MATCH NOTES
- FC Dallas Academy goalkeeper Julian Eyestone recorded his second shutout of the season
- MLS NEXT Pro Box Score
SAN JOSE, California (May 12, 2023) – North Texas SC (4-4-1, 13 points) and Earthquakes II (3-3-1, 11 points) split points in a 0-0 draw, but the hosts took the extra point after winning the shootout 5-3 on Friday night at PayPal Park.
EXTRA POINT SHOOTOUT
North Texas SC fell 5-3 in the extra point shootout. That was North Texas’ first tie and first extra point shootout loss of the season. The club won two extra point shootouts of the five it encountered during the 2022 season.
AWAY RECORD
With tonight’s draw, North Texas SC’s away record in MLS NEXT Pro play improves to 7-6-4. The club now holds a 21-22-12 record for all-time away games since 2019.
ACADEMY MINUTES
During the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season, FC Dallas Academy players have made 20 appearances and have registered 830 minutes played. Julian Eyestone, Diego Pepi and Diego Hernandez are the three Academy players who saw minutes tonight.
UP NEXT
North Texas SC returns home to host Houston Dynamo 2 in the first Texas Derby match of the 2023 season on Sunday, May 21. The match kicks off at 7:30 PM CT and will be available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Lineups
North Texas SC — Julian Eyestone; Yeicar Perlaza (Alejandro Araneda – 76’), Henri Santos, Nolan Norris, Tyshawn Rose; Alejandro Urzua (Carl Sainté – 66’), Diego García, André Costa (Diego Hernandez – 76’); Tomas Pondeca (Theo Ferreira – 77’), Pablo Torre (Diego Pepi – 59’), Hope Avayevu.
Substitutes not used — Justin Stewart, Manuel Caicedo.
Earthquakes II — Eric De La Cerda; Oscar Verhoeven, Cameron Cilley, Danie Munie (Alejandro Cano – 68’), Keegan Tingey; Cruz Medina (Eduardo Blancas – 67’), Alex Chow (Roberto Hategan – 76’), Edwyn Mendoza; Jerry Ayon (Sebastian Carbajal – 85’), Rodolfo Castro, Will Richmond (Martin Kwende Jr. – 67’).
Substitutes not used — Emmanuel Ochoa, Nathan Rodrigues, Giancarlo Mota Morfin.
Scoring Summary:
None
Misconduct Summary:
SJ: Oscar Verhoeven (caution) — 33’
NTX: Pablo Torre (caution) — 37’
NTX: Yeicar Perlaza (caution) — 69’
SJ: Alex Chow (caution) — 70’
NTX: Carl Sainté (caution) — 87’
SJ: Cameron Cilley (caution) — 90’
Weather: Sunny, 71°F
Post Game Quotes
Head Coach Javier Cano
On earning a point on the road…
“A point on the road is always good, especially when you play a good side like Earthquakes II. They had the advantage of playing at home and playing with a couple of the first team players. We did not show our best style of play in this game. We need to be more compact, and we need to be a bit better on the defensive side of things. We were able to do just enough to come away with the point. The team is improving off the ball and I enjoy seeing that from the squad. If you take out the first 15 minutes of the game, you could say that we had an exceptional performance outside of that.”
On the age difference between the two teams tonight…
“The difference is just five-years apart. We are easily one of the youngest teams in the league. We play our role, and we trust our players whether they are 17, 19 or even 21 years old. We do not care about their age, I care more about what they are doing on the field. Diego García (16-year-old) and Alejandro Urzua (17-year-old) who are stepping up and doing their role as a starter. We even have Nolan Norris who is a young player as well stepping up.”
On the team's offensive struggle in the game…
“We struggled at the beginning of the match. In the first 15 minutes we put too much pressure on ourselves to let them win every ball all over the field. After we broke the pressure, we had our first opportunity that hit the post. Sending that message to the opponents made them push back deeper. We were more comfortable playing with the ball, and we put them in a position where they did not want to be in. Their wingers and attacked were forced to defend once we clicked on the attack”
Midfielder Diego García
General thoughts on the match…
“Like Javi said, the first 15 minutes did not show what we are capable of. Take that start away and you saw us getting more touches on the ball and being comfortable in our play. We played better as a team and it’s something we need to continue carrying forward.”
On earning a shutout on the road…
“Keeping a shutout on the road is always difficult. The team put in the work and effort to keep the match scoreless. That is something we want to keep doing for the rest of the season. Although we fell in the shootout, I am happy to come away with the clean sheet.”
