EDINBURG, Texas – Gerson Echeverry was unveiled on Wednesday by the Houston Dynamo as the third Head Coach in Rio Grande Valley FC’s history, taking the reins for the Toros’ third season in the USL in 2018.

A former assistant to current Dynamo Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera with the U.S. Men’s U17 National Team between 2008-11, where he evaluated prospects for the residency team and implemented training plans with an emphasis on developing attacking players, Echeverry has spent the past five seasons as the Head Coach at Seton Hall University.

“I’m proud to become a part of the Houston Dynamo organization, excited for the opportunity to coach the RGV FC Toros and am looking forward to becoming a part of the Valley community,” Echeverry said. “The opportunity to develop a team in the USL and to help develop young professionals and hopefully help them move on to the first team in Houston is something I’m very excited about. I look forward to working with Wilmer, Matt and Nick [Kowba] to make sure that this is something that everyone can benefit from, both by developing players to play for the first team and by getting results on the field in USL.”

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A former standout for the Pirates on the field, where he was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1991 Big East Championship, Big East Offensive Player of the Year and a Third-Team All-American, Echeverry’s coaching career began in 2002 as the top assistant coach for Seton Hall men’s soccer program under legendary head coach Manfred Schellscheidt. During his tenure as an assistant coach, Seton Hall advanced to the BIG EAST Championship game in 2004 and earned three-straight NCAA Tournaments berths from 2003-05. 

“We are very pleased to welcome Gerson Echeverry to the Houston Dynamo technical staff as the head coach of the RGVFC Toros,” said Dynamo Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan. “He brings a wealth of expeience at all levels of soccer in North America, which made him an ideal candidate. His head coaching experience, work ethic and proven track record of guiding some of the top young talent in the U.S. to the professional ranks will be a big asset for our club moving forward.”

The hybrid relationship between the Dynamo and the Toros sees the Dynamo control all aspects of soccer operations, including employment of the technical staff and player selection, while Rio Grande Valley FC’s leadership manages the business side of the club, was unique in MLS when RGVFC was launched in 2016 and has quickly been emulated by multiple MLS clubs over the past two years.