Support Valley Teams In President's Cup

6/2/2010

This month two Valley teams, both out of Brownsville, will be making their way to Oklahoma June 10-13, 2010 to play in the Region III President's Cup. We should all wish them luck and support them in every way possible.

The under 16 Thunders United 94 Boys make a return trip after winning at the Regionals last year and going on to win Nationals.

Going as well will be the under 13 Pachuca USA boys team.

Below you will find a sponsorship letter in .pdf format. We would like to invite anyone and everyone to show support for these two teams by helping with the many expenses related to such a trip. Sponsoring individuals or companies will be recongnized on the Rio Valley website.

Sponsorship letter.

La Cascarita 4 v 4 Tournaments

03/18/2010

Update: Schedules now posted: click here for full schedule.

The Rio Valley Youth Soccer Association is holding their second 4v4 tournament of the Spring season, on March 20 at the Harlingen Soccer Complex. This tournament is perfect for fun and experience since there is a small field and everyone must touch the ball in order to succeed. It's about team work, touch, and fun. It is affordable and your are guaranteed three games. Visit our Tournaments page for more info and a registration form.

Game Schedules Soon (.pdf format)

You may also visit the tournament website here.

Spring Schedules/Results

Updated 03/12/2010

Spring schedules and results to be updated as often as possible throughout the season.

Go to the schedules page.

Challenger British Soccer Camps

1/19/2010

The Challenger British Soccer Camp will be in the Rio Valley area four times this summer. Take the chance to get some top level training for your children in one of the locations near you. It is never too late to register, but the sooner the better.

Visit our Camps page for more information and links to camp registration pages.

• * Qualified British Coaches
• * The most popular Camp Program in the country
• * Free British Soccer Ball
• * Free British Soccer T Shirt
• * Free Giant Soccer Poster
• * Free Replica Jersey with early sign up

La Cascarita 4 v 4 Tournaments

1/19/2010

Location Change

Due to recent weather the scheduled location for games in Combes was not able to be prepared for us (couldn't cut the grass!). This tournament will now take place at the Harlingen Soccer Complex in Harlingen, TX. The Soccer Complex is located at 4315 E. Harrison Ave. and you can see it's location on a map here.

One other change to announce is due to number of games the Finals in divisions that will have them, will be played on Sunday.

Game Schedules Now Up (.pdf format)

• U7 and U8 Boys
• U7 and U8 Girls Revised: 1:20 PM 2/5/2010
• U9 and U10 Boys
• U9 Girls
• U10 Girls
• U11 Boys
• U12 Boys
• U11 and U12 Girls
• U12 Girls

The Rio Valley Youth Soccer Association is gearing up for the Spring Season with an awesome 4 v. 4 tournament. This tournament is perfect preparation since there is a small field and everyone must touch the ball in order to succeed. It's about team work, touch, and fun. It is affordable and your are guaranteed three games. Visit our our Tournaments page for more info and a registration form.

You may also visit the tournament website here.

Fall 2009 Schedules

9/17/2009

Update 9/25: The U13 through U18 boys schedules are now posted.

The Fall 2009 season schedules are being released, with U11 through U13 Girls being out and ready to view today. Please visit the revised Schedules/Results page here, or via the link in the Rio Valley Clubs menu above. With our new format you will now have quick access to past season's results as we move from year to year, just incase you want to take a look back from time to time.

Respect the Game

9/17/2009

Our New Photo Gallery

6/27/2009

If you have not seen our newly designed photo gallery that went up two weeks ago, we would like to invite you to do so now. The new photo gallery has a much better format and is much more user friendly then before, plus it gives you the chance to interact with comments and ratings. As before, we need your pictures for the gallery to grow, so please send them in to share with the rest of the Valley. Go to our gallery here, and sign up to take part of the new photo gallery.

2010 Referee Certification and Re-Certification

8/10/2009

For those referees that so choose, we have scheduled the 2010 USSF (US Soccer Federation) Referee Certification and Re-certification for August 29-30. Those referees that have been USSF certified in 2009, are only required to take the one-day Re-certifation class that will take place on Saturday Aug. 29th. Any referee that has never been USSF certified, or did so previous to the 2009 season, will have to take the full two-day Certification class on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29 & 30. Here is the link to register for these classes - www.stsr.org - which can be seen by clicking on Clinics, Available Clinics, and choosing Mission. The class is being held at Harry Shimotsu Eelementary in Mission (W side of Shary, 2 1/2 mi. S of Exp. 83).

