After Austin FC II scored early, North Texas SC was unable to climb back into the game and ultimately lost 2-0 at Choctaw Stadium in front of the home crowd.
With this loss, Los Toritos fall to 2-4-3 on the season and 7th in the Western Conference.
Lineups and Tactics
North Texas made a number of changes from their previous match against MNUFC2, opting for a 4-2-3-1 formation for this game. In goal, Nico Montoya earned his first appearance in the starting XI after picking up an injury before the season started.
On the backline, Álvaro Augusto replaced Jonah Biggar for his 3rd start of the season. Joshua Torquato returned to the lineup in place of Leandro Gonçalves, after missing their previous game. Ricky Louis (LW) made his 3rd start as well, replacing Jaidyn Contreras.
The team’s leading scorer, Edu Nys, started at the 10, with Natty James out wide at RW. Most notably absent from the starting XI was Eryk Dymora, who had started 7 of their 8 previous games this season, despite not coming into the season as the solidified starter.
For the away side, the Verde Dos held a 4-3-3 formation with a single pivot. In goal, Erik Lauta earned his 4th start of the season. On the backline, Daniel Cieśla got his 2nd start at RB, opposite Patrick Cayelli who started for the 7th time this season.
In the midfield, Ervin Torres earned his 2nd start at CM, alongside an experienced group of players, including the team’s leading goal scorer, Jorge Alastuey, who paired with him as the team’s other 8.
Most notably absent from tonight’s starting XI was defender Riley Thomas, who had started 5 games prior to tonight. Thomas has 1 goal on the season, and is 4th on the team with a 90% pass completion percentage.
The Game
Less than 10 minutes into the game, the Verde Dos kicked off the scoring. Micah Burton connected with Alastuey in the box. Alastuey turned and fired a shot into the top left corner for the game’s opening goal. Austin took an early, 1-0 lead.
Just before half, in the 1st minute of stoppage time, the Verde Dos doubled their lead. Jules Bery played a massive long ball from the backline, which found its way to Burton, who chipped it over Montoya for the 2-0 lead.
“[Montoya] couldn’t do much about the first goal, and on the second, he was caught between coming and staying, but we should have cleared the ball before it even got into our box,” head coach John Gall said. “Overall, I thought he was solid and used his feet well to pick out some good passes.”
Unfortunately for North Texas, they never found their footing in the second half. After finishing with 54% of possession, they fell short of the Verde Dos’ 8 shots on target, with only 3 of their own to show for it.
“The effort and work from the team can’t be faulted, but right now we’re not good enough in either box,” coach Gall said. “Football can be cruel. You have to be better from the edge of the box to the goal line, on both ends. That’s where we are at the moment, but we’ll keep working to improve.
Truthfully, after a performance as poor as the one tonight, it’s hard to find any highlights worth mentioning. However, Enzo Newman showed up on the score sheet in a big way. Our Man of the Match completed 95% of his 43 passes, had 8 defensive contributions, and won 7 of his 8 ground duels.
Up next, North Texas SC travels to National Sports Center Stadium to take on MNUFC2 on Saturday, May 9th at 7:00 pm CT. Minnesota is currently 4-3-1 on the season, with 1 shoot-out win.