Bravos back home to face neighboring rival Laredo
After an exhausting stretch of four road games over the past two weekends, the Rio Grande Valley Bravos have returned home for their next Premier Development League match against the Laredo Heat at 7 Saturday night at Brownsville Sports Park.
The Bravos (2-6-3) are coming off last weekend’s pair of road losses against the El Paso Patriots (2-0) and West Texas United Sockers (1-0).
“It’s about time (to return home),” Bravos coach Juan de Dios Garcia said. “I think being at home is going to help us tremendously.”
Laredo (5-4-0) is a familiar opponent for the Bravos. The two teams opened the season on April 30 in Laredo, and the Heat won 3-1. On May 8, they played again at Brownsville Sports Park and the Heat prevailed 2-1, although the Bravos could have tied the match in the closing minutes had they not missed a penalty kick.
The Heat is coming off last week’s 1-0 loss to the DFW Tornados (7-2-2), who lead the Mid South Division of the Premier Development League’s Southern Conference. It was the first defeat at home for the Heat this season as the Tornados made a first-half goal stand up for the win.
“Laredo has some very dangerous players,” Garcia said. “They are solid on defense and on the attack. We have to be alert against them.”
The last time the Bravos played at home was June 10 when they tied West Texas 1-1.
Garcia said the Bravos will have a 16-player roster for tonight’s match. Four players were dropped from the Bravos’ roster after not traveling with the team on road trips the past two weekends.
“We have been playing fairly well, it’s just that some little mistakes have been hurting us,” Garcia said. “The guys are coming along. They have been loyal to the team, and we’re sticking with them.
“We’re happy to be at home,” he added. “Hopefully, we can pick up some Ws now.”
After tonight, the Bravos will be at home against the Houston Leones on July 10. The next action for Laredo will be at home Tuesday against West Texas.
For ticket information, call (956) 532-8523 or (956) 534-3051.
Roy Hess writes for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him via e-mail at rhess@brownsvilleherald.com.
