North Texas SC Stuns LAFC 2 in Epic Comeback to Claim Playoff Spot
Sam Sarver and company did the miraculous, scoring 4 unanswered goals to route the hosts at home and punch their ticket to the postseason. A special night.
What a special afternoon.
What a special moment.
What a special team.
North Texas Soccer Club, down by two goals, against all odds, roared back to life on Sunday afternoon on the campus of USC in Los Angeles with four incredible goals to grab 6th place in the MLS Next Pro Western Conference and a spot in the playoffs.
Just minutes before, North Texas was all but out of the postseason with Austin FC II leading their crucial match up against Venture County FC. But it didn’t taken long for their fortunes to swing in a new direction. Diego Garcia tapped in a rebound, and Sam Sarver slotted in three scintillating goals of his own. North Texas SC had both hands on a postseason berth. The comeback was the stuff of legend, the kind of result that hints at the championship potential for this team.
This was truly a game of moments. NTX head coach John Gall has preached the gospel of moments throughout the season. A lack of concentration here, a misplaced pass there, poor communication at a crucial time — this team knew firsthand how quickly they could find themselves in a hole. They were living that nightmare early on as Matthew Evans, the dynamic attacking midfielder for LAFC 2, found enough space to slash in two unsaveable goals.
In the wake of the goals, the whole team appeared to lose their energy. You wondered if the moment was about to pass North Texas SC by - if this season was about to be over in a disappointing first-half collapse.
But then the team seized the opportunity at halftime, headlined by a team talk that head coach John Gall said he could not repeat in public, to reset and reclaim their potential.
And then it was moment after moment.
The first key moment - John Gall turned to Anthony Martinez as a spark off the bench at half. The young midfielder was a central part of the turnaround, helping North Texas press better, possess more cleanly, win balls, and get forward. It was his feisty run and cross that opened the scoring for North Texas to get the comeback started. The team began finding Sarver all alone on the wing, ready to create chaos.
That led to the next key moment - or flurry of moments - Sam Sarver, who had been excellent all day and deserved at least one goal in the first half, found his groove. Two of the goals were classic examples of the Sarver hustle. He ran wide to a deep pass from midfield, past a quickly outmatched defender, controlled the ball, and slotted a diagonal shot in the corner of the net.
On the third goal for NTX, one that Sarver admits he didn’t hit like he wanted but still found its way in, the team celebrated together in the corner, knowing what it meant for their postseason.
Sarver wasn’t finished there — add an earned penalty kick (which he unfortunately did not convert) and at least two more opportunities late. This was a masterclass from the best player in MLS Next Pro.
When the final whistle blew, more moments followed. The shouts of joy from a team that had experienced plenty of moments of heartache throughout this season. The incredulous smiles of North Texas staff, who couldn’t explain exactly how it all unfolded. Away fans asking for photographs with Sarver and others, recognizing the effort and talent on display.
Even more moments — after the match, Sam Sarver met the manager for a Los Angeles FC player suiting up to play that evening. Evidently, watching Sarver, the manager knew that he had to connect to the two after such a special performance. Sam found himself on a video call with Dennis Bouanga, two special players sharing a moment of mutual respect.
Sam told him how often he had spent watching Bouanga during college, how much he admired the energy he brought to the game.
Could you write a better story?
Speaking to media, John Gall was glowing, proud, ready for the next step.
“This is a group that has been responding all season. We started the game slowly. I wasn’t too happy with the first half. I think it’s one of those things where we have a couple of players that don’t train with us very much. I’m not blaming anybody, but sometimes it’s a little bit difficult to kind of find your feet and get a rhythm,” he told the media. “When you go down 2-0 at halftime, the message was that being down 2-0 is a really dangerous score in football. We talked about getting on the front foot. We started the half tremendously well, I kind of had a really good feeling that we would nab a goal. I thought if we could nab a goal, I felt that we could go on and win the game. Sam scored his goals, Diego (Garcia) chipping in really helped us tonight. But I was really happy with just the feeling that I had on the sideline as the coach of the team, that they responded to the things that I asked them to do.”
Sarver too was full of gratitude, acknowledging his performances this season setting a historic mark for North Texas SC, the single-season scoring record.
“It feels really good honestly. When I came here, breaking that single-season scoring record and winning the golden boot was on my goal list. There are many things on that list we didn’t get to accomplish,” Sarver told the media. “But we have accomplished many things and that is good. The biggest one is to go all the way again, and we are in the playoffs and it’s still alive and is really important to me.”
One big question - after this performance, what team in MLS Next Pro will want to risk facing them? Will St Louis City try to be the ones to close the door early on? Or do they risk facing a team that could be coming into the matchup with swagger to spare?
One more thing - big congratulations to Los Angeles FC 2 as today marked their first game in the new USC Rawlinson stadium, a soccer venue for USC teams but perfect for MLS Next Pro games. The fans were right on the pitch. Their noise boosted the home side. The atmosphere is going to be a real gift as they grow the game in LA.
What a night.
The season continues.
North Texas Til We Die.