Grandes lose coach, game

EDINBURG — This past week certainly was eventful for the RGV Grandes, but not for the right reasons. A 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Laredo Heat on Saturday night just piled onto the Grandes’ PDL woes.

It was the fourth-straight loss for RGV (0-4) and the second against Laredo; the first one being a 5-1 defeat on May 6 at Laredo.

After that game, Grandes coach Gary Hamilton left the country for two weeks to attend to personal matters. He returned this week to notify the Grandes of his resignation.

Also, Grandes’ forward Ariel Barrazas lost his cousin Guadalupe Barrajas earlier in the week. The team had a moment of silence for Barrajas on Saturday.

"It was hard (playing with a heavy heart), but you just have to play through like a professional," Barrazas said.

The Grandes also had not practiced with a complete squad during the season, but with the international clearance passes of Daniel Medina and Barrazas this week, the Grandes can now train in full form, even without Hamilton, who cited an excess of workload as his reason for leaving the club.

"We sat down (with Hamilton) and he said ‘I’m going to be honest, my workload is going to be too much with the (Houston Dynamo STX Youth Soccer Academy), the Grandes and other things I want to get done,’" Grandes GM Zeke Morales said. "I think you have to respect that decision, but we appreciate his work. He’s a great professional."

Along with playing midfield, 37-year old David Oteo was assigned interim head coach for the time being.

"Finding (the Grandes) in a situation like this, they offered me this position to coach," Oteo said. "The first game (of the season) we arrived with an incomplete team. We had to put in 18-year old kids and trained only once prior to the first match, but you could tell the difference now."

Difference or not, the Grandes cannot find a winning formula.

Esteban Bayona leaped over Grandes defenders and netted Leone Cruz’s cross with his head for the 1-0 Heat lead in the 10th minute. Second-half substitute Alfonso Cavazos momentarily tied the game in the 61st minute after he head-hammered a free-kick, but a rebound in the small box gave Bayona his second goal of the night that put Laredo on top three minutes later.

The Grandes, however, looked more competitive than in the earlier meeting between the two.

"Every game you can tell the difference in the team’s play. We lost, but we still have a good team," Barrazas said.