North Texas SC begins its playoff campaign on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 7:30PM against Whitecaps FC 2 at Choctaw Stadium.
In case you're out of the loop about North Texas SC, MLS NEXT Pro or the playoffs in general, here's everything you need to know.
What is North Texas SC?
Let’s start with the basics. North Texas Soccer Club (NTSC) is FC Dallas’ second team that plays in MLS NEXT Pro, the development league of Major League Soccer. North Texas started in 2019 and won the league title that season. The team has players signed to its roster but also uses young players from FC Dallas and standout talents from the FC Dallas Academy.
The main goal of North Texas SC is to develop players and staff for the FC Dallas first team, all while winning trophies along the way.
Who coaches North Texas SC?
The club is coached by former FCD midfielder/defender Michel Garbini. Michel was previously the assistant coach (since 2019) before taking over as interim head coach midway through this season when John Gall joined the FC Dallas coaching staff under interim head coach Peter Luccin. Michel played for FC Dallas from 2013 to 2015 after a long career in Europe and his native Brazil. Another name you may know is goalkeeper coach Kyle Zobeck, who played for FC Dallas for four seasons. Zobeck also lined up for North Texas SC back in 2019 and helped them win the USL League One title while recording eight saves in the championship game.
Where does North Texas SC play?
North Texas plays their home games at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, the former home of the Texas Rangers. The club played its first season at Toyota Stadium before moving to Choctaw Stadium in 2020. This season, North Texas is undefeated at home with a 9-0-5 record in Arlington. Having earned the top seed in MLS NEXT Pro, NTSC will have home-field advantage throughout the 2024 playoffs.
Which FC Dallas players feature for North Texas SC?
A major function of North Texas is to give young FC Dallas players crucial game minutes and experience. This season, 11 FCD players have featured for North Texas: Antonio Carrera, Herbert Endeley, Amet Korca, Logan Farrington, Nolan Norris, Malik Henry-Scott, Tarik Scott, Enes Sali, Isaiah Parker (injured), Carl Sainte and Alejandro Urzua. Many of these players will be major factors for the upcoming playoff run.
How did North Texas SC make the playoffs?
North Texas enjoyed a dominant season in MLS NEXT Pro this year. The club had the best record in the league with 16 wins, eight ties and just four losses, while also posting a league-best +24 goal difference. Offensively, the team was led by Tarik Scott (10 goals and 5 assists), Pedrinho (10 goals and 10 assists) and Enes Sali (8 goals and 5 assists). The club’s dominant regular season campaign earned it the top seed and home-field advantage for the 2024 postseason.
What is the structure of the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs?
The playoffs begin with 16 teams and have four rounds: Conference Quarterfinals, Conference Semifinals, Conference Finals and the MLS NEXT Pro Cup. The main wrinkle is that the higher-seeded teams get to pick their opponents for the first two rounds. As the top seed, North Texas chose to play the Whitecaps FC 2 (affiliate of Vancouver Whitecaps) in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The match will be on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 7:30PM at Choctaw Stadium.
How can I watch the game?
You can purchase tickets at NTSCTickets.com. If you can’t make it out to the game, it will be streamed on MLSNEXTPro.com and MLS’s YouTube channel.
