North Texas Takes LAFC2 to School
North Texas Takes LAFC2 to School
On a perfect evening in Fullerton, North Texas went down a man and still dominated Los Angeles FC 2 4-0. Could this be a statement win for the Gall era?
While their “big brothers” are struggling, North Texas is exhibiting why soccer is called the beautiful game.
And it’s worth the watch.
Since taking over last year, Head Coach John Gall has brought a renewed sense of professionalism, passion, and focus to North Texas under his helm.
North Texas Soccer Club began the year on a solid unbeaten run, only dropping a loss on the road due to a free kick. Recent home results had the squad rebound in strong form, growing offensively and defensively as they climbed to the top spot in the MLS Next Pro Western Conference. Every match drew the team closer to the bar they had set for themselves.
Last evening in Fullerton against the home side Los Angeles FC 2, North Texas may have touched those expectations and what it could mean for the league.
The match was expected to be tough, as LAFC2 entered the contest as the no. 2 team in the west, impressive in their own regards after a dismal 2023 season.
The game started tense and energetic with both teams probing for attacking possibilities.
Michael Collodi, North Texas’ star goalkeeper, came way out of goal to clear a dangerous ball from LAFC2. The referee whistled. Handball. A red card was shown to the keeper, despite furious protesting from North Texas coaches. Goalkeeping coach Kyle Zobeck was shown a yellow card for his own protests along the touchline.
Victor Darub, the Brazilian-American goalkeeper prospect, made his debut in response, his first minutes as a professional and for North Texas at the same time.
I can’t foresee the future, but it looked to be a long evening for North Texas.
And then, Tomas Pondeca received the ball in the midfield, weaved through defenders, and softly shuttled the ball into space. Tarik Scott with athleticism and poise to be repeated would scuff the ball just out of reach of LAFC2’s keeper and into the goal. Down a man, North Texas led.
LAFC2, unraveling mentally at this point, earned their own red card with first team player Tomas Angel getting sent off for blocking a restart (after an early yellow for a physical and late foul against Amet Korca).
Minutes later, Tarik Scott would add a second as Herbert Endelay, tucking more inside into midfield, blitzed forward and fed the young striker who mimicked his excellence from before. A brace.
In the second half, LAFC2 would further struggle, despite an effort to push forward and get a footing in the match. North Texas’ defense played one of their best and most cohesive matches of the year. Korca was great. Nico Gordon displayed his immense potential. Isaiah Parker was a stand out on the left side.
Diego Garcia finished off an attacking stretch that saw North Texas now leading 3-0.
Later, Diego Pepi, getting some crucial minutes, added a cheeky finish of his own.
North Texas 4, LAFC2 0.
After the game, North Texas head coach John Gall was ecstatic, shouts of joy reverberating from the locker room behind him. “When you come to LA and win 4-0, I think that is probably as complete as you can make it. Defensively, I am really happy with the group. Victor Darub made his first appearance of the season, and he was absolutely fantastic. I'm so proud of that kid. He's a kid that hasn't seen any minutes so far this season but he works his tail off every day in training. He's the epitome of what we're all about here. When it's your turn to step up, it's your turn to step up and take care of business. I am also really happy for Tarik Scott. It was a really big performance in the first half from him.”
Isaiah Parker acknowledged the mental fortitude of the squad. “Well, we've been in that situation before. Against The Town, we went down a man. So I think we all just believe we could still do it. We talked about what we can do for the team, not for ourselves, but for the team. I think that this game was just truly an example of that. We came out and went down a man, but we continued to fight and believe.”
For fans of FC Dallas, maybe it’s time to turn more of that attention to this younger team who exhibit the spirit and enthusiasm fans in the DFW want to see.
Could this year be special for North Texas?
It’s looking that way.