The Courier
July 31, 2010

The Rodriguez brothers continue to spark the Regals FC, Montgomery County’s National Premier Soccer League’s soccer team, as the squad rolled to an easy 4-1 win against The Woodlands-based Texas Rush USSF Academy at Northland Christian School Saturday.

Edgar Rodriguez threaded a pass between two Rush defenders, just inside the box, to brother Eric who finished with an easy goal 10 minutes into the match.

The third brother, Eder, scored off a free kick, from the top of the penalty box, to give Regals FC a commanding 2-0 lead.

Four minutes later, the Rush were able to convert a penalty kick after a rough tackle by goalkeeper Marcos Sanchez to get the Rush back into the game.

The Rush brought in an entirely different group for the second half, and it looked like the perfect move, as the younger players were able to take control of the match for the first 10 minutes of the second half.

That momentum was erased after the Rush failed to convert the second penalty kick of the day, after Regals FC defender Jorge Rivas was called for a hand ball violation in the box.

Regals FC trialist Diego Ayala easily converted the third penalty kick of the day, after striker Edgar Rodriguez was tackled inside the rush penalty box, to give the NPSL club a commanding 3-1 lead.

Pancho Rodriguez (unrelated to Edgar, Eder, and Eric, but twin brother of Pedro) scored at the 75th minute during a scramble in front of the Rush goal.

After the match, Regals FC head coach Miguel Landaverde was happy with his team,

“The Rush kids play with a lot of heart, and you can see they are going to improve,” he said. “I was happy with the way we played today; we have to be excited about our younger players that really stepped up today. We needed them to offset the Rush speed.”

Texas Rush USSF Academy’s Don Gemmell was all smiles after the match.

“We want to do more of these kind of matches,” he said. “We are thankful for the opportunity to play this kind of team. The Regals bring a lot of experience to the table and it shows our kids how a real team plays.”

“Last week we played well against Puebla FC in a loss, and today the Rush did very well against us,” Regals FC General Manager Stephen Heisler said after the match. “That makes me feel good. These kids (Texas Rush) deserve the same kinds of opportunities that we have, and we are happy to help them improve. This match is the start of a new relationship between the two clubs, and we will do whatever we can to nurture that. I saw a few players today that I would love to bring into our program. The Rush have done an outstanding job developing these players.”

The Regals FC returns to Sunday League action at River Park tonight when it faces Victoria at 7 p.m. River Park is located at 14211 Reeveston Road in Houston