- Club to face St. Louis CITY2 in Conference Semifinal of MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs on Sept. 25
- FC Dallas Academy goalkeeper Julian Eyestone made his professional and North Texas SC debut.
- FC Dallas Academy defender Will Baker made his first start for the club.
- MLS NEXT Pro Box Score
Houston, Texas (Sept. 18, 2022) – North Texas SC (13-6-5, 46 points) closed out its regular season with a 2-0 defeat by Houston Dynamo 2 (14-5-5, 49 points) on MLS NEXT Pro Decision Day Sunday night at AVEVA Stadium.
POSTSEASON
North Texas SC qualified for the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs with a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference and a 13-6-5 overall record. The club will travel to face St. Louis CITY2 on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 6:30 PM CT. The match’s venue will be announced at a later date. It’s the third time in four seasons that the club has qualified for the postseason and the first since joining MLS NEXText Pro this year.
ACADEMY MINUTESFC Dallas Academy and U.S. youth international goalkeeper Julian Eyestone made his professional debut and played 90 minutes. Fellow FC Dallas Academy player Will Baker made his first North Texas SC start.
UP NEXT: NORTH TEXAS SC PLAYOFFS
North Texas SC will go on the road to face Frontier Division champions St. Louis CITY2 on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 6:30 PM CT in the Conference Semifinals of the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs. The match’s venue will be announced at a later date.
Lineups
North Texas SC — Julian Eyestone; Collin Smith, Lucas Bartlett, Will Baker (Alejandro Araneda - 80’), Isaiah Parker; Carl Sainté, André Costa, Blaine Ferri (Bernard Kamungo - 57’); Blake Pope (Tomás Lacerda - 80’), José Mulato (Pablo Torre - 69’), Luis Miguel (Tarik Scott - 80’)
Substitutes not used — Fabian Enriquez, Thomas Roberts, Alejandro Urzua
Houston Dynamo 2 — Justin Stewart; Talen Maples, Mujeeb Murana, Jathan Juarez, LeFlore; Marcelo Palomino (Paulo Lima - 73’), Juan Castilla, Brooklyn Raines (Diego Gonzalez - 55’), Beto Avila (Thiaguinho - 74’); Micael, Jacob Evans
Substitutes not used — Daniel Rios, Sterling Penniston-John, Papa Ndoye, Rosas, Paolo Rios
Scoring Summary:
HOU: Marcelo Palomino (Beto Avila) — 46’*
HOU:* Juan Castilla — 66’
Misconduct Summary:
HOU: Brooklyn Raines (caution) — 26’*
NTX:* Will Baker (caution) — 38’*
NTX:* Carl Sainté (caution) — 46’*
HOU:* Beto Avila (caution) — 73’*
HOU:* Justin Stewart (caution) — 85’*
NTX:* Tomás Lacerda (caution) — 87’*
HOU:* Diego Gonzalez (caution) — 90’
Weather: Clear, 88℉
Referee: John Matto
Assistant Referees: Carmelo Alvarez Jr. (1), Francisco Bermudez (2)
Fourth official: Jalen Gray
North Texas SC Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah
Overall thoughts on the match…
“It’s very important going into the playoffs that we know how to stay in the game regardless of circumstances. We have to control what we can control. It has been a long season for some of these players in their first time playing professional football. We’ll take two days off then we’ll load up and come back again.”
On the season’ momentum shifts…
“I think we started the season well. The first phase was about getting accustomed with everybody. In the middle we had a little dip, which is normal for a team. And then we picked up our momentum again heading into playoffs so we’re a team that’s looking very much at the playoffs. It’s a one-off game so we’re really looking forward to it.”
On goalkeeper Julian Eyestone’s debut…
“I think he did fantastic for a young guy. He’s been part of our training sessions for a while and for us it’s great to see another young debutant from the FC Dallas Academy and he has high potential. He was calm and did what he needed to do. We were unlucky to not keep a clean sheet for hiim. But I think he has a great future ahead.”
Defender Blake Pope
On the match tonight…
“The loss is tough going into the playoffs and against our rivals but we have to reflect on the game and turn around to focus on the next one. We have to forget this game and get ready for the playoff game coming up.”
On the impact of the loss on the momentum…
“We have to forget this game and look ahead. It won’t hurt our momentum, we know how we play and we know what to do. We’re looking forward to playoffs and showing what we can really do.”
