October 12, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Rio Grande Valley FC Toros News Release
TAMPA, Fla. – The USL Championship announced the September – Coach of the Month on Wednesday, naming RGV FC Sporting Director + Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera as the winner. Cabrera led the Toros to a perfect September 4-0-0 record to boost Rio Grande’s playoff positioning.
When the calendar turned to September, Rio Grande Valley FC looked a little bit lost. The Toros were competitive in games, but they just didn’t seem capable of consistently grinding out results. They were three points ahead of last place in the Western Conference and seven points adrift of the playoff places. Before RGV FC’s first match of September, FiveThirtyEight gave the club just a 27 percent chance of reaching the playoffs.
Then things finally clicked and RGV FC reeled off a perfect month, posting a 4-0-0 record and conceding just one goal to climb up the league table at blistering speed. That turnaround led to Rio Grande Valley FC Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera being voted as the Championship Coach of the Month for September.
By the end of the month, RGV FC had moved into the playoff places, two points ahead of Las Vegas Lights FC with a game in hand. Suddenly, the Toros had turned into one of the hottest teams in the league. Cabrera’s side ripped off four consecutive wins with a combined score of 9-1.
“We had to rebuild the team this season, which took a while,” said Cabrera. “We had to get them in shape and accommodate the whole group while finding the right pieces to the puzzle. It took us quite some time but, at the end of the day, it looks like it is going to be perfect because, if we can qualify for the playoffs, that is the goal and is most important for us.”
The Toros didn’t benefit from a friendly schedule for their perfect month, either. First was a trip across Texas to play fellow playoff rival El Paso Locomotive FC, which had a 10-point lead on RGV FC at kickoff. The Toros won 2-0.
Next, RGV FC returned home to H-E-B Park for contests against fifth-placed New Mexico United and third-placed Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. The Toros won those matches 3-1 and 1-0, respectively, proving their credentials against potential playoff teams.
Finally, a trip to the East Coast for a match against the Charleston Battery. RGV FC won 3-0 to close the month with a 4-0-0 record. The Toros’ playoff odds had improved to 74 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight, up from 27 percent four weeks…