Also, this Referee Certification class will be open to any coach, parent or player that would like to attend just to learn the Rules of the Game. These attendees would not receive certification, but they are open to participate in the class at no cost. Please spread the word on this, since we would like to see the coaches and fans better understand the rules of the game - ie: offsides, cautionable fouls, etc.

Fall 2009 Registration Information

7/22/2009

The Fall season of 2009 is fast approaching. Below you will find important information and forms for player and team registration.

On July 30, 2009 there will be a Travel Team Coaches Meeting. For information on the Fall 2009 Registration and this coaches meeting please click here.

• Registration Instructions
• Player Registration Form
• Kid Safe Application
• Commitment to Play Form

Thunder United are President's Cup Champions!

7/19/2009

I am still waiting for a score since the USYS website doesn't have them posted yet. The official USYS Twitter account though is telling me that among the President's Cup champions named today, Brownsville's own Thunder United have taken the U15 boys crown. Huge congratulations to Thunder United players, coaches, and parents!

Update from the USYSA newsletter: Thunder United (S-TX) Under-15 Boys traveled to the Presidents Cup Finals looking to give their all on the field and travel home with title of champion. They made it to the championship match where they faced Santa Barbara (CA-S), a team that was undefeated through prelims. Thunder’s Javier Lopez had a 10th minute shot for a 1-0 score early on. Neither team was able to finish and Thunder held onto the 1-0 lead for the victory.

President's Cup Finals, Go Thunder United!

7/17/2009

Update, 7/18/09: The Thunder United won both games on Saturday (scores below) and they are through to the Finals tomorrow morning against Santa Barbara SC. Go Thunder United! Here is the best info I can find on the games from the USYS Newsletter.

"Coming off of a 2-0 win over Scott Gallagher (MO) Under-15 Boys, Thunder United (S-TX) was looking for their second win of the day as they played Lake Grove Vipers (E-NY). Thunder kicked the game off with an early goal in the 5th minute by Alan Cortinas and extended their lead to 2-0 when Cortinas netted a second goal in the 34th minute. Vipers fought back in the 57th minute with a shot from David Stroh, but it wasn’t enough to mark one in the win column. Thunder got their second win of the day, 2-1 and a seat in the championship game facing Santa Barbara SC (CA-S)."

The Brownsville United Thunder U15 boys team is in North Carolina this weekend and we wish them nothing but the best as they represent South Texas and Rio Valley at a national stage. I will get results up as soon as possible over the weekend. Here is the schedule I see on the US Youth Soccer website for Thunder United. You can check scores on this US Youth Soccer page, or watch below and I will add them as I see them.

• * Friday, 7/17/09 8:00 A.M. - Thunders United, 1-4, Region IV (CA-S) Santa Barbara SC
• * Saturday, 7/18/09 8:00 A.M. - Region II (MO) Scott Gallagher, 0-2, Thunder United
• * Saturday, 7/18.09 3:00 P.M. - Thunder United, 2-1, Region I (E-NY) Lake Grove Vipers

Our New Photo Gallery

6/27/2009

If you have not seen our newly designed photo gallery that went up two weeks ago, we would like to invite you to do so now. The new photo gallery has a much better format and is much more user friendly then before, plus it gives you the chance to interact with comments and ratings. As before, we need your pictures for the gallery to grow, so please send them in to share with the rest of the Valley. Go to our gallery here, and sign up to take part of the new photo gallery.

Thunders United 94 Play In South Carolina This Weekend

6/14/2009

Update: Thunders United have won! After this morning, Thunder will be flying home riding an emotional high of a 6 - 3 finals win over the Alabama Coosa Storm 94.  After the match ended in a 3 - 3 tie in regulation, Thunder struck three times in overtime to put the hard fought game away.
 
The victory advances Thunder to the Regional President's Cup Championship to be held in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 16 - 18, 2009. Congratulations is well deserved and earned.

