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Luna’s Penalty Is Plenty
A little over a week after allowing six goals on the road, RGVFC was able to shut out its opponent. Following a lengthy delay in kickoff due to lightning, Ruben Luna converted a second half penalty to lift the Toros over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.
The shooting totals were wildly in favor of Colorado Springs 15-1, but only three of those 15 were on target. The composed, focused defensive effort from the Toros forced Switchbacks FC attackers into firing hopeful shots from well outside the area.
Ballin’ Bulls:
Dynamo Theory’s Man of the Match Borja Angoitia: The Spanish goalkeeper moved past the Sacramento match with his second clean sheet of the season. He made three big saves, and did a great job catching the ball cleanly to prevent second chances.
Ruben Luna: He scored his third goal of the season and showed good movement off the ball as the lone striker. He will likely serve as the primary captain following Charlie Ward’s signing to Houston.
Kai Greene: Continuing a strong season at fullback, Greene did a great job winning the ball in the air and providing timely clearances. He is always a threat pressing forward as well. Greene’s performance was rewarded with an appearance on USL’s Team of the Week.
Talkin’ Toros:
Borja Angoitia on the importance of an away shutout:
“It's very important. It was the main focus coming into the game, and we had a very solid performance as a unit, went back to our basics and looked very good and organized as a team. It gives us a lot of confidence for Saturday's game and on”
The Good Guys: Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (6-6-2)
As I mentioned last week, the club struggles when they don’t have a clear identity. Thankfully, they came out looking to possess the ball against Colorado Springs. Despite no longer having their main distributor Charlie Ward, the club led the battle for the ball 57% to 43%. Without Ward, the club will need to keep it’s possession and passing crisp.
The attack still doesn’t look as in sync as it did most of last season, but Ruben Luna was active most of the match. A backline that looked slow and confused against Sacramento, looked staunch and confident against Switchbacks FC. The Toros ended a two match skid and will now look to make it two straight on the road.
The Bad Guys: Swope Park Rangers (8-4-2)
RGVFC will take on a streaking Swope Park. The Sporting KC affiliate has won three straight matches and haven’t lost since the end of May. They are a top ten scoring side in the league and have the best passing accuracy at 84%.
They have a well rounded attack featuring Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Kevin Oliviera, Kharlton Belmar and teenager Nansel Selbol. The Toros defense blanked the Rangers in their previous meeting this year in a 1-0 victory.