FRISCO, Texas - At the midway point in the season, we can take a look at the progress made by North Texas SC and head coach Javier Cano, as well as what’s still left to play for. Through 15 matches, the club currently occupies the 10th spot in the Western Conference with 19 points and a 5-6-4 record.
With new additions to both the playing squad and coaching staff, North Texas and its first-year coach have been focused on taking the season game by game.
“We’re growing more and more each game,” Cano said. “Sometimes we don’t get the result we want but you can see the team has a clear style and idea of what they want to do and in the end it’s a matter of luck. I think the team is getting there, we’ve had four months working together which isn’t easy because we’ve had a lot of new players and additions to the staff but I’m happy with our progress. Like I said, in the end the result will come, and we want to be ready to play well at that moment.”
Led by top goal scorers Jose Mulato and Hope Avayevu, with three and four goals respectively, the team has shown the ability to get goal contributions from everywhere, with 12 different players having scored. Even with an abundance of goals, goalkeeper Antonio Carrera knows there’s still work to be done if the team wants to reach its goals.
“I think we’ve shown our talent and our potential,” the 19-year-old shot-stopper said. “But we still have a lot left to play for and achieve. Our main goal is playoffs, which we still have to qualify for. On top of that, we don’t want to barely qualify, we want to be one of the top contenders heading into the playoffs.”
Under the new MLS NEXT Pro playoff format, the top seven teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs. Within each conference, the two division champions and five clubs with the next highest points will advance to the playoffs. Knowing what’s at, stake North Texas SC’s returning captain André Costa has his sights set on a strong finish to the season.
“The most important thing to the coaches, my teammates, and myself is progress,” Costa said. “I think we've made progress from the start of the season, we’ve definitely gotten better. It hasn’t been up to our expectations. At FC Dallas and NTSC our expectation is always to be at the top and fight for playoffs and the championship, but we’re not there yet. So we’re content with the progress we made, but not enough to where we can relax and think we’re where we want to be.”
With just 13 remaining games against fellow Western Conference teams, North Texas faces a tough schedule to remain in playoff contention. However, if Cano and the squad are able to build on the performances from the first half of the season, the club has a strong chance of making its mark in the postseason.
