EDINBURG, Texas (June 14, 2019) – Rio Grande Valley FC (4-6-4, 16 pts.) is set for a home matchup with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (4-8-2, 14 pts.) after a short road trip. Scheduled kickoff time at H-E-B Park is set for 7:30 P.M. CST. Tickets available for the match here, watch on ESPN+and on Somos El Valle 5.2.
After a two-week road trip, the Toros are glad to be home for a match in front of the RGV faithful. Following a loss that left a bad taste in the mouths of many, RGV FC is eager to bounce back at home.
RGV FC has historically done well against the Switchbacks, owning a 5-1-1 record overall which includes an unblemished 3-0-0 home record at H-E-B Park, earning nine points as a host.
The Switchbacks are coming off of a positive streak with two straight wins and look to contend well in South Texas. Defensively, it has been a good season for Colorado Springs, earning three clean sheets, all collected by goalkeeper Andre Rawls. For the attacking end, the danger comes from defender Jordan Burt who has scored five total goals thus far.
As noted earlier in the week, RGV FC lost their strongest attacker to first team Houston Dynamo. As a member of the Toros, Salazar scored eight goals before leaving the USL Championship League to compete for the MLS side. Now the offense is relying on the other dynamic attackers such as Carlos Small who has made the starting eleven on four occasions this season, scoring five total goals so far.
“They like to play possession; they like to attack the flanks. I think playing home is a good advantage just because I feel like we have not been here in a while, so it is a great chance to show what we have, again. Especially what we can do at home.” Defender Robert Coronado mentioned with a positive outlook to this home match and understands that the opponents play hard and pressure up high, keeping defenses busy all match.
For head coach Gerson Echeverry, it has been clear that the defensive end has not been on point lately and he is anxious to return to the norm, which is earning clean sheets and limiting opponent attacks. He explains his frustration in the following way; “The unfortunate part is that our collective defensive effort has not been as good as it needs to be, we are giving up soft goals and that is something that we did not do last year.”
The Toros are hitting stride on offense which has kept them in games and earned them big home victories as well. This is something that the group will rely on to earn yet another good home victory against the Switchbacks and continue accumulating points in the standings.
RGV FC will be giving away “Lucha Libre” masks to the first 500 fans. 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.
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