The 2012–13 Rio Grande Valley Flash season was the first season of the Rio Grande Valley Flash indoor soccer club. The Flash, a Central Division team in the Professional Arena Soccer League, played their home games in the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The team was led by owner Gerardo Guerra Lozano and head coach Mariano Bollella.
Season summary The Flash were successful in the regular season, compiling a 12–4 record and placing second in the competitive Central Division. The team split the first half of the season with four wins and four losses before winning the final regular season matches. The team also fared well at the box office, drawing the fourth-highest average attendance for home games this season. The Flash qualified for the postseason and earned the right to play for the Ron Newman Cup in the PASL National Championship. They defeated Central Division regular season champion Dallas Sidekicks in consecutive games and advanced to the PASL Semi-finals in San Diego where they fell to the Detroit Waza in overtime.
The Flash did not participate in the 2012–13 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer.
Off-field moves
The team was originally organized in 2011 as the Monterrey Flash in the Liga Mexicana de Futbol Rápido Profesional (LMFR). Although successful (they won the league championship and finished second in the 2012 FIFRA Club Championship) owner Gerardo Guerra Lozano moved the team across the border to Texas and joined the PASL in September 2012. In mid-October 2012, the Flash announced that they had rejoined the LMFR and would participate in both leagues.
The team's initial logo matched the one used in Monterrey, with only the location named updated. On January 9, 2013, the Flash unveiled a new, sleeker logo during a press conference at Ford Arena.
The Flash held several pre-season promotion events including a friendly match against local media on November 14 and a "Student's Day" for local area schools during their November 15 match against the Texas South Devils of the National Premier Soccer League.
Roster moves On January 9, 2013, the team announced that it had signed a number of "soccer stars from Mexico" to play for the Flash during home games. The first such announced signing was Claudio "Diablo" Nuñez, formerly of the Tigres UANL. At the same press conference, the Flash announced the signing of goalkeeper Juan Gamboa, a Brownsville, Texas, native who played for The University of Texas at Brownsville.
On January 31, 2013, the team announced the signing of Hector Nicanor. The veteran defender played for C.F. Monterrey and Monarcas Morelia in the Mexican Primera División of Liga MX in the mid-1990s.
Awards and honors In postseason honors, defender Damian Garcia was named to the 2012-13 PASL All-League Second Team.
Schedule
Pre-season Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Team Record 1 Thursday November 15 10:00am Texas South Devils (NPSL) W 6–5 1–0 State Farm Arena
Regular season Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Record 1 Saturday November 17 7:30pm Texas Strikers W 13–1 1–0 State Farm Arena 1,758 2 Sunday November 25 5:00pm Dallas Sidekicks L 3–7 1–1 State Farm Arena 966 3 Friday November 30 7:30pm at Dallas Sidekicks L 3–7 1–2 Allen Event Center 5,606 4 Friday December 7 7:30pm Arizona Storm W 16–2 2–2 State Farm Arena 2,035 5 Sunday December 16 6:00pm Rockford Rampage W 7–1 3–2 State Farm Arena 1,357 6 Friday December 28 8:00pm at Chicago Mustangs L 9–10 3–3 Grand Sports Arena 299 7 Saturday December 29 7:05pm at Rockford Rampage W 3–2 4–3 Victory Sports Complex 322 8 Thursday January 3 7:30pm at Dallas Sidekicks L 2–5 4–4 Allen Event Center 4,978 9 Friday January 4 7:05pm at Texas Strikers W 10–1 5–4 Ford Arena 496 10 Sunday January 20 5:00pm Dallas Sidekicks W 8–6 6–4 State Farm Arena 1,463 11 Sunday January 27 5:00pm Texas Strikers W 12–3 7–4 State Farm Arena 1,549 12 Friday February 1 7:30pm Real Phoenix ♥ W 21–3 8–4 State Farm Arena 1,521 13 Saturday February 9 7:00pm(9:00pm Central) at Anaheim Bolts W 18–4 9–4 Anaheim Convention Center 689 14 Sunday February 10 1:00pm(3:00pm Central) at Toros Mexico W 6–2 10–4 UniSantos Park 300 15 Friday February 15 7:30pm Chicago Mustangs W 8–5 11–4 State Farm Arena 1,749 16 Saturday February 16 7:05pm at Texas Strikers W 11–10 (OT) 12–4 Ford Arena 620 ♥ Replacement squad after Phoenix franchise revoked by league.
Postseason Round Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance Final Score Record Division Finals Game 1 Sunday February 24 3:05pm Dallas Sidekicks W 5–4 (OT) 1–0 State Farm Arena 1,600 Division Finals Game 2 Thursday February 28 7:30pm at Dallas Sidekicks W 8–5 2–0 Allen Event Center 3,274 Semi-Finals Sunday March 10 4:00pm(6:00pm Central) Detroit Waza L 5–6 (OT) 2–1 Valley View Casino Center ?
References
External links rgvflash.com Rio Grande Valley Flash official website