Conceding late goals has been an unfortunate part of North Texas’ story in 2023, with points continuing to be dropped in added time.
A displeased head coach Javier Cano remarked after the late defeat “I cannot go home happy because I am a disappointed guy, I hate to lose, and the way we lost…”
The Match
FC Dallas’ injury crisis has depleted North Texas of many of their difference-making players, such as Bernard Kamungo and Jose Mulato, as well as an injury to Hope Avayevu, meaning the attacking line players are all quite young.
Jared Salazar and Theo Ferreira (no relation to Jesus) both earned starts this week, with the young Nayrobi Vargas once again leading the line.
North Texas started the match on the front foot, getting shots away early after a promising look from Salazar.
After that, little happened in the match, as each team’s midfield took turns with the ball but could not find penetration.
Right on the halftime whistle, Antonio Carrera made his first save of the match as the teams went into the break knotted at zeros, with little to separate the two sides.
Similar to the start of the match, North Texas starts the second half on the front foot, with many dangerous set-piece opportunities in quick succession but none trouble the San Jose netminder.
Diego Hernandez checked in for Theo around the hour mark and was at the heart of two chances soon after. Vargas came close, and Hernandez himself came even closer, each denied by small margins and the frame of the goal.
A few minutes before the clock struck 90, midfielder Luke Shreiner was substituted on to make his debut for the club, replacing Captain Andre Costa.
At the 90′ mark, Carrera made a huge save to deny Cruz Medina in the center of the goal, but minutes later Medina would make no mistake. A looping cross over the heads of everyone found Medina unmarked at the back post, who fired it past Carrera with force.
With very little stoppage time left to play, the late goal decided the match, as North Texas fell 1-0 at home.
Quotes and Takeaways
Consecutive weeks for North Texas having an unfriendly relationship with the frame of the goal, as it let in two against last week and denied a goal in their favor this week. This young group of forwards are not playing poorly but can struggle to make an impact in the match as the Hope-Mulato-Kamungo line did.
After the match, a disappointed Coach Cano noted his displeasure with the match despite his team’s hard work, “Monday we get to the field and we work. The opponents need to fight to win the games and we cannot give up”
Cano says the stoppage time concession was a matter of “Bad positioning and bad communication” noting Rose deciding to take the near post runner instead of the far post one as a contributing factor.
Diego Garcia wraps up the match by saying “We played hard this game and now we just keep working and working the little details to go to Kansas and get three points.”
As Garcia mentioned, the North Texas visits Sporting KC II on Sunday, June 25th, looking for 3 critical points for the playoff hunt.