EDINBURG (September 6, 2019) – Rio Grande Valley FC (7-12-7, 28 pts.) is back at H-E-B Park this weekend, this time they face Tulsa Roughnecks FC (5-13-9, 24 pts). The Western Conference matchup is set to kick off at 7:30 P.M. CST on ESPN+ and Somos El Valle 5.2.
The last match at home for the Toros was a win over El Paso, 1-0, which improved the home record to 6-4-3. As the chase for a playoff spot continues for Gerson Echeverry’s squad, there must be adjustments made in order to avoid a slip up at home.
Their short trip to Austin was not favorable as they were routed 0-3 at Bold Stadium. Defensively, there must be a tighter press and small mistakes need to be limited to avoid any surprises on Saturday that can cost the Toros points.
Defender Andrew Samuels provided his input on the role that the defense needs to play in this match; “The number one goal is to get a shutout and not let any goals to hit the back of our net. What we really need to focus on is stopping them, switching the point of attack, keeping them to one side. After that, locking in and going forward [on the attack].”
Tulsa is coming off of a 2-2 draw with El Paso Locomotive FC this past Wednesday, earning just one point to stay in the sixteenth spot in the Western Conference standings. On the season the Roughnecks have scored a total of 35 goals, led by Rodrigo da Costa with nine individual goals.
Their issues come in the backfield where this season they have allowed a swarming 57 goals to be scored. Goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar has kept two clean sheets this season and looks to challenge the attacking offense of RGV FC this weekend.
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 #
