EDINBURG, Texas (Friday, May 1, 2020) – Although the 2020 USL Championship season is in a hold due to COVID-19, Rio Grande Valley FC will return to the virtual arena, but with a twist. 

The USL announce on Thursday its second esports competition, with the USL eCup: FIFA20 Edition set to feature 32 clubs from across the USL Championship and USL League One compete on the virtual field in a six-week tournament that will feature weekly brackets across three divisions and promotion and relegation at the end of each week. 

The Toros are kicking off the eCup tournament representing “Brazil” in the #10 seed against FC Tucson as “Czech Republic” first. Every game of the USL eCup: FIFA20 Edition will be streamed live on teams’ official Twitch channels (RGVFCToros), while also being available on USLChampionship.com. 

For RGV FC, midfielder Kembo Kibato, will be the club’s representative for the tournament. Defender Èmile Legault will serve as the alternate player. 

Furthermore, each team has been partnered with local charities of their choosing. The tournament will assist by helping to raise funds for the chosen community charities all across the nation. 

With the current COVID-19 pandemic, RGV FC chose the Amigos del Valle in order to assist with local efforts being made. This specific organization impacts the quality of life all across the Rio Grande Valley through provision of diversified and effective human services, community development activities and advocacy.

They are mainly directed to low income families, and place special emphasis on assisting the elder population to maintain active, healthy and independent lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, elders are one of the most impacted, a big reason behind the club choosing Amigos del Valle.

Week 1 will begin on Monday, May 4, to earn a spot in Division A, Division B or Division C, with an elimination bracket giving every team a chance to secure their place in the top division. 

Through this initial bracket, 12 teams will be placed in Division A and Division B with the remaining eight being placed in Division C. Seeding for the divisional brackets that will make up the remainder of the competition will be determined by the previous week of action. 

At the end of Week 2, the four teams that advance to the Semifinals in both Division B and Division C will earn promotion to Division A and Division B respectively, while the four teams that are eliminated in the Play-In Round of the bracket in Division A and Division B will be relegated to the division below. 

Additionally, points will be earned each week by the clubs that claim victory in their respective brackets. The top eight teams in the opening week’s bracket will earn between 1,000 and 200 points based on their respective finishes. Following that, 1,000 points will to the weekly champion in Division A, 500 points to the winner of Division B and 250 points to the winner of Division C. Each of the top four teams in each Division will receive points toward their overall total, while teams that are relegated will be deducted points in the overall standings. 

The club that finishes with the most cumulative points at the end of the five weeks of competition will be crowned the overall winner of the USL eCup: FIFA20 Edition.

# TOROS UNIDOS #