The Under 15 Thunders United 94 Brownsville Team will be representing South Texas Youth Soccer Association at the USYS Region III President's Cup Competition June 11 - 14, 2009 in Greer, South Carolina. The first place team from this four team Regional Tournament will advance to the National Tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 16 - 18, 2009 where the top four teams will compete for the National Championship.

Front Row; Alan Cortinas, Rey Sandoval, Ricardo Hernandez, Jose Munoz, Julio Gutierrez and Javier Lopez. Back Row; Coach Filiberto Cortinas, Owen Gijon, Sergio De La Garza, Giovanni Sierra, Victor Munoz, Abraham Troncoso, Esteban Guzman, Jose Hinojosa, Dennis Ortiz, Sigifredo Zavala and Norma Solis, Manager. For a larger picture please see our photo gallery added on 5/29.

For information on the Region III Presidents Cup;

• View their homepage here.
• Follow the Thunders United here.
• Check the standings here.

Challenger British Soccer Camp Comes To The Valley

6/11/2009

The Challenger British Soccer Camp will be in the Rio Valley area four times this summer. Take the chance to get some top level training for your children in one of the locations near you. It is never too late to register, but the sooner the better.

Visit our Camps page for more information and links to camp registration pages.

• * Qualified British Coaches
• * The most popular Camp Program in the country
• * Free British Soccer Ball
• * Free British Soccer T Shirt
• * Free Giant Soccer Poster
• * Free Replica Jersey with early sign up

AAU 2009 Soccer National Championships

6/11/2009

The AAU 2009 Soccer National Championship is held in Brownsville June 26-28, 2009. For ages U9 and up, it is sure to be an exciting event. There is a special discounted team fee of $ 75.00 available on a limited basis, take advantage of this while you can. For more information and a registration form, please visit our Tournaments page.

riovalleysoccer.org has changed servers.

6/13/2009

This website has changed to a new host, DreamHost. DreamHost is kind enough to offer free hosting for non-profit organizations like RVYSA, so we thank them for that. This move will also allow riovalleysoccer.org to improve and continue to grow. One of the first things to be upgraded will be our gallery. The gallery has been popular as of late with new additions, and this will be up and running with a new and improved format as soon as possible. Thank you for visiting the website, and check back often in the coming weeks, months, and further.

Update: The new photo gallery is up. Send us you photos and register with the gallery to have the ability to receive update notices, make comments, and rate photos. Also, send us your photos as they are the key to growing the gallery. Links in drop down menu or on right margin of this page.

Spring Cups

5/29/2009

The Spring season is over for most but our Spring Cup section is not done yet as it will be left up. Also, keep an eye on it because we hope to have some updated information and results soon. For the latest information please see the 2009 Spring Cups page.

Photo Gallery

5/25/2009

Now up in the gallery section are photos from the 2009 Director's Cup playoffs held this past weekend in Harlingen. A couple of weeks ago we also put up a new gallery of photos submitted to us over the last few of months. We hope more of you out there will submit photos for the gallery in the future. Submissions of multiple photos are welcome. You can find the new galleries on the right hand menu of our main gallery page here.

Updated: We just added another gallery today, 5/29, so be sure to check it out.

Success For Refs From The Valley

3/23/2009

Hard work and dedication has paid off for two valley referees from Brownsville. Armando Villarral and Pedro Trejo are referees from Brownsville that have steadily climbed through the referee ranks beginning with youth soccer, high school, adult, college and to the pro levels. Pictured here is Armando and Pedro in Austin for the pre season MLS game between Colombus Crew of the MLS versus Aztecas of Austin from the USL. Armando was the center official and Pedro was the fourth.

Cup Playoffs Come to Rio Valley!

5/11/2009

The Under 11, U13, U14 and U15 Boys President's Playoffs will be held in Harlingen this weekend, May 16th and 17th. Game schedules will be posted later this week. The following week, on May 23rd and 24th, we will again be hosting U11, U12, U13, U14 and U15 Boys in the Director's Cup Playoffs in Harlingen.

