FC Dallas Finds a Clutch Goal; North Texas SC Collapses

Another mixed result weekend for the squads from the DFW as FC Dallas finds a big time goal for a point on the road and North Texas SC struggles. Also, an intriguing rumor?

I wasn’t able to get near my computer as much this weekend, so Sunday was a bit lighter than I had hoped. Plus, I admit I celebrated a bit after Saturday’s away draw at Seattle, a solid result for an FC Dallas squad that has been struggling as of late.

Kamungo Comes Up Big

There are two key storylines for FC Dallas against Seattle.

First, of course, Bernard Kamungo was clutch once again. The walk-on turned bench star needed one big moment to draw FC Dallas level after the Frisco squad went down early off of an own goal in Seattle. The Pacific Northwest has never been particularly kind to Dallas, and with the way the team has been performing, a result was up in the air. And with Jesus resting up after a busy Gold Cup, the team needed someone… anyone… to turn up. Kamungo did.

The equalizer gave the team a bit of life, and they rode it to a crucial draw.

Second, Maarten Paes remains one of the most important players for this team. He was clutch once again defensively. Overall, we saw a much stronger performance from the back line, and Paes’ presence is a big part of that. With this performances and the fact that he has an EU passport, it’s a matter of time until some European team comes calling. FC Dallas shouldn’t waste him. They need to climb back up the standings.

Head coach Nico Estevez was appreciate of the turnaround after some poor results recently. “This was an important week for us returning to identity and style of play. We want to be the team that, when we don’t have the ball, we fight, battle and press and help each other. And when we have the ball, we want to be brave from the back and have the control of the possession to get to the opponent’s box. We did well in some areas but in the second half I wasn’t happy with how we didn’t control possession and create chances. We have to improve but in the first half at least we did a better job. This week, getting back to who we are and our identity, we did a decent job in those areas and I’m glad we got the point.”

North Texas SC Still Struggling

North Texas has a poor record against their in-state rivals, Dynamo 2. That record did not get broken on Sunday night.

While the two squads held each other scoreless during the first half, Houston got a goal first. Pablo Torres came off the bench to find an equalizer via a Hope Aveyevu pass, but the relief was short-lived. North Texas coughed up another goal fairly quickly.

Our contributor Jose Carmona thinks that an analysis of the number of goals given up by North Texas after they score speaks volumes about where this roster is developmentally. They are young and raw. They need maturity, and maturity comes with time and experience.

“We need to defend better, “ Javier Cano, North Texas head coach, said after the match. “Houston had two clear chances all game, and those were the ones they were able to finish in the back of the net. We need to fix our defending in critical moments. It makes it tough to win a game in this league, and if we keep committing these mistakes, then we won’t be able to make it to the playoffs when we keep conceding.”

Things are not good for North Texas right now, and we’ll have to wait and see how it unfolds.

All-Star Game Week

While Jesus Ferreira is getting another opportunity with the All-Star game this week, the big question for many of us who watch Major League Soccer - does this extra match even register on our radar? I probably won’t watch it, and I enjoy staying up with the ups and downs of MLS. Will you?

Leagues Cup looks a lot more intriguing. More on that later.

Messi Is Here

So, yeah, big night last night for the league. Welcome, Lionel Messi.

Intriguing Rumor

Here is some interesting rumor news.

Bryan Reynolds may be available for a loan to Major League Soccer.

Will Forbes is reporting that FC Dallas in particular is interested.

FC Dallas could certainly use some help at right back. Ema Twumasi has been hurt, and Geovane Jesus looks like a project right now. Bryan would be a nice short term gap to provide athleticism to help a team that needs a spark. Let’s wait and see.

We should go live tonight for the pod at 8 PM CST. See you then!