FRISCO - FC Dallas’ trip to Philadelphia over the weekend saw the season debut for goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and MLS debut for midfielder Brandon Servania - illustrating the importance of the club’s USL League One affiliate North Texas SC.
Maurer and Servania, who both played 90 minutes for North Texas in its inaugural League One match on March 30, featured prominently for the first team just one week later. The pair’s inclusion in Saturday’s game exemplified how North Texas provides the platform for players—both experienced and inexperienced—to gain competitive minutes to aid the jump to the MLS level.
Maurer, who made one save for North Texas and was nominated for USL League One’s Save of the Week, was the standout performer a week later for FC Dallas in Philadelphia. The 30-year-old made six saves, including a penalty save from Marco Fabian, and kept Dallas in the game until the Union eventually grabbed the winning goal in stoppage time. Despite the loss, Maurer was impressive in his 2019 MLS debut—and his performance, in part, can be credited to the competitive minutes he clocked for North Texas the week prior.
“It was great,” Maurer said of how the North Texas game helped his preparation. “It’s always good to get some real minutes and get some rhythm, so it definitely made me feel that much more prepared stepping on the field this weekend.”
Twenty-year-old Brandon Servania made his first-team debut against Philadelphia when he subbed on for fellow Homegrown Jesus Ferreira in the 88th minute—one week after putting in a dominate midfield performance for North Texas, making 69 passes (second highest in the game) at a 93 percent success rate. He also credited his League One experience for contributing to his game-readiness come Saturday.
“It helped with (my) rhythm,” Servania said. “All the minutes and experience I could get leading up to this game was great, and I’m just hoping for more minutes with the first team.”
