Toros get a win with a chance to make it two straight today

Hopefully, the First of Many!

Last Wednesday, the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros finally notched their first win of 2018. They took on Orange County SC, riding a three-match win streak, at H-E-B Park. They sent the fans home happy, defeating OC 2-0 with goals from Houston Dynamo loanee Memo Rodriguez and Toros’ striker Aldo Quintanilla.

The match was largely impacted by Memo and fellow first team loanee Mac Steeves. With both players in the attack, they pressured the Orange County defense and drove the action. Orange County controlled the possession, but they couldn’t get close enough to beat Nico Corti.

RGVFC’s opening goal was a combination of both first team players. Steeves dribbled skillfully towards the corner and his cross found Rodriguez in front of goal. The former Toros’ star poked the ball past Andre Rawls with his left foot and opened the scoring in the 36th minute.

With Orange County pressing for an equalizer, RGVFC struggled to find an insurance goal, even missing a wide open chance in the second half. Thankfully, Quintanilla would finally break through. He manuevered perfectly around the referee and a defender before firing home an 89th minute match-sealing goal.

Ballin’ Bulls

Dynamo Theory’s Man of the Match Todd Wharton: Voted to the USL Team of the Week, RGVFC’s captain completed 92% of his passes and won four fouls.

Memo Rodriguez: A 2016 star for the club, Memo continued his great form when he’s loaned down. He scored multiple goals for RGVFC last season and did great to add some juice to the attack.

Aldo Quintanilla: He earned a spot on the team through an open tryout and buried his second goal of the season. Aldo could potentially fill a void at striker the club has lacked for awhile.

Talkin’ Toros

Jorginho James on what the club needs to do to win today:

“We’ve scored in every match so far, so I believe if we keep the opponent from scoring, we will be the ones scoring. At some points in our season, we are leading and need to be a little tighter at the back. We will be good.”

The Good Guys: Rio Grande Valley FC (1-3-2)

It’s nice for the Toros to finally break through and win a match. After a three-match losing streak and road trip, the club looked comfortable back at H-E-B Park. They greatly benefited from the Dynamo loanees and hopefully that trend continues. While it has served as an unwelcome shakeup previously, Gerson Echeverry did great to smoothly integrate both players and keep his guys involved.

Manny Padilla has made two straight starts and the rookie looks very comfortable and skilled on the backline. Speaking of the defense, they played very well against a solid Orange County club. Conor Donovan continues to lead that unit and Kyle Adams and Omar Ontiveros seem confident in their positions.

The club will need to play well and aggressive to take three points today against a dangerous Reno side.

The Bad Guys: Reno 1868 FC (2-3-1)

After their first trip to South Texas was rescheduled, Reno enters today’s match on a two-match win streak. A second half brace from San Jose Earthquakes loanee Danny Musovski pushed them past Timbers 2 before a 2-0 win over OKC Energy.

Despite those recent solid defensive performances, the club has given up four goals in two different matches this season. In the attack, they lost 2017 USL MVP Dane Kelly and Chris Wehan this offseason.

Reno is 7th in the USL in passing accuracy and they’ve conceded the third least fouls. Those stats indicate they do not give away easy chances due to poor passes or fouls in dangerous areas.

The Dirty Details

TODAY at 10:30AM

RGVFC vs. Reno 1868 FC

Watch it live on ESPN+ and visit the Match Center HERE.