With only stoppage time left in the game, North Texas SC conceded two goals and ultimately lost 3-2 to Houston Dynamo 2 at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium.
NTSC now sits at 8th in the Western Conference, two points clear of missing the playoffs.
Lineups and Tactics
Coming off their 4-1 win against Real Monarchs, North Texas maintained a 4-3-3 formation, with Eryk Dymora in goal for his 19th start of the season. The backline saw one change, as Liam Vejrostek replaced Leandro Gonçalves at LB.
The midfield remained the same, despite the formation shift. However, out wide on the wing, Diego Garcia was inserted for Natty James at LW. Ricky Louis started opposite him at RW, for his 16th start of the season.
Up top, Nick Simmonds remained the team’s lone striker, with support in the midfield in the form of Edu Nys (CM) and Caleb Swann (CM). Most notably absent from the starting XI was Nico Montoya, who started the two games prior and helped secure 5 points across those two games.
The Dynamo Dos came out in a 3-5-2 formation, with Roman Kerimov in goal for his 2nd start of the season. The backline consisted of Vitor André (LCB), Chibuike Ukaegbu (CB), and 17-year-old Daniel Barrett (RCB).
In the midfield, Samir Mohammad (LWB) and Noah Betancourt (RWB) started wide on the wings, while Gustavo Dohmann (CM), D’Alessandro Herrera (CM), and Mattheo Dimareli (CM) lined up in between them across the central midfield.
Up top, Arthur Sousa and Jahmani Bell started as dual strikers for the Dynamo Dos. Most notably absent from the starting lineup was Austin Brummett, who came off the bench and leads the team in goals with 10 on the season prior to the game.
The Game
North Texas started out strong, drawing a penalty in the 13th minute of the game. After Swann played a give-and-go ball with Simmonds, the midfielder laid it off to Louis, whose subsequent shot was deflected off André’s arm in the box. The referee immediately pointed to the circle; it was confirmed seconds later, and Simmonds was called upon to take the kick. In the 14th minute, Simmonds’ shot into the top left corner gave North Texas an early 1-0 lead.
That lead didn’t last long, however. In the 30th minute, Louis turned the ball over in the midfield with an errant pass. The Dynamo Dos immediately countered and played Arthur through past Álvaro Augusto. After cutting it back onto his left foot, Arthur curled in a low shot past Dymora to tie the game, 1-1.
In the second half, Arthur picked up his second yellow card of the game in the 53rd minute after his tackle came in high on Martins. The NTSC midfielder went down immediately, and the Dynamo Dos goalscorer was subsequently sent off. The away side finished the remainder of the game down a man.
Los Toritos regained their lead in the 75th minute. After Natty James’ corner was deflected away by a Dynamo Dos defender, Nys settled the ball just outside the box and volleyed home a rocket for his 10th goal of the season.
Despite North Texas leading 2-1 and being up a man, the Dynamo Dos equalized in the 1st minute of stoppage time. Alan Martins picked up the ball in the box, bodied his defender, and passed it back towards Mohammad. The 18-year-old settled the ball and scored to make it 2-2.
“We were 2-1 up with a man advantage,” Head Coach John Gall said. “The clear message from the sideline was not to go looking for a third goal, expose ourselves, and give up a second. Unfortunately, we were our own worst enemy in terms of managing the game. We decided to attack and try to get a third goal; we got counterattacked, and all of a sudden it’s 2-2.”
Just as the game was ending, Houston took the lead in the 11th minute of stoppage time. Mohammad made a run down the left side of the pitch, crossed it in front of goal, and connected with Brummett, who tapped home the game-winning goal, securing the 3-2 win for the Dynamo Dos.
“I thought we played well and managed the game well up until probably the last 10 minutes,” Gall said. “Unfortunately, when you expose yourself by not thinking about defending the lead, you put yourself in a difficult position. We didn’t want to sit back. We wanted to manage the ball, move the ball, and use our man advantage, but unfortunately, we didn’t do that, and it cost us.”
Overall, it wasn’t a pretty performance from North Texas. However, my Man of the Match, Edu Nys, had himself a solid night. With a goal, 2 chances created, and 5 defensive contributions, Nys was in large part the main reason why Los Toritos almost came away with three points.
Up next, North Texas SC welcomes Houston Dynamo 2 to Texas Health Mansfield Stadium on Sunday, September 13th at 7:30 pm CT, for the final home game of the season. The Dynamo Dos are currently 14-7-5 on the season, with 4 shootout wins.
