A superb two-assist performance from Herbert Endeley powered North Texas SC to a 2-0 win over SKC II, the club’s fourth win since John Gall moved up to an assistant coaching role with FC Dallas and Michel Garbini took over at the helm of Los Toritos.
The Game
Michel’s men began the game with a 3 man back line, with Diego Garcia and Alejandro Urzua in the center of midfield.
A hot start on a hot night for the home side, as Malik Henry-Scott comes close to the opener for the home side after just four minutes.
Just minutes after that first chance, Anthony Ramirez netted the opener! The move started from fullback to fullback, as a cross from Abdul Zanne found Herbert Endeley on the far side, who sliced a perfect cross to find the head of Ramirez and the back of the net.
Just a few minutes later Ramirez let loose but fails to net an early brace after his shot found iron.
After stagnation in the midfield, SKC II began to turn the screws on North Texas’ defense, but Michael Collodi stood tall with two saves in quick succession at before the halftime whistle blew.
North Texas came out after the half-time intermission able to shake off any rust that had set in towards the closing moments of the first half.
Minutes into the second half, Endeley drove to the touchline with a beautiful zig-zag-ing move, which ended in a cross through the six-yard box that found Pedrinho on the far side, who smashed it home to give the home side a two-goal lead!
Hard work from Collodi as his save tally increased, with two more saves in the minutes that followed the goal to keep a clean sheet intact.
In the final quarter-hour of the match, Collodi was again called into action, with another big stop that denied momentum to the away side, a crucial save, as that would be the last strong chance for the away side.
North Texas held on for another clean sheet as Herbert Endeley took home the Man of the Match Hat honors.
Head Coach Michel Garbini spoke on his team’s performance after the game, “It was a very solid team performance overall. We controlled the match from the beginning” but went on to mention the team slowed as “the heat took a toll.”
North Texas looks to finish atop the table for the first time in MLS Next Pro, as Michel notes “we won tonight, but the job is not finished.”
Takeaways
Collodi’s efforts and the bolstered backline aided in delivering the second clean sheet under Michel, with the defense beginning to mend after a rough patch that included 6 goals in 180 minutes. The backline has managed just 2 goals against in the 270 minutes since.
A 2023 First Round pick for FC Dallas, Endeley’s spark has been impossible to miss in 2024 and showed plenty of dynamic playmaking in the final third.
The ever-changing role of Enes Sali continues, though he shows plenty of potential, his struggles to make the FC Dallas squad have been apparent, and tonight he was limited to a half-hour cameo.