The USL has announced the format for the 2021 Championship season. https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1141887 The divisions and playoff format will be announced soon.
Rio Grande Valley FC has narrowed down its pool of head coach candidates ahead of the 2021 #USL Championship season.Among the finalists, per multiple sources: Wílmer Cabrera, who led RGV in 2015 and 2016 before returning to MLS with #HoldItDown.— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) January 26, 2021 Whoever takes over RGV will have a very intriguing project on their hands. The club is expected to have a significantly higher wage budget in 2021, with Houston no longer having a hybrid affiliation (i.e. sporting control) over the #USL side.May be one to watch.— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) January 26, 2021 Second tweet made me chuckle.
Jeff Rueter @jeffrueter Whoever takes over RGV will have a very intriguing project on their hands. The club is expected to have a significantly higher wage budget in 2021, with Houston no longer having a hybrid affiliation (i.e. sporting control) over the #USL side. A significantly higher wage budget now that our club is no longer in a long term relationship. I bet we wouldn't even leave a good tip when paying for our significant other's meals! Hahaha!!!
RGV FC has signed Veteran Goalkeeper Tyler Deric. Welcome to the 956 Tyler, this is just the beginning. #ParaElValle pic.twitter.com/YlIxIlxdfA— Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (@RGVFC) February 25, 2021
Bringing back Wilmer and Deric might make them a more competitive USL team but it presents little utility to the senior side. But then I was already questioning the value of Salazar and the like before. Worth noting if their goal is more veteran and trying to win more then any 20 year old you send them better be fairly ready or they will sit. But this is a transitional period so we're just putting up with it for a year. They want to be regular USL and we're headed towards reserve league.
Morton might have utility to be loaned out with a proven USL track record. Hard to see anyone biting on Nelson though. Again, I can't think we're sending anyone down there because they aren't going to want them. RGVFC is going to have a much older, more expensive, and more competitive roster down there than they did with us. They'd probably take some of our MLS depth guys like Pasher or Morton, but I doubt they have any interest in our academy kids.
The 2021 alignment has been announced by the USL Championship: https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1149641 The 31 teams have been divided into 4 divisions. Each team will play division opponents 4 times. The remainder of the schedule will be "regional or cross-conference" whatever that means. EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Charleston Battery Charlotte Independence Hartford Athletic Loudoun United FC Miami FC New York Red Bulls II Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Tampa Bay Rowdies Central Division Atlanta United 2 Birmingham Legion FC FC Tulsa Indy Eleven Louisville City FC Memphis 901 FC OKC Energy FC Sporting KC II WESTERN CONFERENCE Mountain Division Austin Bold FC Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC El Paso Locomotive FC New Mexico United Real Monarchs SLC Rio Grande Valley FC San Antonio FC Pacific Division LA Galaxy II Las Vegas Lights FC Oakland Roots SC Orange County SC Phoenix Rising FC Sacramento Republic FC San Diego Loyal SC Tacoma Defiance
Normally, I would be interested in the attendance of the USL team Austin Bold FC versus the MLS Austin FC to see if the minor league team can make it and survive. But not sure how to assess in this pandemic of limited no attendance last year and whatever % reductions will be in effect this spring for both teams.
morton is going to be the 2nd keeper ahead of nelson, who will be loaned. i kind of like morton as a prospect and my concern would be something more like that we are so bare cupboard they will go straight into the first team and probably dress, uncontested. i like grabbing these sorts of players but the whole idea should be come to camp and we'll sort out then if you are ready for prime time or need seasoning. if you do your scouting job right, they are ready. but we're so tapped out we just assume. the only people we treat like they have to earn their way in are draft picks, and maybe some summer acquisitions.
I don’t think Bold have any future past this year. They weren’t that well supported before Covid and 2020 didn’t just hurt the Bold but also Circuit of the Americas. The club is for all intents and purposes part of the track and the track had no money making events in 2020 at all. The Bold were as best I can tell a side project to all the racing activities and events at the track and if I had to guess never really meant to stand on their own.
The Austin Lone Stars of the late 90's and early 2000's, in our previous USL division here in Texas, were well supported as far as USL attendance figures suggest, more so in an era of outdoor soccer here in our sports culture where actually attending an adult soccer game as a spectator was not much of priority. Even for soccer enthusiasts! The other USL teams that have followed since then have had even less attendance to speak on. Good on the Bold to stay operating while Precourt and Austin FC have their go.
