home.
Returning forward, Enriquez gave us his positive input on road matches, “Well, the performances are there. Even with the Phoenix Rising game, the score really didn’t indicate how we played the second half. We had a couple of posts and breakaways. The game could have easily ended 3-3 or 4-3 in our favor.” This type of fight and determination has boosted RGV in the past against tougher opponents which is something to look forward to this weekend.
The players to look out for in this match are a pair of strong scorers for Orange County. Aodhan Quinn (5) and Darwin Jones (5) have combined for 10 goals this season and sit on top of the leaderboard offensively for the home team. The Toros have plenty of answers up front as well with Salazar scoring seven goals, closely trailed by California native “Chuy” Enriquez who has tallied three thus far.
Updates on the match will be provided via Twitter at @RGVFC or by following #SomosToros. To see more matchday information, visit https://www.rgvfc.com.
# SOMOS TOROS #
