March 23, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Monterey Bay FC News Release
SEASIDE, California – Monterey Bay F.C. (1-1-0, 3 points) travels to Edinburg, Texas for a 5 p.m. PT kickoff on Friday against Rio Grande Valley FC (0-0-2, 2 points) at H-E-B Park in Week 3 of the 2023 USL Championship regular season. Live streaming of the match will be available on ESPN+.
The Union and the Toros last met on the final regular season match day of the 2022 campaign at H-E-B Park on October 15. Limping to the finish line last season, Monterey Bay F.C. fell 4-1 to Rio Grande Valley FC in the match, with the lone score coming from Jesse Maldonado – his first professional goal. After winning that match and after initially stealing a win from the Union at Cardinale Stadium last May, Rio Grande Valley FC won the season series and now owns the all-time series 2-0-0 with a +4 goal difference.
Friday’s matchup marks the first Western Conference meeting for the Crisp and Kelp in 2023, after splitting its first two matches of the season against Eastern Conference foes. It’s also the first road match of the season for Monterey Bay. RGV will look to extend its current winning streak over MBFC, as well as its current unbeaten streak as the side has started the 2023 campaign with two one-score draws. Meanwhile, the Union will be looking to get back on the winning track this season and earn its first win over the Toros since joining the USL Championship last season.
“RGV will be a good test, we had struggles against them last year. It’s our first road game and it’s a chance for us to rebound from this last result against Louisville City,” said Monterey Bay F.C. defender Hugh Roberts. “I know the boys are up for it. The last result was a good omen speaking to our core. If we didn’t have a good core, it could have been a much worse game against a top Eastern Conference team. But we have a good core, a good group, and we’ll be ready to rebound.”
Rio Grande Valley FC vs. Monterey Bay F.C.
H-E-B Park; Edinburg, Texas
Friday, March 24, 2023; 5:00 p.m. PT
FiveThirtyEight Predictor
MBFC 21%, RGV 52%, Draw 27%
2023 Records
Rio Grande Valley FC (0-0-2, 2 pts, 7th West); Monterey Bay F.C. (1-1-0, 3 pts, 5th West)
• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
