Toros Head North for Meeting with Tulsa Roughnecks FC
March 28, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rio Grande Valley FC Toros News Release
EDINBURG, Texas - Rio Grande Valley FC (0-2-1) will travel to Oklahoma for a game against top ranked Tulsa Roughnecks FC (2-1-1) on Friday, March 29.
RGV FC is coming off a draw in El Paso Locomotive FC, 2-2, where they earned their first point of the season. After a slow start offensively, the Toros were able to find the back of the net via the right foot of Romilio Hernandez (79') who shot a laser to the top right corner of the goal and a header from Jesus Enriquez (90') who grazed it past the keeper, both goals coming in the late stages of the contest to equalize.
Tulsa sits on top of the Western Conference standings boasting a 2-1-1 record after defeating Tacoma Defiance 4-0. Three of their four goals came in the first half with Luca Lobo scoring a brace to lead the scoring effort for the Roughnecks. Through four games played, the Roughnecks have scored 12 goals which makes them a tough opponent to face.
Toros head coach, Gerson Echeverry is well aware of their front line attack and offered up some words about their tactics against Tulsa; "They have big guys, they are tall, athletic and strong so we are going to have to manage that and make sure that we are staying with our marks and not leave anybody open because the majority of their goals have come from set pieces. So, you know that they work on it, they're very good at it." Defensive, the Toros have looked stout but have given up a few goals on miscues which the squad is looking to correct in this one.
Midfielder Hernandez praised the defensive efforts in previous matches and gave his thoughts on adjustments that would aid the team moving forward in the schedule; "I thought in our previous game, defensively, even though we gave up two goals, I thought our shape was actually pretty solid. We defended well as a group, we were organized. Going forward, the way we came out in the second half I think that is how we should approach every game."
The matchup should be an interesting balance of offensive attack and will power on defense to limit the shots on target for both sides. The Toros have proven to be versatile on offense in previous matches and are looking to stun the home crowd in Tulsa.
Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. CST and will be available on ESPN+. Updates on the match will be provided via Twitter at @RGVFC or by following #SomosToros. To see more matchday information, visit www.rgvfc.com .
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