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The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 played to a 1-1 draw. Deklan Wynne scored for Vancouver and Robert “TJ” Casner scored for Rio Grande Valley. 

RGV’s Justin Bilyeu shot from 35 yards out in the 8th minute. The Whitecaps FC 2 goalkeeper, Sean Melvin, saved his shot comfortably. Kyle Murphy had an opportunity to put the Toros ahead in the 19th minute, but Melvin blocked his header. Vancouver got ahead in the 23rd minute. Gloire Amanda passed the ball back from inside penalty box and found Deklan Wynne. Wynne shot first touch and put his shot past Calle Brown, goalkeeper for the Toros. 

Whitecaps FC 2 almost doubled their lead in the 29th minute. A through ball from Marco Bustos enabled Amanda inside the box. Brown got a deflection on the ball as the shot aimed for the upper right hand corner. Before the firs half ended Todd Wharton stopped an offensive build up from Vancouver that could’ve resulted in the second goal for the visitors. 

The RGV FC Toros tied things up in the 69th minute. Jorginho James opened the play wide to Eric Bird. Bird crossed the ball towards the far left post. Justin Bilyeu dropped the ball back to TJ Casner who struck the ball into the net for the goal. 

Francisco Pungo was on the brink of scoring his first goal for the Toros. Pungo faced Melvin one-on-one but his left footed shot was blocked. In the 88th minute Ruben Luna found Bird alone inside the penalty box. Melvin blocked Bird’s shot and Pungo was not able to capitalize on the rebound.

The Toros next match will be on the road. Rio Grande Valley will visit Real Monarchs SLC on Friday, August 25. The next home match will be on August 30 against Portland Timbers 2. 

Scoring:
23’ – VAN – Deklan Wynne (Gloire Amanda)

70’ – RGV – TJ Casner (Justin Bilyeu)

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros’ forward Kyle Murphy has been selected to the USL Team of the Week for Week 20 of the 2017 season. Murphy recorded two goals and an assist as the Toros took four points from two games to conclude their trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Kyle Murphy scored the first goal of the match in a 3-3 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 on Wednesday, August 2. Murphy scored off a Todd Wharton assist. Kyle Murphy scored the first goal for the Toros in the 4-3 comeback win over Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Sunday, August 6. Murphy headed in a Jose Escalante cross in the 23rd minute to tie things up. In the 68th minute, he assisted Joseph Holland in the game-winning goal.

USL Team of the Week

GK – Moise Pouaty, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

D – Julian Dunn, Toronto FC II

D – Kyle Hyland, OKC Energy FC

D – Zach Carroll, Orlando City B

M – Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel FC

M – Alex Dixon, OKC Energy FC

M – Marcel Schäfer, Tampa Bay Rowdies

M – Chris Wehan, Reno 1868 FC

F – Kyle Murphy, Rio Grande Valley FC

F – Stefano Bonomo, New York Red Bulls II

F – Enzo Martinez, Charlotte Independence

Bench: Angelo Cavalluzzo (TOR), Neill Collins (TBR), Jeremy Hall (SAC), Alessandro Riggi (PHX), Kris Tyrpak (SA), Kyle Greig (CIN), Jose Angulo (OKC)

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros ended their northwest three-game trip on a high note by defeating Seattle Sounders FC 2 4-3, after scoring three goals in the second half to complete a comeback win. Kyle Murphy, Jorginho James, Jose Escalante, and Joseph Holland scored for the Toros.

Seattle scored first after Felix Chenkam tapped the ball inside the penalty box with the outside of his foot to send the ball to the bottom right corner of the goal in the 10th minute. Irvin Parra got the assist in the goal. After continuously knocking on Sounders 2’s door, the Toros were finally able to get on the score sheet thanks to Kyle Murphy. Justin Bilyeu dropped the ball back to Jose Escalante who then crossed the ball. Kyle Murphy elevated himself over the Seattle defense and headed the ball in for the goal.

The Toros would once again see themselves trailing in the 36th minute. Chenkam tapped the ball over to Zach Mathers. Mathers collected the ball and shot a laser through the ground from outside of the box to get the second goal for Sounders FC.

