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Rio Grande Valley FC, also known as RGVFC or Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, was an American professional soccer team based in Edinburg, Texas operated by Lone Star, LLC. They joined the USL Championship in the 2016 season.
 | |||
| Full name | Rio Grande Valley Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Toros, RGVFC | ||
| Founded | July 15, 2015 | ||
| Dissolved | December 18, 2023 | ||
| Stadium | H-E-B Park Edinburg, Texas | ||
| Capacity | 9,735 | ||
| Owner | Alonzo Cantu | ||
| Website | www | ||
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| |||
The team served as a hybrid affiliate of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.[1] Chris Canetti, Houston Dynamo president, called the relationship "an important and necessary step." The hybrid affiliation, a first for the USL, meant that the Dynamo would be responsible for the soccer operation of the club, selecting players and coaching staff. The ownership group, Lone Star, was responsible for operations and day-to-day management of the club.[1][2]
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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.[3][4]
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[5] and confirmed a report[6] 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 as the first player of the Toros.
In December 2020, RGV FC Toros separated from the Houston Dynamo and became an independent soccer club.[7]
On December 18, 2023, RGV FC Toros announced they were ceasing all soccer and business operations, officially ending their eight year stay with USL.[8]
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Year–by–year
| Year | Division | League | Regular season W-T-L | Playoffs | US Open Cup | Avg. attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | USL | 2nd, Western: 14–9–7 | Conference Quarterfinals | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 1,994 |
| 2017 | 2 | USL | 11th, Western: 9–8–15 | Did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 7,067 |
| 2018 | 2 | USL | 13th, Western: 8–14–12 | Did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 4,650 |
| 2019 | 2 | USLC | 13th, Western: 11–8–15 | Did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | 3,812 |
| 2020 | 2 | USLC | 13th, Western: 2–3–9 | Did not qualify | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) | N/A |
| 2021 | 2 | USLC | 4th, Western, Mountain Division: 13-8-11 | Conference Semifinals | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | 2,506 |
| 2022 | 2 | USLC | 6th, Western: 14-7-13 | Conference Semifinals | Third Round | 4,074 |
| 2023 | 2 | USLC | 9th, Western: 10-13-11 | Did not qualify | Second Round | 4,506 |
Head coaches
- Includes USL Regular season, USL Play-offs and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Draw | Loss | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmer Cabrera |  Colombia |
December 2, 2015 | October 28, 2016 | 31 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 45.16 |
| Junior Gonzalez |  United States |
December 15, 2016 | November 8, 2017 | 32 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 28.13 |
| Gerson Echeverry | Colombia |
December 6, 2017 | November 6, 2020 | 80 | 19 | 36 | 25 | 23.75 |
| Wilmer Cabrera | Colombia |
February 11, 2021 | November 21, 2023 | 91 | 30 | 27 | 34 | 32.97 |
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The club had 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.[9]
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 on March 22, 2017 to inaugurate their new stadium.[10] The Toros lost their exhibition match against Rayados 0–3.[11] The Toros won their first home game at H-E-B Park on April 12, 2017 against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Their home record attendance is 7,820 which was set on April 29, 2017 against the Oklahoma City Energy.[12]
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