North Texas Soccer Club has been on a dramatic journey since its inception, including championships, huge player developments (hello, Ricardo Pepi), and disappointment.
In the past, FC Dallas might have swung for the fences on raw talent who struggled to make the leap to Major League Soccer, but North Texas provided a softer landing spot for a couple of years of development. Bernard Kamungo is but one of the latest of those kinds of stories. Other players are en route to their destiny.
Hope Avayevu arrived in Frisco with a ton of potential, and his stats back up his talent. The Ghanian winger dazzled with his opportunities, 11 goals and 13 assists across two season. He had the potential to change games in an instant, whether starting or off the bench. He was a force on the pitch, and when injuries kept him at bay, North Texas suffered.
But all good things must come to an end.
While he was a mainstay in these past two seasons, North Texas SC announced that he was one of the several players cut ahead of the 2024 season.
Hope must ply his trade elsewhere.
I spoke with interim North Texas head coach John Gall about this decision, and he clarified that it was time for Hope to explore what is next for him. General speculation, even podcast chatter, wondered if Hope would get a camp invite to compete for a roster spot with FC Dallas, but it appears that Hope, like Ronaldo Damus and other players, must continue their development in a different venue. Letting go of a promising and exciting young player shows the limitations of salary caps and roster rules, but it might be the healthiest choice to let a guy like Avayevu achieve his best.
North Texas has done this before. So has FC Dallas.
It’s something fans should get used to, even as they look for the next potential talent to make a case for a landing spot with the senior team.
Report: Hope Avayevu Out for North Texas and FC Dallas