In their final home game of the 2026 MLS Next Pro Season on Sunday evening, North Texas SC was tied with Houston after regulation but defeated Dynamo Dos in a shootout.
Nick Simmonds missed a PK early in the game, which would have been his 7th goal on the season.
Lineups and Tactics
North Texas held a 4-3-3 formation, which saw zero changes from their previous game against the Dynamo Dos. Eryk Dymora earned his 20th start in goal, with a backline that consisted of Liam Vejrostek (LB), Slade Starnes (CB), Álvaro Augusto (CB), and Enzo Newman (RB).
18-year-old Lucas Martins earned his 5th start at CDM, alongside Edu Nys and Caleb Swann, who were paired together in the midfield at CM. Out wide on the wings, Diego Garcia and Ricky Louis started at LW and RW, respectively.
Up top, Simmonds started as the home team’s lone striker. Most notably absent from the starting XI was Natty James, who, after having a strong start to this season, has quietly regressed to the bench with Garcia returning from injury.
The Dynamo Dos held a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Logan Erb in goal for his 12th start of the season. After seeing a slight formation change from the 3-5-2 formation in their last matchup, the backline saw one change, with Vinicius Silva being inserted for Vitor André at LB.
Austin Brummett replaced Arthur Sousa and started at the 10. With Brummett falling back into the midfield, Jahmani Bell retained the lone-striker duties for Houston. Out wide, Samir Mohammad and 17-year-old Mattheo Dimareli started at LW and RW, respectively.
In the midfield, Dohmann and D’Alessandro Herrera started as dual CMs. Most notably absent from the starting lineup was defender Reese Miller, who has 4 goals and 3 assists this season for the Dynamo Dos.
The Game
North Texas got off to a great start in the 15th minute. Swann picked up the ball in the Dynamo Dos box and was promptly taken down by Barrett in a reckless challenge. Simmonds stepped up to take the kick minutes later and had his PK saved by Erb, keeping the game tied.
Houston had a slight edge over NTSC in the 1st half in terms of possession, even though the home side was the only team of the two to record a shot on target. Neither team earned a yellow card; however, both teams accumulated one corner each.
“We played well, dominated the game and had the momentum on our side,” Dymora said. “Houston didn’t have too many opportunities. We kept them under control, and I thought it was a really good, professional performance from us.”
Similar to the first 45 minutes of action, the second frame was just as quiet. Possession evened out for the most part at 51% for North Texas, and both teams racked up 3 total shots on target, 2 of which were for the home side.
However, after 90+ minutes of soccer, the game headed to a shootout. In it, Dymora was able to tally two saves in front of the home crowd to help secure two points for North Texas SC in their final home game of the 2026 season.
Penalty Kick Results:
HOU – 🟢🟢🟢🔴🔴
NTX – 🟢🟢🟢🟢X
“I definitely thought we did enough to win the game,” Head Coach John Gall said. “We kept pushing and made some really good decisions on the ball. Defensively, we were really solid from front to back, and Eryk made two saves in the shootout to get us the extra point.”
Despite not winning in regulation, Caleb Swann gave North Texas a great opportunity to win. My Man of the Match drew a penalty for the home side in the 17th minute. He also completed 81% of his passes and created the joint-most chances for either team, with 3.
With the Sunday result, North Texas sits 8th in the playoffs and would currently host the play-in game between the 8th and 9th seeds. Los Toritos will need a result in their final game to hold onto a playoff spot.
Up next, North Texas SC travels to Metropolitan State University of Denver Stadium to take on Colorado Rapids 2 on Sunday, September 20th at 4:00 pm CT. The Rapids 2 are currently 3-17-7 on the season, with 2 shootout wins.
“We won’t take Colorado for granted,” coach Gall said. “It’s an away game, it’s during the day, and we’ll have to bring our own energy. They’re a well-coached team with good players, so we’ll have a strong week of preparation, recover, and make sure we’re ready to take care of business.”