Riga FC’s unbeaten September has earned double recognition in the Latvian Virsliga monthly awards, with winger Joao Grimaldo named Player of the Month and head coach Adrian Gula voted Coach of the Month.
Riga FC went through September without defeat and now lead the league table after 32 rounds, holding an eight-point advantage over their closest rivals. The team played four matches during the month, defeating FK Auda at home, winning away against BFC Daugavpils and FS Jelgava, and drawing the rescheduled Riga derby with FC RFS. Their goal difference across those games was ten scored and two conceded.
Twenty-two-year-old Grimaldo appeared in three of the four matches, starting all three. He scored twice and played a key role both in attack and in organising play. The Peruvian forward is in his first season with Riga FC after joining from Serbian club Partizan during the off-season. Grimaldo has also represented the Peru national team, playing seven matches in the World Cup qualifying cycle and providing an assist against Venezuela.
Candidates for the Player of the Month award are nominated by the Latvian Football Federation (LFF) Coaches’ Council and the Latvian Football Virsliga association. This month’s nominees were Grimaldo (Riga FC), Djibril Gueye (FK Liepaja), Eduards Dašķevičs (FK Auda), Martin Hasek (FS Jelgava), and Niks Dusalijevs (FK Tukums 2000). After nominations, voting is conducted among Latvian sports media representatives and fans on Facebook and Instagram.
The Coach of the Month award is determined by the LFF Coaches’ Council. This season is Gula’s first in the Virsliga, having previously managed AS Trencin, Zilina, and DAC Dunajska Streda in Slovakia; Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic; Wisla Krakow in Poland; and Apollon Limassol in Cyprus. He also coached the Slovakia Under-21 national team between 2018 and 2019. Under Gula, Riga FC have set a new season record with 28 consecutive matches unbeaten, and this is the third time this year he has received the Coach of the Month award.