Seattle Sounders FC 2 extended their lead right before the first half ended. In the 42nd minute, Lorenzo Ramos crossed the ball over to Francisco Narbon. Narbon barely got the edge over RGV defender Taylor Hunter and his header got the best of Calle Brown, goalkeeper for the Toros.

With a big task in front of them in them in the second half, the Toros pushed lines forward in an attempt to find more goals. Jorginho James pulled one back for the Toros in the 52nd minute. James collected a clearance from Seattle’s defense and shot a rocket after dribbling past a Sounders 2 defender.

Jose Escalante tied things up in the 61st from a low angle. After dribbling through the left edge of the penalty box, Escalante’s cross found the back post and ended up inside the net.  Joseph Holland gave the Toros the win seven minutes later.  Holland sniped in his shot to the upper right corner for the fourth goal of the night.

The 4-3 win marks the second win of the Toros over Seattle Sounders FC 2 this season. The next match for RGV FC Toros is at home when they host Phoenix Rising FC on August 12.

Rio Grande Valley FC split points in their trip to Vancouver after drawing 3-3 with Whitecaps FC 2. Kyle Murphy, TJ Casner, and Ruben Luna scored for the Toros.

Myer Bevan almost opened the scoring for Vancouver in the 12th minute. Marco Carducci saved the initial close range shot. After the ball rebounded to Bevan, he shot it over the crossbar. Kyle Murphy’s first touch after a Todd Wharton through ball put the Toros ahead in the 19th minute. The goal was Murphy’s third goal of the season

Whitecaps FC 2 tied it up 1-1 in the 23rd minute. Kadin Chung crossed the ball over to an unmarked Terran Campbell in the center of the box. Carducci denied Campbell, but Marco Bustos shot the rebound to the lower left corner to score for Whitecaps FC 2.

Bevan scored for Vancouver in the 53rd minute to put them ahead, assisted by Thomas Gardner. Joseph Holland drew a penalty in the 56th minute to give the Toros an opportunity to bring the score line even. TJ Casner converted from the penalty spot by burying the shot into the lower left corner and gave Rio Grande Valley their second goal.

Vancouver would go ahead in the once again in the 61st minute. Campbell broke free through the left side of the penalty box and crossed it over to Chung who had been left unmarked. Chung tapped it the shot for the score.

Jose Escalante was fouled entering the penalty box in the 90th minute. Ruben Luna, who had entered the match in the 73rd minute, directed his shot to lower left corner of the goal after a slight hesitation and saved the Toros from a defeat.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros face Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Sunday, August 6th at 8:30p.m.

Rio Grande Valley FC announced on Wednesday the club had signed defender Justin Bilyeu. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Bilyeu helped the New York Red Bulls II claim the 2016 USL Cup, and brings experience in the CONCACAF Champions League and Major League Soccer.

“Justin is a very technical player that can play in multiple positions in the defensive line. said RGV FC Toros head coach Junior Gonzalez. “He is a true competitor and approaches the game with a strong mentality. We look forward to integrating him into our system of play,”

Bilyeu made 29 appearances over the past two seasons on loan with the Red Bulls II after being selected by the New York Red Bulls with the No. 18 selection in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. A former standout for FC Tucson in the PDL, Bilyeu made four appearances for the Red Bulls in Major League Soccer, and competed for the club in the 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League.

“We are happy to add a young talented natural left back and reinforce our defensive corps going into the final third of the season,” said Dynamo Assistant General Manager Nick Kowba.

The hybrid relationship between the Dynamo and RGV FC in which the Dynamo control all aspects of soccer operations, including employment of the technical staff and player selection, while RGV FC manages the business side of the club, was unique in MLS when RGV FC was launched in 2016 and has quickly been emulated by multiple MLS clubs over the past year.

Through 19 games this season, RGV FC are in 12th place in the USL Western Conference standings with a 6-10-3 record and 21 points. The Toros fell 2-1 to the Portland Timbers’ USL affiliate, T2, on Saturday night and will return to action on Wednesday, August 2 when they travel to Vancouver to play Whitecaps 2.

TRANSACTION: RGV FC has signed defender Justin Bilyeu on a full transfer.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros did not have a desired start to their three-game Northwestern trip.  The Toros were defeated 2-1 by Portland Timbers 2 in a game where they missed two penalty shots.  

