Road Points Are Always Good as North Texas SC Win PK Shootout at Portland
A golazo from, who else, Edouard Nys clawed North Texas SC back into a vital draw against the Timbers 2, and Eryk Dymora made his second PK save of the night for the extra point win.
I always like to remind North Texas Soccer Club fans of the big picture — road points are always a good thing.
On Sunday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest, North Texas SC grabbed some big ones, taking on a defensively sound Portland Timbers 2 team that also gave minutes to some senior roster guys. Those are never a good combination of factors: being on the road, facing a mature opponent, and having to break down a tough defensive unit. But North Texas got the job done, with the Baby Burn finding that extra gear late to steal two points.
After taking the lead from an own goal, scored after Edouard Nys led Diego Garcia in on the left side, North Texas SC were confident of getting points. Sure, a harsh penalty kick was called minutes later, one that the refs should have looked at again, but Eryk Dymora, growing in leadership in recent weeks, got his hand to it to push it away from the goal. It was a huge moment, a boost to this team.
Of course, despite a flurry of incredible opportunities, including shots from Marlon Luccin and Natty James, the lead would remain 1-0 until the Timbers 2 mounted a furious second-half comeback. Their first came via a brain-fart kind of moment as the back line lost track of a Timbers striker, who received the ball and coolly equalized. A second penalty kick was given on a poor challenge by North Texas, and this time, Dymora couldn’t find a hand to it.
Suddenly, what was a 1-0 victory was shaping up to be a disappointing defeat — until Edouard Nys decided otherwise.
The phenom received the ball at the top of the box, made a slashing run, and found the skill to lash a ball with the outside of his left foot. The massive goal put Nys back into the golden boot race and grabbed a full point on the road for the young team.
North Texas SC would go on to win the penalty kick shootout, making five of five shots. Dymora would deny the Timbers on their first attempt, capping a strong performance from the goalkeeper.
There are so many fun threads to follow out of this match.
Of course, as I started, road points are always good and make up for dropped points at home, especially last weekend’s disappointment against Sporting Kansas City 2.
Edouard Nys is a real star in MLS Next Pro, and the league would be wise to match his play by promoting his story about choosing this pathway to potential first-team minutes. With FC Dallas looking more and more for attacking midfielders to complement their attacking prowess, Nys has a clear avenue to rise up the ladder and contribute at the next level if he keeps this up and improves. One note - after Nys scored the late equalizer, he was the first rushing toward the goal to grab the ball and look for another. What a spirit.
The most interesting nugget after the match was head coach John Gall acknowledging that his young side is generally facing opponents throughout this campaign that are bigger and stronger. Yes, North Texas has guys like Slade Starnes and Jonah Biggar, but the rest of the team tends to be on the smaller side. That adds extra complications, challenging them to be cleaner and more precise with their passing and control.
One mantra repeated by the coaching staff and players is about being comfortable with the uncomfortable.
“We knew that coming here in Portland was going to be a challenge. It was a really strong team. They had some first-team guys playing with them today. We knew it was going to be a challenge. We were really happy with the first half - the goal with some attacking energy and mentality,” Gall told Afterburn. “We knew Portland were the kind of team to put a lot of defenders on the back line. I kind of felt like we had enough in the first half to get a second goal. Obviously, you go in at halftime, talked about a few things to clean up. All of a sudden, we allowed their No. 9 to get free inside the box. They equalized, and it changed the game. One of the things we harped on this week was enjoying uncomfortable moments. So happy for Edu to get that goal near the end.”
Dymora concurred. “Like John said, being comfortable being uncomfortable. I feel like that was the game today. Lots of moments when we were on the back foot. I think we came up big. To get two points away from home, I think, is big.”
While we all wish North Texas SC could just be dominant and run away with things, this is a team still on the rise. They sit in 4th place, buoyed by two PK shootout wins. Yes, the remaining schedule is going to be tough, and they’ve missed Nicholas Simmonds, who made his first-team debut last weekend. Give yourself continued reason to be excited about how they compete and find a way to get results with a much more balanced attack this year.