MATCH NOTES
- Midfielders Malik Henry-Scott and Anthony Ramirez make their first start of the season.
- FC Dallas Academy forward Daniel Baran makes his professional debut.
- Goalkeeper Michael Collodi earns NTSC an extra point following three PK saves.
- NTSC earns its second consecutive penalty kick shootout win this season.
- MLS NEXT Pro Box Score
Arlington, Texas (April 6, 2024) – North Texas SC (0-0-3, 5 points) and The Town FC (1-1-1, 4 points) ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Choctaw Stadium. North Texas picked up the extra point by winning the shootout 5-4. FC Dallas academy midfielder Diego García scored the equalizer in the final minute of the match.
NEVER SURRENDER
Midfielder Diego García’s goal in the seventh minute of added time in the second half leveled the match, giving the club their second goal scored on the season. His last goal came against Tacoma Defiance on August 19, 2023 in a 2-2 draw.
COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED
Goalkeeper Michael Collodi saved three consecutive penalty kicks to help win the extra point shootout. The Plano native has saved six extra point penalty kicks this season.
RECORD VERSUS THE TOWN
North Texas SC holds a 1-1-3 record when facing The Town FC in MLS NEXT Pro play.
THE PATHWAY TO PRO
FC Dallas Academy product Daniel Baran made his debut by coming on in the 17th minute of the match. He becomes the 18th player to make their professional debut with North Texas SC since starting play in MLS NEXT Pro. The Polish youth international forward featured for the U19s in the 2024 Dallas Cup Gordon Jago Super Group and scored three goals. FC Dallas Academy players logged 73 appearances and 3,095 minutes during the 2023 season.
UP NEXT
North Texas SC hosts Tacoma Defiance on Sunday, April 14 at 7:30PM CT from Choctaw Stadium. The match will be available to watch for free on MLSNEXTPro.com and YouTube.
Lineups
North Texas SC — Michael Collodi; Nico Gordon (Daniel Baran – 17’), Amet Korça (Luke Shreiner – 46’), Turner Humphrey, Abdoul Zanne; Nolan Norris, Diego García, Nick Mendonca (Dylan Lacy – 79’); Malik Henry-Scott (Lautaro Taboada – 87’), Diego Pepi (Malachi Molina – 46’), Anthony Ramirez (Isaiah Parker – 69’).
Substitutes not used — Victor Darub, Adrian Anguiano, Leo Londe Jr.
The Town FC — Mikołaj Biegański; Oscar Verhoeven (Alejandro Cano – 65’), Sean Bilter, Casey Walls, Joel Garcia (Ricardo Ibarra – 66’); Cruz Medina, Edwyn Mendoza (Jermaine Spivey – 79’); William Richmond, Eduardo Blancas, Aaron Edwards (Riley Lynch – 46’); Julian Donnery (Alex Chow – 66’).
Substitutes not used — John Nicholson.
Scoring Summary:
TTFC: Aaron Edwards (William Richmond) – 30’
NTX: Diego García (Nolan Norris) – 90’+7’
Misconduct Summary:
NTX: Abdoul Zanne (ejection) – 45’+7’
NTX: Amet Korça (caution) – 45’+10’
TTFC: Oscar Verhoeven (caution) – 54’
TTFC: Joel Garcia (caution) – 60’
TTFC: Sean Bilter (caution) – 63’
TTFC: William Richmond (caution) – 71’
TTFC: Casey Walls (caution) – 81’
NTX: Nolan Norris (caution) – 86’
TTFC: Jermaine Spivey (caution) – 90’+6’
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 75°F
Attendance: 812
Post Game Quotes
Head Coach John Gall
On how the team’s performance speaks to what he’s trying to build at NTSC…
“I think it captures a lot of what we’re trying to do. We have a bunch of determined guys that understand what the expectations and standards are to play for this team and this club. We’re very proud of their effort and their commitment. Obviously in difficult situations, I feel like you start to see the character of people way more than when things are easy. Of course we wanted the three points, we pushed for the three points. But most importantly, we never gave in and we dug deep. Again, it’s just a testament to the players. We’re a pretty demanding staff in every way, shape and form because at the end of the day, if these guys want to play in MLS and beyond, that is the standard and the expectation. Super proud of the club, proud of the team, and proud of the players. We had some individuals that were outstanding today.”
On what his plan was at halftime down a man…
“We finished the half obviously with a man down. We kind of went into a 4-4-1 and I felt in the second half that we needed to be a little more aggressive. We kept two forwards and played with three in midfield. I thought that was the plan that we needed. I knew that we were going to get chances. I knew that we had the desire and the drive to go get the equalizer. We were aggressive at halftime, and we wanted to play with a sense of confidence going into the second half, and we showed that. At the end of the day, I told the guys that our job is to create a positive environment for them, and their job is to go perform, and by heck they performed today.”
Goalkeeper Michael Collodi
General thoughts on the match…
“The team was performing very well and it's unfortunate with the call in which you can agree or disagree. We go down a man right before the half. At the halftime chat, John (Gall) talked about heart and who is going to want it more. I am proud of the boys for the result that we got and the effort that we all showed in the second half. Everyone put in the effort to the point where they couldn’t run anymore. We almost got what we deserved even though I feel we deserved the win.”
On his penalty kick success…
“There is prep that goes into every single match and shootout when needed. I am not going to go very into details, but we definitely prep throughout the week. Part of it is just showing up and getting the work done. The kickers do their job by putting the penalty kicks into the back of the net, and I do my job by trying to stop as many penalty kicks as I can. We all do the best we can to our ability.”
