Historic: North Texas SC Opens Mansfield Era With a Dominant Win
St Lous City SC 2 may have regretted getting off the bus, as North Texas SC, on a historic evening, dominated from the opening whistle with three goals.
Can you imagine a better start to the Mansfield era for North Texas Soccer Club?
In a gleaming new stadium and in front of a spirited, joyful crowd, North Texas SC burst back into the playoff mix with a 3-0 dominant, celebratory win at home.
From kickoff, you could tell there was extra energy and enthusiasm in the home side, as they looked to both turn the page on an up-and-down first half of the season and start writing fresh storylines for what this season can mean for the young squad.
The win was marked by a massive clean sheet from goalkeeper Eryk Dymora, who marshaled his back line expertly. Slade Starnes and Alvaro Augusto did not put a foot wrong. Whatever burden and weight or miscommunications the defense had been dealing with in previous matchups was not evident on the night. Yes, North Texas hadn’t won in four recent bouts with St Louis City 2, but you could hardly tell as they lined up against by all accounts a superior opponent.
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t overshadowed by me,” Slade Starnes told media after the match. “I think our biggest change over the last four or five games has been defending as a unit. During the first half of the season, we struggled at times and gave up goals because of our own mistakes. That became a big point of emphasis from the coaching staff. When we shift, we shift together. When we step up, we step up together. The spacing between us has to stay consistent because those little details can decide games. I think we’ve done a much better job of that recently.”
The offense was even better. While it took some time for the goals to get started, the promise was there from the opening whistle. Edouard Nys and Natty James zipped around the field to find space and create combinations. The final third didn’t click until Ricky Louis replaced Nicholas Simmonds at half (and probably a pep talk from head coach John Gall).
From then on, North Texas SC ruthlessly exploited space and chaos. Caleb Swann, once again transforming the midfield with a captain-like performance, dribbled into a dangerous spot to create a chance and then stayed with the play to slot home his first goal of the season. He earned an assist for the opening goal too. Late subs brought on two high potential players in Da’Vian Kimbrough and Benjamin Flowers. Rather than see out the win, they pushed, and Kimbrough came away with his first assist of the season through a dummy by Flowers to add a nice exclamation point to the victory.
“We made a few adjustments at halftime, changed some things tactically, and they worked really well. I’m really proud of the players for the way they competed in front of our home supporters,” Gall told media after the match. “From the day we knew we were coming to Mansfield, we talked about building a community. I grew up in the U.K., where many clubs are deeply connected to their communities, and this reminds me of that. It feels like the start of something special.”
Big Picture?
The stadium is gorgeous. And like I wrote yesterday, tighter crowds closer to the action is going to feed into the energy that this young team needs. I don’t know if St Louis City felt rattled a bit by the moment, but there was a marked difference in the atmosphere even on the livestream.
There is so much potential to grow the entire experience going forward.
“The atmosphere tonight was outstanding,” head coach John Gall said after the match. “It was the first time many of these players had performed in front of a crowd like this, and seeing them interact with the fans was part of their development. It was a special night, and no one can ever take away the fact that we’re 1-0 at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium. I’m proud of the players, proud of the club and proud of the work our staff puts in every day. We push these players hard because moments like this make it all worthwhile. Seeing the celebration in the locker room afterward reminded us exactly why we do it.”
Youth Shining
North Texas SC are well-stocked with talent. We’ve talked about Nys and James and Swann and Newman and others before. It was amazing to Kimbrough (on his debut) and Flowers make instant impact. Both are high ceiling youngsters who need to develop. Part of that development is putting them in a situation, even if they come off the bench, to take risks and grow. Look for more.
“Da’vian is a player with a very high ceiling. There’s been a lot of expectation and excitement around him since he arrived, but he’s a kid who has stayed grounded, and I know he’ll continue to do that. Tonight, he showed what he does best. He gave us some really good hold-up play, used his physicality well, got into good positions and picked up an assist. I’m really proud of him, and we’ll continue to help him develop and get the most out of his potential,” Gall told media about the youngsters. “The same goes for Benji Flowers. He came on late and might even claim a half assist for the dummy that led to Ricky’s goal. I’m really happy for all of our young players, especially those who have been moving between the first and second teams. That’s not an easy situation for young players, but they continue to handle it well. Overall, I’m pleased with the group and with the way the individuals took care of their business tonight.”
North Texas SC are still on the outside looking in for the final playoff spot in MLS Next Pro, but this result could be the beginning of a nice run to push them up the standings and gain ground with a couple of games in hand.
May this new era flourish!