Volunteers are needed for both events. Things being considered at this point;

• * a tournament registration on Friday evening,
• * a tournament registration on Saturday morning prior to teams first game,
• * field marshall to monitor each game,
• * medical staff (volunteer or hired)
• * person(s) to maintain standings on site and on website
• * person(s) to maintain penalty points with the completition of each game,
• * concessions help,
• * preparing lunch for volunteer staff on Saturday and/or Sunday,
• * game referees

STYSA's Reaction to Flu Concerns

4/30/2009

STYSA is continuously monitoring the situation regarding North American Flu Virus (a/k/a Swine Flu). In order to get the latest information on how this may be effecting youth soccer throughout STYSA and RVYSA, we recommend you check the STYSA website which has been updating often this week to keep everyone informed.

For RVYSA, the remaining Rio Valley games will continue as scheduled until there are school closures. We will do our best to inform you if there are any changes.

Referee Clinic

4/21/2009

There will be a Referee Clinic in Mission on April 25th for new referees only, at Harry Shimotsu Elementary School, 3101 San Mateo in Mission, TX. This will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Instructor is Omar Rachid and clinic contact is Tony Quayle, aquayle@rr.com or 956-451-0256.

Online registration at www.stsr.org is required by 04/24/09.

A Recertification clinic has been added and will take place May 5th and May 7th in Harlingen, TX. The location will be Faith Pleases God Church at 4501 West Expressway 83. Registration must done online, also through the link above. No walk-ins will be accepted.

STYSA Town Hall Meeting

4/23/2009

The STYSA Executive Committee will be coming to Weslaco Friday, April 24th for a Town Hall Style Meeting with parents, coaches and administrations. The meeting will be in the Old Commissioner's Meeting Room, 500 South Kansas in Weslaco across the Public Library. Meeting will be from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. In discussion will be STYSA's programs, upcoming changes and the creation of a new state wide league. All who wish to come are welcome.

Location on Google Maps.

Coaching License Courses

2/10/2009

Arroyo Youth Soccer Club and RVYSA have scheduled some coaching license courses in Harlingen in the month of March. These courses are open to all around the Rio Valley area so if you are in Brownsville or the McAllen/Edinburg area take advantage of this opportunity to get your license.

Scheduled are courses for U6/U8, U10/U12, and E License. Don't wait, you need to register 10 days in advance and the first module is March 1st. Find out more information by clicking here.

March 3rd Update **New U10/U12 Module added for March 21st, not too late to sign up for this, contact information is similar to the above, find it by clicking the blue link just above here. This had previously been scheduled for March 8th and has been pushed back to Saturday, March 21st. Change made 3/5/2009, contact Arroyo Youth Soccer for more information.

2009 Kohl's American Cup

3/12/2009

The 2009 Kohl's American Cup is taking place in Harlingen on March 14th and 15th. Teams are registered and the schedules are set, which you can find below. Please print out for your convenience.

• U5/U6 Schedules
• U7/U8 Schedules
• U9/U10 Schedules
• Team Information
• 2009 Kohl's Cup Rules

Player Opportunity/Coach Education Events In March

2/9/2009

Rio Valley will be hosting the STYSA Director and Assistant Director of Coach and Player Development for both a Player Opportunity Event (March 8th) as well as a Coach Education Event (March 9th). We encourage all who can to participate, as these Events are free. You can find more details, and register, here.

Referee Certification Clinics

12/10/2008

December 20th and 21st there will be Referee Certification and Re-certification Clinics conducted at the St. Joseph Academy in Brownsville, TX. For more information please see our Education Clinics page.

2008 Western District Playoffs

12/5/2008

It is another week for playoffs in the Rio Valley area as RVYSA plays host in Harlingen to teams from all over Texas. The Western District Playoffs are December 6th and 7th and will include Super II and Division II teams. The event will be held at the Harlingen Soccer Complex on Harrison Road, along with Victor Park. For more information, locations, and schedules check the STYSA site here....

2008 Valley Playoffs!

11/21/2008

The 2008 Rio Valley Youth Soccer Association's Valley Playoffs are here. After a great Fall season in our affliated clubs, the top recreational teams from those clubs are now coming together in Brownsville for a valley-wide playoff that will take place over two days at the new Brownsville Sports Park. Seventy-seven games are scheduled to be played over the two days and there is sure to be some great youth soccer action. For rules, team lists, and schedules click here....

Photo Gallery added, 11/23/2008.

Thank you to Ms. Melendez for submitting this photo of the U10 first place Tigres.