Marco Carducci was needed early in the game. Carducci saved Kyle Bjornethun’s left footed shot from inside the box in the 12th minute of the game. Portland Timbers 2 capitalized off an RGV mistake. Omar Mohamed stole the box from Taylor Hunter inside the penalty box and scored to put Timbers 2 ahead in the 26th minute. 

Joseph Holland would tie things up in the 30th minute. Escalante pushed the game wide to Kai Greene who sent a marvelous cross to Holland. Holland headed the ball into the lower right corner to even things out between the two teams. 

Rio Grande Valley had a chance to get ahead early in the second half. Jose Escalante drew a foul inside the penalty box in the 52nd. Escalante stepped up to take the penalty, but Kendall McIntosh saved the shot.  In the 69th minute, Russell Cicerone beat the backs of the RGV FC Toros but sent his shot over the crossbar. 

Portland Timbers 2 scored the game-winning goal in the 81st minute. Omar Mohamed served the ball to Villyan Bijev. Bijev did not forgive and volleyed his shot into the net. Kyle Murphy was fouled inside the box in the 86th minute resulting in another penalty for the Toros. Todd Wharton took it and Rio Grande Valley was once again denied by McIntosh. 

Rio Grande Valley next game is on August 2 in Vancouver. The Toros play against Whitecaps FC 2 at 12pm. on Wednesday.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros were defeated at home by Real Monarchs SLC. Jose Escalante scored the goal for the Toros. Daniel Haber and Chandler Hoffman scored for the Monarchs.

The Toros conceded a goal early in the match. Daniel Haber put Real Monarchs SLC ahead in the 8th minute. Reagan Dunk assisted in the play that found Haber open for the goal.  The Toros had an opportunity to find the equalizer in the 15th minute. Jose Escalante was fouled inside the box after dribbling the ball since half field. Unfortunately for the RGV, Connor Sparrow stopped Eric Bird’s penalty shot.

Eric Bird would find another opportunity to score in the 32nd minute. His volley shot after a cleared free kick, bounced safely into the hands of the goalkeeper. Haber almost doubled the lead in the 40th minute but his shot from a distance hit the crossbar. RGV FC Toros almost pulled one back right before the first half ended. Kyle Murphy headed the ball towards goal but was denied by Sparrow.

Rio Grande Valley started the second half hungry for a goal. Eric Bird enabled TJ Casner inside the box but Real Monarchs SLC’s defense was able to clear the ball. RGV’s Victor Garza denied Haber in the 57th minute, clearing the ball in the line. The Toros were able to tie the game in the 58th minute. Kyle Murphy crossed the ball to Jose Escalante outside the box. Escalante shot the ball first touch and put it past Sparrow.

Francisco Pungo almost scored a goal in his home debut.  Pungo found space in front of him and went one-on-one after Eric Bird’s perfectly placed through ball.  Max Lachowecki was able to catch up to him and slide to clear the ball as Pungo was taking his shot.

Real Monarchs scored their second goal off a penalty kick in the 78th minute. Chandler Hoffman got the best Marco Carducci and sent him the other way when he took his shot.  The Toros almost found an equalizer late in the dying minutes of the game. Bird was not able to get a concrete contact with the ball and his shot rolled right into Sparrow.

The RGV FC Toros outshot Real Monarchs SLC 18 to 9. Seven of those shots were on target for Rio Grande Valley. The Toros will now go a on a three-game Pacific Northwest trip. They next face  Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday, July 29.

#  SOMOS TOROS #

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros could not capitalize in their trip to Orange County and were defeated 4-0. Jeannot Esua, Roy Meeus, Wuilito Fernandes, and Zach Kobayashi scored for Orange County SC.

Orange County opened up the scoring sheet early in the game. In the 8th minute, Richard Chaplow found his way into the box and crossed back to Jeannot Esua who out the ball past Marco Carducci. Orange County was awarded a penalty after a controversial play was called a handball inside the box. Roy Meeus stepped up and scored to double Orange County’s lead.

