EDINBURG, Texas (March 9, 2022) – Rio Grande Valley FC announced today the club has signed defender Daniel Luis Saez and forward Frank Gaviria and acquired forward Adolfo Hernandez on loan from Liga MX side Pumas U.N.A.M ahead of the 2022 USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval.
Daniel Luis Saez (6-foot-5, Defender) has made 19 appearances for the Cuba Men’s National Team, including in FIFA World Cup Qualifying and the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. He joins RGV FC having most recently played for USL League Two club PDX FC in Portland, Oregon following his defection from Cuba during the Gold Cup three years ago.
“Daniel is a very athletic defender with international experience; despite his size he is very technical and talented with the ball which allows him to play as a midfielder also”, noted Toros Sporting Director Wilmer Cabrera.
Saez made his debut with the Cuban National Team as an 18-year-old in 2012 (age 18) as a late-stage sub against Panama in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers while competing domestically for La Habana in the Cuban National League. After six years at La Habana, he also competed for Camaguey (2017-18) of the Cuban National League, and then Atlantico FC (2018-2019) and Delfines del Este (2019) of the Dominican Liga Dominicana de Futbol before his defection to the United States.
Frank David Gaviria (6-foot, Forward) joins the Toros after most recently competing for NK Špansko in Croatia’s third division. A native of Valledupar, Colombia, the 20-year-old Gaviria will join the professional ranks for the first time with the Toros this season.
“Frank David is a feisty and hardworking forward who will give us a lot of possibilities and internal competition,” said Cabrera. “He is young and hungry to score goals and has a lot of talent.”
Adolfo Hernandez (6-foot-1, Forward) arrives at RGV FC from Liga MX’s Pumas U.N.A.M. having previously competed in both the top flight and second division in Mexico. The 24-year-old has made seven appearances overall for PUMA while also competing in the Liga de Expansion MX for both Pumas Tabasco – the club’s reserve team – and Celaya FC.
Hernandez spent the greater portion of the 2020-2021 season on loan at Celaya FC where he made 25 appearances and recorded a pair of goals across the regular season and playoffs while helping ‘Los Toros’ to reach the Liguilla playoffs in both the Apertura and Clausura campaigns.
“Adolfo is a young and strong Mexican forward who grew up at the Pumas academy and now he wants to conquer this league with his goals,” said Cabrera. “He is very good in the air and inside the area he will create a lot of danger for the opponents.”
TRANSACTION: Rio Grande Valley FC sign defender Daniel Luis Saez, forward Frank David Gaviria and acquire forward Adolfo Hernandez on loan
PLAYER PROFILE
FULL NAME: Daniel Luis Saez
POSITION: Defender
DATE OF BIRTH: May 11, 1994
HEIGHT: 6’ 5
BIRTHPLACE: La Habana, Cuba
HOMETOWN: La Habana, Cuba
FIFA NATIONALITY: Cuba
PLAYER PROFILE
FULL NAME: Frank David Gaviria
POSITION: Forward
DATE OF BIRTH: June 11, 2001
HEIGHT: 6’0”
BIRTHPLACE: Valledupar, Colombia
HOMETOWN: Valledupar, Colombia
NATIONALITY: Colombia
PLAYER PROFILE
FULL NAME: Adolfo Hernandez
POSITION: Forward
DATE OF BIRTH: September 28, 1997
HEIGHT: 6’ 1”
BIRTHPLACE: Mexico City, Mexico
HOMETOWN: Mexico City, Mexico
NATIONALITY: Mexico
About Rio Grande Valley FC
The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (RGV FC) enter their seventh season in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship in 2022. 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.RGVFC.com.
