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The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros and in-state rivals San Antonio FC resumed the South Texas Derby and played to a scoreless draw. The Toros have now kept a clean sheet in three of the four last matches.

Rio Grande Valley did not take long to set their offensive rhythm. Aldo Quintanilla started things off with a shot straight towards Diego Restrepo in the sixth minute. In the ninth minute, Restrepo saved San Antonio from conceding a goal. Jesus Enriquez shot a curler to the right corner but Restrepo dove and got a hand on it to clear the ball from his goal.

Nicolas Perea had back-to-back opportunities to score in the 34th minute. Diego Restrepo’s diving efforts denied Perea’s long-range blast. Rio Grande Valley then recuperated the ball. Jesus Enriquez laid the ball back to Perea, but his shot barely missed the goal. Todd Wharton almost scored off a free kick from all the way near the Rio Grande Valley bench in the 38th minute. His cross nearly found the upper ninety but was palmed out by Restrepo.

Rio Grande Valley FC kept attacking in the second half. Pablo Aguilar shot from outside the penalty box in the 48th minute. Restrepo deflected the ball over the crossbar. Todd Wharton shot from 25 yards out in the 65th minute. Unfortunately for the Toros, the shot went wide.

The Toros held most of the possession throughout the game and outshot San Antonio FC by five shots. San Antonio’s Diego Restrepo played a large role in the match, finishing the night with five saves. RGV native Mikey Lopez subbed in for San Antonio in the 81th minute for Sonny Guadarrama . Bryce Marion made his debut for the Toros after entering the match in stoppage time.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros will host Swope Park Rangers next on May 19. The match will kick off at 7:30p.m. at H-E-B Park.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros played to 2-2 draw against Fresno FC. Jesus Enriquez and Aldo Quintanilla scored for the RGV FC Toros. 

The Toros almost scored the first goal of the match but were denied by the post. RGV was awarded a free-kick outside of the 18-yard box.  Jesus Enriquez stepped up as if he was going to take the free-kick with his left foot, but instead Matias Zaldivar struck the ball with his right foot. The ball went over the wall of players and hit the right post of the goal. 

The Toros conceded the first goal of the night in the 30th minute.  Fresno FC built up a series of passes and laid the ball off to Alex Cooper in the left wing.  Cooper whipped in a cross and Conor Donovan deflected the ball. The deflection caught Nico Corti by surprise and found its way inside the goal. 

Jesus Enriquez got on the score sheet in the second half to bring the two teams level. In the 52nd minute, Aldo Quintanilla passed the ball to Enriquez who was on the left wing. Enriquez then dribbled to his right and sent a curler towards the upper ninety.

The celebration did not last long for the Toros.  Nine minutes later, Fresno FC took the lead once more after they capitalized off a Rio Grande Valley turnover. Conor Donovan lost the ball in his own half, enabling Fresno FC to counter attack. Alex Cooper blasted his shot towards goal after being set up by Renato Bustamante. 

Jordan Jones had found the back of the net in the 67th minute, but his goal was called back. Nico Corti kicked a through ball to Jones and Jordan dribbled past Kyle Reynish, goalkeeper for the Foxes, and slipped the ball into the net. However, the play did not count. In the 73rd minute, RGV FC found the equalizer. Jones’ ball beat the backline and left Quintanilla one-on-one against Reynish. Quintanilla was lethal in his finish and poked the ball past Reynish.

Rio Grande Valley FC will have a short turnaround. The club will host San Antonio FC for a South Texas Derby matchup on Saturday, May 12. 

Nico Corti, goalkeeper for the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, has been selected to the USL Team of the Week for Week 8 of the 2018 season. This is the first time Corti has received this accolade. 

Nico Corti recorded a five-save shutout, his second of the season, as the Toros earned a point in a 0-0 draw with Reno 1868 FC last Wednesday. Corti is the second RGV FC Toros player to receive Team of the Week honors this season. 

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros will seek to get their first points on the road this Wednesday, May 9 when they take on Fresno FC. 