Welcome to the collab you never knew you needed. 🔥RGV FC is @PUMA#ParaElValle | @pumafootball pic.twitter.com/YbhstkxBLO— Rio Grande Valley FC Toros (@RGVFC) March 16, 2021
The full 2021 USL Championship schedule is out: https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1155267 Teams will play 32 regular season games with the season ending on October 30. Playoffs are TBD. RGV schedule: Sat 5/1 - New Mexico United Thu 5/6 - San Diego Loyal Sat 5/15 - San Antonio Sat 5/22 - @ El Paso Locomotive Sat 5/29 - @ San Antonio Sun 6/6 - @ Miami FC Sat 6/12 - Real Monarchs Wed 6/16 - Austin Bold Sat 6/19 - @ San Antonio Fri 6/25 - Tulsa Wed 6/30 - El Paso Locomotive Sat 7/10 - @ Austin Bold Sat 7/17 - @ Orange County Sat 7/24 - Austin Bold Sat 7/31 - @ Phoenix Rising Wed 8/4 - @ Real Monarchs Sat 8/7 - San Antonio Sat 8/14 - Co. Springs Tue 8/17 - @ Austin Bold Sat 8/21 - @ El Paso Locomotive Sun 8/29 - @ OKC Energy Sat 9/4 - Loudoun United Sat 9/11 - @ Co. Springs Sat 9/18 - Co. Springs Wed 9/22 - @ New Mexico United Sat 9/25 - Atlanta United 2 Sat 10/2 - Real Monarchs Sat 10/9 - @ New Mexico United Sat 10/16 - @ Co. Springs Sat 10/23 - New Mexico United Wed 10/27 - @ Real Monarchs Sat 10/30 - El Paso Locomotive RGV plays their division 4 times each. They play 3 games against Pacific Division teams and 5 against Eastern Conference teams although that does include OKC and Tulsa.
RGV Toros start their 2021 season this week. Saturday, May 1 RGV v. New Mexico United 7:30 pm ESPN+ Their 2nd game on Thursday, May 6, against San Diego will be on ESPN Deportes.
Juan David Cabezas, Vicenete Sanchez, and Tyler Deric all at RGVFC for this campaign. The Dynamo have two MLS players loaned out to USL sides (not RGVFC). Marcelo Palomino is with Charlotte Independence who kicks off against the Tampa Bay Rowdies this Saturday at 6:30PM. Erik McCue is with the Charleston Battery with their opener scheduled on May 7th at 6PM.
yeah to me it says something we have the relationship but no one actually there. and then two people out elsewhere on ad hoc loans. i get the idea this was some sort of stopgap or face saver. like we would have someplace to send people if we couldn't figure anything else out. they have gone much more veteran, older, brought back ex dynamo. not really acting like they are a developmental team (and neither are we). we seem content so far to carry people on the senior roster. it is a Nations League/Gold Cup summer. but we don't seem to care to send anyone so far.
Erik McCue did not dress for the Battery's game against NYRB II. McCue and Palomino's teams will face off on the 14th when the Battery visit the Independence
i got grief about my critique of mccue but his tape looked schoolboy bad when he got beat a couple times. i'm not sure he'd even be a dominant college player. injury or not he has a usage pattern across multiple teams and coaches ie he sits. i assume we liked "tall stick figure back" but he should have played college, we whiffed this one, and i'm not sure why he wasn't outright released and on to the next prospect. we kept a draft pick and shipped him out.
Marcelo Palomino played 77 minutes and scored a goal in Charlotte’s 3-0 victory over Charleston. Erik McCue played 21 minutes as a sub in the same game.
The current USL-C Mountain Division standings. Teams have played a variety of number of games but it will even up eventually. The top 4 make the playoffs. 1. RGV 3 g.p. 9 pts +3 g.d. 2. SAN 3 g.p. 4 pts +2 g.d. 3. NMU 3 g.p. 4 pts +1 g.d. 4. CSS 2 g.p. 3 pts +1 g.d. ------------------------------------------- 5. ELP 1 g.p. 1 pts +0 g.d. 6. RMS 2 g.p. 1 pts -2 g.d. 7. AUB 1 g.p. 0 pts -2 g.d.
USL-C Mountain Division standings 5/24/21 1. RGV 4 g.p. 9 pts +2 g.d. 2. SAN 4 g.p. 7 pts +3 g.d. 3. NMU 4 g.p. 7 pts +3 g.d. 4. ELP 2 g.p. 4 pts +1 g.d. ------------------------------------------- 5. CSS 3 g.p. 3 pts 11 g.d. 6. RMS 3 g.p. 2 pts -2 g.d. 7. AUB 2 g.p. 1 pts -2 g.d.
Eric McCue scored a goal for Charlston battery over the weekend in a 2-2 tie with the Red Bulls USL team.
RGV lost to El Paso 1-0 over the weekend. Tyler Deric took too long to clear out a back pass back out of his penalty area and it's blocked by the opposing forward into the goal. Ugly way to lose.