Mauro Manotas scored for the second consecutive game as the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros played to a 1-1 draw versus nine-man Real Monarchs SLC Friday at the UT Rio Grande Valley Soccer Stadium.
Manotas was one of three Houston Dynamo players on loan and in the starting lineup for RGV FC, along with Rob Lovejoy and Sebastien Ibeagha. The Toros are 3-2-2 (11 points) on the season and still seeking their first home win.
Trailing 1-0 midway through the second half, the Toros equalized following a pinpoint buildup. Charlie Ward switched the point of attack with a 40-yard pass from the center circle to the right edge of the box, where Lovejoy created enough space from his marker to cross in front of the six-yard box and Manotas slid for a one-touch finish.
Manotas will now be remembered as the player who scored the first home goal in RGV FC history. The 20-year-old Colombian now has two goals in his last two games and Lovejoy’s assist follows his two-goal substitute appearance last week at San Antonio FC.
Real Monarchs (2-3-3, 9 points) took a 1-0 advantage inside seven minutes when Ricardo Velazco converted a penalty kick. Monarchs forward Elder Torres drew the foul inside the box to set up the penalty.
The visitors lost Danny Acosta in the 69th minute after he was shown his second yellow card of the night. Real Monarchs lost its second player in the 85th minute as Kevaughn Frater was issued a red card after a tussle on the endline.
Next up, RGV FC hosts Swope Park Rangers, the USL club owned and operated by Sporting Kansas City, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 at the UT Rio Grande Valley Soccer Stadium. It is the first meeting between the two expansion clubs.
Rio Grande Valley FC:Devin Perales; George Malki, Kevin Garcia, Sebastien Ibeagha* (Ivan Magalhaes 46), Kai Greene (Leo Ayala 83); Jose Escalante (Christian Lucatero 83), Charlie Ward, Jorginho James (Kyle Murphy 84), Rob Lovejoy* (Memo Rodriguez 63), TJ Casner; Mauro Manotas
Below are details on the involvement of Dynamo Academy Alumni in Friday’s game:
- Sebastian Ibeagha started and played the first half in his fifth start with RGV FC on loan from the Dynamo.
- Memo Rodriguez entered as a substitute and played the game’s final 27 minutes in his seventh appearance of the season.
- Christian Lucatero entered as a substitute in the 83rd minute for his sixth appearance this year.
- Leo Ayala also played the final seven minutes of the match for his second appearance of the campaign.
Note: The Dynamo and RGV FC have a hybrid affiliation, with the Dynamo in control of all technical aspects of the soccer operation, including the construction of the roster and the coaching staff. Meanwhile, the McAllen, Texas based Rio Grande Valley Vipers run the business operations, including the current construction of a 9,400 seat soccer stadium that will resemble Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium.