USL Team of the Week

GK – Nico Corti, Rio Grande Valley FC

D – Brent Richards, Reno 1868 FC

D – Ayoze, Indy Eleven

D – Modou Jadama, Portland Timbers 2

M – Corben Bone, FC Cincinnati

M – Maikel Chang, Real Monarchs SLC

M – Santi Moar, Bethlehem Steel FC

M – Emmanuel Ledesma, FC Cincinnati

F – Jason Johnson, Phoenix Rising FC

F – Tommy Heinemann, Penn FC

F – Neco Brett, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC:

Bench: Diego Restrepo (SA), Graham Smith (SPR), Kevin Kerr (PGH), Joaquin Rivas (TUL), Ropapa Mensah (NSH), Ataulla Guerra (CHS), Didier Drogba (PHX

#  SOMOS TOROS #

Rio Grande Valley FC Toros played to a 0-0 draw against Reno 1868 FC in an early morning affair. The Toros kept a clean sheet for a second consecutive game.

On his first game back at H-E-B Park since signing with the Houston Dynamo, Eric Bird tried to set the pace for the Toros. Bird tried his luck from outside the penalty box in the 12th minute but it sailed over the crossbar. Eric Bird set up a nice play with Aldo Quintanilla in the 22nd minute. Unfortunately, Bird’s shot went wide to the right.

Momentum shifted towards Reno in the final minutes of the first half. Nico Corti, goalkeeper for the RGV FC Toros, denied Lindo Mfeka from getting on the score sheet in 34th minute. A minute later, Reno’s Antoine Hoppenot shot a curler from the corner of the penalty box and forced Corti to make a fingertip save.

Corti was required in the second half as well.  In the 54th minute, Nicolas Corti denied Hoppenot with his foot once again on a one-on-one. Five minutes later, Corti stopped a close-shot blast from Reno’s Brian Brown.

The Toros had some opportunities of their own in the second half.  After being set up by Manny Padilla, Aldo Quintanilla dribbled the ball from the half towards Reno’s goal. Quintanilla’s shot went to right of the goal. Quintanilla tried his luck from outside the box in the 71st minute. Matt Bersano, goalkeeper for Reno 1868 FC, cradled in his shot.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros will be hitting the road. They will face Fresno FC on Wednesday, May 9th.  

Rio Grande Valley FC Toros midfielder Todd Wharton was voted into the USL Team of the Week for Week 7 of the 2018 season. This is the second time this season that Todd Wharton has been selected to the USL Team of the Week. 

Wharton recorded one assist, four key passes and 35 of 38 passes, while winning five of seven duels in the Toros’ 2-0 victory against Orange County SC. Todd led the Toros to their first win of the season.  

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros will seek to replicate their success against Reno 1868 FC on Wednesday, May 2. The match will kickoff at 10:30a.m.

USL Team of the Week

GK – Caleb Patterson-Sewell, Toronto FC II

D – Skylar Thomas, Charleston Battery

D – Sam Fink, Saint Louis FC

D – Tobi Adewole, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

M – Todd Wharton, Rio Grande Valley FC

M – Emmanuel Ledesma, FC Cincinnati

M – Kevin Partida, Reno 1868 FC

M – Kyle Bekker, North Carolina FC

M – Jose Escalante, San Antonio FC

F – Gordon Wild, Charleston Battery

F – Cameron Lancaster, Louisville City FC

Bench: Sean Lewis (PEN), Thomas Juel-Nielsen (OC), Raul Gonzalez (RIC), Christiano Francois (PGH), Tah Anunga (CHS), Solomon Asante (PHX), 

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros will face off against Laredo Heat Soccer Club on Friday, May 4, 2018 in a friendly match.

The match will be Laredo Heat Soccer Club’s pre-season home opener. Kick-off is set at 7:30p.m. and will take place at the  Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex. Laredo Heat returns to the National Premier Soccer League(NPSL) after a two-year hiatus. The club will start regular season for the NPSL  on Friday, May 18th versus the Houston Regals. General admission tickets for the game will have a cost of $5.00.