The Toros entered the second half down 2-0 and sought a way to get back into the game. Orange County kept pushing forward to try to extend their lead. A through ball put Victor Pineda one-on-one against Carducci. Ivan Magalhaes’ sliding tackle knocked Pineda’s shot just wide.

TJ Casner enabled Camilo Monroy inside Orange County’s box. After TJ’s pass, Camilo Monroy passed the crossed the ball in front of the goal as Charlie Lyon had left his line. Unfortunately for the Toros, no one was there to push the ball into the net. Orange County found its third goal in the 82nd minute. Wuilito Fernandes headed in a chipping cross. In the 86th minute, Kobayashi chipped the ball over Marco Carducci for the last goal of the day.

Both teams kept pressing forward as the game came to an end. Camilo Monroy almost scored off a free kick in the 88th minute. Monroy shot his kick low and through the wall but barely missed the goal.Orange County’s  Dusan Stevanovic hit the post in the 90th minute.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and Orange County SC played to a 1-1 draw in midweek action. Eric Bird scored the goal for the RGV FC Toros off a penalty kick while Dušan Stevanovic scored for Orange County. 

The Toros started to find its offensive rhythm early in the first half. TJ Casner tested his luck in the fifth minute but his shot was deflected by the Orange County defense. A minute later, Ruben Luna found himself one on one against Charlie Lyon, goalkeeper for Orange County. Luna’s shot went to the left after he slid to make contact with the ball. 

Orange County SC capitalized off a RGV defensive mistake in the 17th minute. Wuilito Fernandes stole the ball from Ivan Magalhaes and set up Dušan Stevanovic for the goal. The Toros would tie the game in the 27th minute from the penalty spot. TJ Casner was fouled inside the box resulting in the penalty kick that Eric Bird buried in for the goal. 

TJ Casner kept testing Lyon in the start of the second half, but could not get his shot past the Orange County goalkeeper. Eric Bird almost capitalized off a volley in the 70th minute. His shot forced Lyon to dive for the save and send the ball of out bounds. Kyle Murphy, who entered the game in the second half, almost notched a goal off a header. His shot went slightly to the right of the goal. 

Bird had a header in the 85th off a Victor Garza cross that barely missed the goal. Both teams kept pushing for the winning goal as the game came to a close. In the 89th minute, Murphy collected the ball inside the box and sent the ball right above the crossbar as he took a shot on the quick turn around. In the other side of the field, Marco Carducci thwarted Orange County’s offensive efforts and kept the match even at 1-1.

Both teams will face each other this upcoming Saturday at Orange County. The match will kick off at 9p.m. The next home game for the Toros is on July 26 against Real Monarchs SLC.

RGV Lineup: Carducci, Greene, Garza, Sagel, Magalhaes, E.Garcia, Casner, James, Bird, Wharton, Luna

OC Lineup: Lyon, Franco, Navarro, Wbias, Oceguada, Sorto, Pineda, Kobayashi,  Stevanovic, Jeon, Fernandes, 

Scoring Summary

RGV: Bird 27’ (PK)

OC: Stevanovic 17’

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros could not keep building momentum from their past win and lost 4-0 against Swope Park Rangers on the road.

RGV’s Ruben Luna had the first opportunity of the match. In the 6th minute, Luna’s shot barely went over the crossbar. Momentum started switching sides as Swope Park Rangers started creating opportunities.  Rangers’ James Musa hit the crossbar in the 27th minute.

In the 37th minute, Lebo Moloto dribbled past the RGV defense but poked the ball out of bounds. Two minutes later, he scored the first goal of the match after dribbling past Borja Angoitia, goalkeeper for the Toros.  Swope Park Rangers doubled their lead right before halftime.  Mark Gonzalez dribbled past Angoitia and got his shot inside the net.

The Rangers started the second half strong and got their third goal of the night fairly quick. Colton Storm’s shot in the 49th minute took a slight deflection as it found its way into the back of the net. The Toros almost pulled one back in the 74th minute. Emilio Garcia, who had just entered the game, shot a volley from outside the box after Luna headed the ball his way.  Swope Park’s Adrian Zendejas made the incredible save to keep his clean sheet.

The RGV FC Toros will have a lengthy rest before jumping on to the field. The club’s next game will be at home against Orange County SC on July 19.