The Rio Grande Valley FC Toros complete a four-game road trip to start the season against Real Monarchs tonight at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The match is set for 8 p.m. CT and will be streamed live above and here.
The Toros (1-1-1, 4 points) last played on April 12, a 2-2 draw at Seattle Sounders 2 in the second game of a two-leg Pacific Northwest road trip. RGV FC had its second bye of the young season last weekend but the club is trying to make the most of the stop-start nature of the schedule.
“The players are working hard and we are working to correct details from our previous games, including concentration and defending set pieces,” RGV FC head coach Wilmer Cabrera told HoustonDynamo.com by phone on Friday.
The Toros led 2-1 at Seattle but conceded a goal on a free kick in the 84th minute as Sounders 2 defender Tony Alfaro was unmarked on his equalizing header.
Four Houston Dynamo players join RGV FC for tonight’s game: Forward Mauro Manotas, midfielder Zach Steinberger, defender Sebastien Ibeagha and goalkeeper Calle Brown.
“Zach has been with our team in preseason and enjoys being a part of the group,” Cabrera said. “Sebastien started both games on our last road trip and Calle joins us for the first time and will gain some valuable playing time. Mauro needs time in a competitive game and this will help with his confidence in front of goal.”
The Monarchs, led by head coach Freddy Juarez, are the second club of Real Salt Lake and are off to a good start in their second season, with a 2-1-1 record through four games, but suffered a 1-0 loss last Friday against Arizona United SC.
“The Monarchs play like their parent club, Real Salt Lake,” Cabrera said. “They like to play with the ball on the ground and play good soccer. We like to play the same way, so I expect a good game on Saturday. It should be open, free-flowing soccer and a fun game to watch.”
After tonight, RGV FC can look forward to the first home game in club history, set for Saturday, April 30 against LA Galaxy II. With four points from three road games, the Toros have already had a successful start to the season. A good result in Utah would be an ideal ending to the road trip and build momentum for next week’s home opener.
“We want to play a good game to help continue the momentum for next weekend,” Cabrera said. “The fans are really excited about the home opener and we want to add to that with a good performance against the Monarchs.
RGV FC is the hybrid affiliate of the Dynamo, who control all technical aspects of the soccer operation while the McAllen, Texas based Rio Grande Valley Vipers run the business operations, including the current construction of a 9,400 seat soccer stadium that will resemble Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium.