“We are fired-up about being back to playing soccer in our hometown and in front of our fans, it has been a long two years for everyone”, said Heat Owner Shashi Vaswani.“And to open versus the RGV FC Toros at home after being away should be very exciting to our fans, sponsors, players, coaching staff, volunteers and administration”.

 “We are looking forward to our match against the Laredo Heat Soccer Club. As an organization, we believe that matches and relationships like this one help foster the growth of soccer in South Texas”, added RGV FC Toros President Bert Garcia.

The Toros next home match will be on April 25, 2018. RGV FC Toros will be taking on Orange County Soccer Club at H-E-B Park with a kick-off time set at 7:00p.m.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros could not come out of Merlo field with any points after being defeated 2-3 by Portland Timbers 2. RGV native, Omar Ontiveros scored the opening goal of the match, and Todd Wharton scored the second goal for the Toros. 

 Although Portland had the majority of the possession in the first half, the Timbers 2 were not making life difficult for Nico Corti, goalkeeper of the Toros. Rio Grande Valley capitalized on their first opportunity at goal in the 30th minute.  Omar Ontiveros headed in a corner kick from Todd Wharton that had been tipped by Conor Donovan. 

Timbers 2 found the back of the net early in the second half. Although the RGV defense had headed away a cross by Portland’s Jack Barmby, Jeremy Ebobisse volleyed in the deflection to tie things up. Timbers 2 were awarded a penalty in the 61st minute. Barmby got the best of Corti and gave the home team the lead. 

Portland extended their lead in the 68th minute. Terrel Lowe sent in a lobbing cross to the far post from the left side of the field. Foster Langsdorf was able to connect with the cross to give Timbers 2 a two-goal lead.

The Toros were awarded a penalty in the 81st minute after Zach Wright was fouled inside the penalty box. Todd Wharton confidently stepped up and blasted in his shot to pull the Toros within a goal. Rio Grande Valley continued to be dangerous from set pieces. Matias Zaldivar lowered the ball down to Kai Greene with his chest. Unfortunately for the Toros, Kendall McIntosh blocked Greene’s shot. 

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros return to H-E-B Park on Wednesday, April 25. They will take on Orange County SC.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros were defeated 2-3 by Seattle Sounders FC 2. Matias Zaldivar and Guillermo Delgado scored for the Toros.

 Seattle Sounders FC 2 came off to a hot start. Seattle scored in the first forty-five seconds of the game. Ray Saari sent a curling cross to the second post. Felix Chenkam headed the ball in for the opening goal of the night.

The Toros would pull things even after Matias Zaldivar caught Calle Brown, goalkeeper for Seattle Sounders 2, sleeping. In the 22nd minute, Zaldivar stole the ball with a sliding tackle and shot towards the open net for the equalizer.

Rio Grande Valley stole the lead right before the first half ended. Victor Garza crossed in a dangerous ball from the right side of the field. Guillermo Delgado was lethal in his first touch and sent the ball to the back of the net.

Felix Chenkam scored his second of the night in the 66th minute. Rodrigue Ele’s through ball left Chenkam one-on-one against Matt Sanchez, goalkeeper for the Toros. Chenkam was able to chip the ball past Sanchez.

In the 82nd minute, Seattle Sounders FC 2 scored to give the home team the win. Although Matt Sanchez saved Denso Ulysse’s initial shot from outside the box, Azriel Gonzalez was able to blast in the rebound for the goal.

The Toros fought hard in the final minutes of the game and tried to tie up the game. Calle Brown denied Zach Wright and Todd Wharton’s shots in stoppage time. Rio Grande Valley FC Toros will play Portland Timbers 2 on Wednesday, April 18.

The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros were unable to bring back any points home after suffering a 2-1 loss to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Aldo Quintanilla scored the lone goal for the Toros in the final minutes of the game.

