EDINBURG, Texas (Tuesday, Apr. 13, 2021) – The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros announced today the club’s technical staff for the 2021 USL Championship season.
The technical staff is led by Toros Head Coach and Sporting Director Wilmer Cabrera. Cabrera was named to the role early in February and has led the hiring process of all soccer operations and technical staff, and the scouting and signing of players ahead of the Toros season.
Joining Cabrera is Director of Scouting and Assistant Coach Gerson Echeverry, who holds the longest tenure by any Head Coach at the club. Echeverry has taken the lead in scouting all current and prospect players for the club. He was appointed as Head Coach in late 2017 and remained in the position for three seasons with the Toros. Prior to RGV, Echeverry served as Head Coach at Seton Hall University’s Men’s Soccer program for five years. He has also served as an assistant coach for the United States U-17 Youth National Team and residency program. At the residency program, Echeverry evaluated prospects and implemented training plans with an emphasis on developing attacking players.
Goalkeeper Coach Arturo Sanchez enters his first season on the staff at RGV FC. The Mexican national returns to the Valley having previously been part of the Toros’ inaugural squad in 2016 as a goalkeeper. Most recently, Sanchez was part of the coaching staff with San Antonio City Soccer Club, Austin Bold FC, San Antonio FC and St. Mary’s University.
Strength and Fitness Coach Joan Casanova joins RGV FC bringing extensive experience for his first season in the United States. Previously, Casanova was part of the coaching staff at Odisha FC of the Indian Super League during the 2019 and 2020 campaign. Prior to Odisha, Casanova was the strength and conditioning coach at Kitchee SC of the Hong Kong Premier League. Throughout his three seasons with Kitchee, the club earned nine total trophies – Hong Kong Premier League Championships (2017, 2019), Hong Kong Sapling Cup (2017, 2019), Hong Kong Senior Shield (2018), Hong Kong FA Cup (2017, 2018) and Hong Kong Community Cup (2017, 2018). In addition, the squad competed in the AFC Champions League – Asia’s equivalent to the UEFA and Concacaf Champions League – and AFC Cup tournaments.
Retired Colombian-American defender Rafael Amaya will continue to serve as Youth Academy Liaison and Assistant Coach. Amaya oversees the IDEA Toros Academy, which has a player development partnership with RGV FC. Prior to RGV FC, Amaya coached at the youth level in Colorado for Arvada West High School, then coached at Colorado Lightning (PASL) as the team’s head coach. Amaya played professionally in Colombia, and in the United States in Major League Soccer and the USISL, a predecessor to the United Soccer League.
RGV FC will kick off the 2021 campaign on Saturday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. CST as they host New Mexico United. Toros 2021 Season Ticket Memberships are now available at www.www.rgvfc.com/rgvfc. In addition, the first three regular-season games may also be purchased on the website.
ABOUT RIO GRANDE VALLEY FC
The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (RGV FC) enter their sixth season in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship in 2021. The club plays at H-E-B Park, a state-of-the-art soccer specific stadium that holds 9,700 people, the club trains in H-E-B Park’s world class training facility adjacent to the stadium. RGV FC is the only professional soccer team located within the Rio Grande Valley. In 2016, RGV FC became USL’s first team to develop a hybrid affiliation model with a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise. This partnership, with Houston Dynamo FC, began in 2016. The relationship has now evolved into a more traditional USL/MLS affiliation where RGV FC manages all aspects of the club and the Dynamo are able to loan players to the Toros for development purposes. For more information, please visit www.www.rgvfc.com/rgvfc.
# PARA EL VALLE #
