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Toros’ Second-Half Push Upends S2

By CHARLIE CORR - charlie.corr@uslsoccer.com, 06/10/17, 10:30PM EDT

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Back-to-back strikes in three-minute span drive RGV to 3-1 win


Photo courtesy of Rio Grande Valley FC

EDINBURG, Texas – For the third time this season, Rio Grande Valley FC notched three goals during a home match. The Toros scored a pair of second-half goals within a three-minute span as they earned a 3-1 victory against Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Saturday at H-E-B Park. Ruben Luna and Ivan Magalhaes scored back-to-back in the 62nd and 65th minutes, respectively, to create some distance against S2. Jorginho James opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Seattle’s Riley Grant netted an equalizer in first-half stoppage time. The match also was RGV Head Coach Junior Gonzalez’s first against his former Seattle side, where he served as an assistance coach for S2. RGV improves to 5-4-2 (17 points) overall and 4-2-1 at home. Seattle falls to 5-6-2 (17 points) overall and 2-3-1 on the road.

Scoring:
16’ – RGV – Jorginho James
45’+2 – SEA – Riley Grant (Ray Saari)
62’ – RGV – Ruben Luna (TJ Casner)
65’ – RGV – Ivan Magalhaes (Emilio Garcia)

Three Things That Mattered:

  • 1. The Toros’ confidence grew in the second half as they were able to lose Seattle’s defensive marking and pick apart the back line. The go-ahead goal came from Ruben Luna in the 62rnd minute, as RGV’s TJ Casner calmly waited for the right moment from the left side to feed a left-footed crossed to Luna to volley from inside the six-yard area to take a 2-1 lead. The Toros did not let up one bit as defender Ivan Magalhaes got into the scoring act on a set piece. Emilio Garcia’s free kick found Magalhaes in the left of the box, but the marketing should have been stronger as he was able to finish with his foot on a looping cross. 

  • 2. S2 did find a moment of precision, capitalizing on a corner kick opportunity just before halftime. Ray Saari delivered a right-footed ball from the left side, a low-driven ball that was redirected by Riley Grant into the far right corner to tie the score at 1-1 to offset Jorginho James’ unassisted, long-distance strike to capitalize on a poor mistake from S2’s back line.

  • 3. Seattle’s defense continues to be the most inconsistent element of this club. For the eighth time this season, S2 has conceded two or more goals in a match, and Seattle is now 1-6-1 in such games. On the offensive end, from a tactical standpoint, certainly the absence of Irvin Parra had a residual effect. The USL Player of the Week this past week was suspended for yellow card accumulation, and his leadership was missed.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Ruben Luna, Rio Grande Valley FC –
Luna, who led the Toros with seven goals in 12 regular-season games in 2016, scored the game-winner for RGV on Saturday.

Upcoming Games:
Rio Grande Valley FC
vs. LA Galaxy II – June 17, 8:30 p.m. ET, H-E-B Park
Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. OKC Energy FC – June 19, 10:30 p.m. ET, Starfire Stadium

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