All Toros, No Bull: RGVFC rocked by Rising FC on $1 Beer Night
The Toros’ unbeaten streak came to an end last Friday in Arizona.
If I’m a USL Championship side, I’m begging Phoenix Rising FC to never schedule a $1 Beer Night at Casino Arizona Field when my club’s in town. RGVFC found out the hard way, ending their unbeaten streak with a 3-1 loss vs. Rising FC last Friday.
Have you heard?
We're 10-0-0 on $1 beer night. #UpRising pic.twitter.com/BLs31tJxMW
— Phoenix Rising FC | Rising Together But Separate (@PHXRisingFC) May 11, 2019
RGVFC Toros (3-4-3)
Yes, the five-match unbeaten run is over (Check out Rey’s breakdown of some key stats). But, the Toros were not going to shock the world and run the table in USL Championship play. They ran into a Rising FC club that plays well at home and was predicted by most to win the Western Conference crown this season. In that awesome atmosphere in Arizona, trailing by two goals by the half-hour mark is a tough obstacle to overcome. Now, how do they respond? It’s important for one loss to not become two losses…then three…
Gerson Echeverry will look to push his players to play with some pace and take control of the match this week. Isidro Martinez is lights out in distribution, but he needs to be a little more willing to get in the passing lanes. He had zero interceptions vs. Rising and it allowed the hosts to gain momentum through the midfield. It was an unusually poor result for RGV with Michael Nelson in goal. Typically, the Houston Dynamo loanee comes down and keeps the match close, but he couldn’t this time around.
Last Week’s Top Toros
Chuy Enriquez: His footwork and blocked shot led to Maalique Foster’s goal and Chuy was able to create a chance, draw two fouls, and total four shots in the match.
Maalique Foster: The Jamaican scored the lone RGV goal on his only shot of the match.
Isidro Martinez: He continues to impress in his distribution. He completed 90% of his 52 passes and added a chance created.
Quote-A-Bull: Chuy Enriquez
On how the club moves forward after the big loss:
“We take the loss on the chin and move on. We work hard this week to get back to what made us successful the past month.”
LA Galaxy II (4-4-2)
As is the way with a lot of MLS “2” sides, have fun trying to predict LA Galaxy II results. The artist normally known as Los Dos sits just above the playoff cutoff line. But, in their ten matches, they have some wide-ranging results. A 5-0 loss to Real Monarchs SLC, a 4-2 win over Tulsa Roughnecks FC, the 4-4 draw with your very own RGVFC Toros, and they’ve scored once in their three matches since.
Kai Koreniuk leads Los Dos in goals, partially due to the ones he scored vs. RGVFC. He also has two assists on the campaign. If Ethan Zubak plays, he is the guy to watch for the Galaxy USL side. He’s a clinical finisher up top and has two goals in seven appearances this season after signing a first-team deal in March.
The Particulars
Saturday, May 18th, at 7:30 PM CDT
LA Galaxy II at RGVFC
An Eloise Ending