The Toros were met with unfamiliar weather conditions. It was a chilly and wet night in Colorado Springs. Switchbacks FC’s Saeed Robinson had the first attempt of the night in the fifth minute but his shot missed the goal. The Toros struggled to find quality opportunities in the opening minutes. The first chance for RGV FC came in the 30th minute. Unfortunately for the Toros, Aldo Quintanilla’s header was blocked. 

Set pieces were deadly for the Toros in the second half. In the 63rd minute, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC were awarded a free kick outside of the box. Josh Suggs was able to curl the ball to the left of the wall of RGV FC players for the first goal of the night. 

Seven minutes later, Toros defender Conor Donovan committed a foul inside the box, which resulted in a penalty being awarded to the Switchbacks. Although Nico Corti guessed the direction of the shot, Jordan Burt’s shot found the back of the net. 

The Toros were able to pull a goal back in the 80th minute. Victor Garza found Jesus Enriquez inside the right side of the box. Enriquez crossed the ball and found Aldo Quintanilla. Quintanilla did not forgive in his close range header and got his first goal of the season. 

 The Toros will visit Seattle Sounders FC 2 next. That match will take place on Saturday, April 14 at Cheney Stadium.

On November 28, 2017 the United Soccer League announced a new agreement with Dallas Cup, the internationally renowned youth competition. The RGV FC Toros Academy 99 Boys were able to participate for the first time in the invitation-only tournament. 

The Toros Academy measured themselves against high-level clubs from around the world. The club was able to reach the semifinal round of the Dallas Cup, a feature never done before by a team from the Rio Grande Valley.

“I think we made history, to be honest,” said Toros Academy midfielder Victor Medellin. “It was an unbelievable experience for us as a team. We have been working together for the past two years now and it is incredible that we were able to reach the semifinals of the Dallas Cup.”

The journey for the Toros started on Monday, March 26 against Solar 99 Sawyer, ranked 1st in the Texas North Region, from Dallas, Texas. The Toros were able to get a clean sheet on their Dallas Cup debut but they failed to get on the score sheet and played to a 0-0 draw. 

Rain played an important factor in the Dallas Cup. Games had to be postponed. The RGV FC Academy boys were not able to get back into the pitch until Thursday, March 29. The Toros were lethal against Knowsley Youth, a team from England. RGV FC notched two goals  and their first three points of the tournament. Julian Colchado and Izui Villasana scored for the RGV FC Academy.

The next morning the team faced Strikers FC North 99/00 McManus from the state of California. Not only did the RGV FC Academy defeat Strikers FC North 2-1 with goals from Fernando Barrientos and Brandon Morales, they were also able to advance to the next round of the Dallas Cup. 

 Due to the postponed matches, the Toros were forced to play the quarterfinals that same Friday. With tired legs on the squad, RGV FC Academy coach Rafael Amaya got creative with the lineup. The Toros advanced on to the semifinals with a 3-0 win over Ereno 00S Shaffer ECNL. Roberto Ordoñez got on the scoresheet for the Toros and Izui Villasana had a brace. 

“Our coaching was amazing, “ explained Garret Wild, goalkeeper for the RGV FC Academy. “ We were able to sit out some of our starters, have the younger guys get some playing time, and have the young guys make an impact on the match. Although we had setbacks, the team responded really well.”

 With four games on a three-day span, the RGV FC Academy took the necessary steps in order to ensure the team was at an optimum level for their matches. “We were taking ice baths every day and stretching every morning, “ Said Fernando Barrientos , forward for the Toros Academy. “ We responded well to the adversary.” 

Unfortunately the stellar performance of the RGV FC Academy came to an end in the semifinal round. In the final minutes of the match, Fernando Barrientos’ goal was not enough and the Toros succumbed to FC Golden State White 99 and lost 2-1. 

 With many members of the team being high school seniors, Dallas Cup would be the last major tournament for numerous players. “It feels so great to share the pitch with these guys since we are a brotherhood, “ said RGV FC academy midfielder Brandon Morales. “From when we first started to right now, the team has been building chemistry and now we are all synchronized and in the same page. Dallas Cup was a great experience and another step so that our student athletes could catch the eyes of college recruits.”