Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, is an American semi-professional soccer team based in Edinburg,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

in the 2016 season. The team served as a hybrid affiliate of the Houston Dynamo of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

. Chris Canetti, Houston Dynamo president, called the relationship "an important and necessary step." The hybrid affiliation, a first for the USL, means that the Dynamo will be responsible for the soccer operation of the club, selecting players and coaching staff. The ownership group, Lone Star, will be responsible for operations and day-to-day management of the club.

History

In September 2014, Dynamo officials met with USL officials about creating a USL team and announced their intention to have a USL team in place for the 2016 season. In March 2015, Bert Garcia announced that the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-league had been awarded a franchise pending concrete plans for a stadium and a name and confirmed a report on MLSSoccer.com that the Houston Dynamo would likely be the MLS affiliate for the USL team in the Rio Grande Valley. In December 2015, the Houston Dynamo signed Dynamo Academy product

Charly Flores Juan Carlos "Charly" Flores (born July 30, 1997) is an American soccer player. Career Charly Flores joined Houston Dynamo's academy in 2013, and signed with Houston's United Soccer League affiliate club Rio Grande Valley FC Toros Rio Grande V ...

as the first player of the Toros. In December 2020, RGV FC Toros separated from the Houston Dynamo and became an independent soccer club.

Record

Year–by–year

Head coaches

* Includes USL Regular season, USL Play-offs and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Stadium

The club has a 9,400-seat soccer-specific stadium in Edinburg, Texas for the team. It was set to open after the Toros played three games at the soccer complex at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to start the 2016 USL Season.. The stadium was never completed for play in 2016. Construction of the H-E-B Park was completed during the first quarter of 2017 and the Toros played C.F. Monterrey from

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

on March 22, 2017 to inaugurate their new stadium.. The Toros lost their exhibition match against Rayados 0–3.. The Toros won their first home game at H-E-B Park on April 12, 2017 against the

Colorado Springs Switchbacks Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The franchise is owned by Martin E R ...

. Their current home record attendance is 7,820 which was set on April 29, 2017 against the

Oklahoma City Energy Oklahoma City Energy Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The club is a member of the USL Championship, the second division of the American soccer league system. History Oklahoma City business ...

Players and staff

Roster

Staff

* Wílmer Cabrera – head coach, sporting director *

Gerson Echeverry Gerson Echeverry (born August 25, 1971) is an American retired soccer forward who played professionally in Major League Soccer, USISL and the National Professional Soccer League. Player Youth Echeverry was born in Paterson, New Jersey. In 1990 ...

– assistant coach * Rafael Amaya – assistant coach

References

External links

* {{Texas sports Association football clubs established in 2015 USL Championship teams Houston Dynamo FC 2015 establishments in Texas Soccer clubs in Texas Reserve soccer teams in the United States Sports in the Rio Grande Valley