EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley FC will have a new Head Coach for the 2018 USL season after it was announced on Wednesday that Junior Gonzalez had joined the coaching staff for the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer.

Gonzalez led the Toros to a 9-15-8 record in 2017, including a 5-5-6 record at home, as the side finished 11th in the USL Western Conference and missed out on a berth in the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs.

“Junior, in addition to his playing career, has experience in this league and in all levels of coaching in the United States,” said Galaxy Head Coach Sigi Schmid in a club statement. “They will join our club bringing a wealth of talent, experience and commitment. We are excited to add two bright coaches as we continue to assemble top talent on and off the field.”

Gonzalez had taken the Head Coaching position for the Toros after the move of Wilmer Cabrera to the position of Head Coach for the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer. The hybrid relationship between the Dynamo and the Toros in which the Dynamo control all aspects of soccer operations, including employment of the technical staff and player selection, has seen Houston already begin work on finding Gonzalez’s successor.

“We’d like to thank Junior for his hard work coaching our USL team this season and wish him well with this next step in his career," said Houston Dynamo Vice President & General Manager Matt Jordan. "We’ve already begun the search for our next head coach as we prepare for the 2018 RGVFC season.”

Gonzalez isn’t the first USL Head Coach to make the move to an assistants role in Major League Soccer, with former Real Monarchs SLC Head Coach Freddy Juarez making the move to Real Salt Lake’s coaching staff last offseason.