Real Monarchs

Game at a Glance: Saucedo Directs the Defense

Real Monarchs 0 vs. Rio Grande Valley FC 3

October 2, 2021; H-E-B Park

Real Monarchs (4-18-5, 17 points); Rio Grande Valley FC (10-10-7, 37 points)

Man of the Match: Despite allowing three goals in the loss collectively, Kevin Saucedo put forth a solid individual effort. The Colombian defender tallied a team-high five clearances, a team-high three interceptions and one tackle. In addition, Saucedo won two duels and recorded a 82.1% passing accuracy on the night.

Telling Stat: While the Real Monarchs are one of the youngest teams in the USL Championship with an average age of 20.7 years, Rio Grande Valley FC is one of the oldest. With an average of 26.2 years and zero teenagers on the roster, the Toros are a stark contrast to the Monarchs, who boast a total of seven teenagers. The oldest player for the Monarchs is 27-year-old defender James Moberg, while the oldest player for Rio Grande Valley FC is 41-year-old forward Vicente Sanchez.

What You Missed: A rain delay in Edinburg pushed kick off back a full 90 minutes to 8 p.m. MT. Once in play, forward Yekeson Subah received a first-half injury knock, forcing Head Coach Jamison Olave to use an early substitution in the 39th minute. Forward Aris Briggs was the man to replace Subah, officially earning his 18th professional appearance. Subah now joins goalkeeper Gavin Beavers, midfielder Brayan Gomez and defender James Moberg on the injury report, with the latter three having now missed multiple matches. 

What’s Next: After two-consecutive road matches in Texas, the Real Monarchs now head home to welcome Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC to Zions Bank Stadium on Friday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. MT for the first of two meetings between the sides this month.