North Texas Soccer Club kicks off its season this weekend against Fort Lauderdale CF at Globe Life Park in Arlington at 7:30 pm. There’s been a fair amount of turnover on the NTXSC roster with just five players returning. SO it seems a quick roster primer might be in order.
Returning North Texas Players
With David Rodriguez out on loan, there are only five players NTX returning from 2020.
| No. | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Alisson | 2nd season player, holding mid or fill in center back. Leader. |
| 6 | Imanol Almaguer | Versatile outside back or linking mid from the FCD Academy. 2nd season. |
| 28 | Alex Bruce | 2nd season forward with pro experience. Origionally from Coach Eric Quill’s Houstn Texans. Struggeled to stay healthy in 2019. |
| 14 | Gibran Rayo | 2nd year player out of the Academy, midfielder or winger. |
| 18 | Derek Waldeck | Smart soccer left back, formally holding mid. Leader. Most improved in 2020 but lacks athleticism and pace. |
New Signings
| No. | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Hope Kodzo Avayevu | Ghanian player spotted at the 2019 Dallas Cup, invited to train with NTX and FCD for about 6 months. Returned for 2021 to sign with the club after turning 18. |
| 88 | Kazu | Japanese/Brazilian left back. Picked up an injury in preseason. |
| 4 | Caiser Gomes | Guinea center back on loan from FC Alverca. |
| 22 | Thibaut Jacquel | French striker by way of Campbell. “The Jackel” has a real nose for goal. |
| 7 | Bernard Kamungo | Tanzania winger signed from Abilene High School’s varsity soccer team after an open tryout. |
| 15 | Mikey Maldonado | Versatile defender or holding mid from San Antonio. Out of San Antonio Surf Soccer Club. Signed after discovery in the club’s open tryout. |
| 2 | Juan Parra | Colombian center back on loan from Independiente Medellín. |
| 24 | Rio Ramirez | Right back from Alrington signed from Fort Worth Vaqueros. |
| 40 | Richard Sanchez | The former FC Dallas Homegrown – 6th in club history – who signed with NTX after Sporting KC didn’t keep him this winter. |
| 1 | Colin Shutler | Highest keeper taken in the MLS SUperDraft, 48th overall, out of Virginia. Was expected to be the starter until Sanchez signed this week. |
| 21 | Rickson Van Hees | Former US U17 of Dutch/Meican descent. Comes to NTX from NEC Nijmegen in the Dutch second division.. |
| 11 | Alejandro | Mexican/Brazilian winger of high potential and hype. |
FC Dallas Players Who Might Come Down
| No. | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | Beni Redzic | The newest FC Dallas homegrown. Left winger. He should see a lot of NTX time in 2021 as he’s not officially on the FCD roster that we know of. |
| 29 | Nkosi Tafari | With the 3-4-3 he’ll be with the first team. But could use some PT at NTX. |
| ? | Kalil ElMedkhar | FCD’s newest college homegrown. He’s making FCD benches but at some point might need some PT too. |
| 8? | Nicky Hernandez | FCD’s number 1 pick after playing a handful of games with NTX last year. Was not in the game day roster opening weekend. |
| 26 | Eddie Munjoma | Made great strides with the cup of coffee he got with NTX last year. A few games to start the year might not hurt. |
Academy Players Expected
These are the FCD Academy players I think we’re most likely to see.
| 48 | Matthew Corcoran | U15 holding mid, often plays with U17s. The only Academy player listed on the USL roster so far. |
| 13 | Antonio Carrera | U17 keeper who spent most of the spring camp with FC Dallas or NTX. I expected him to spend the season with NTX until Sanchez signed. |
| 20 | Grady Easton | U19 center back who made a couple of starts for NTX last year. Often appears in FCD and NTX training. |
| 36 | Diego Hernandez | U17 central mid who made his NTX debut last year, even if it was only for 1 minute. |
| ? | Collin Smith | U19 winger who played a fair amount for NTX last year. He’s being tried at right back and spent most of the spring with FC Dallas and NTX. |
But there could be a whole bunch more: Josh Ramsey (’02 CB), Riley O’Donnell (’02 W), Julian Eyestone (’06 GK), Jose Guitierrez (’04 F/M), Jordan Jones (’05 M), Antony Ramirez (’05 W/M), Tarik Scott (05 W/M), Ty Reynolds (’04 RB), Kristian Kelley (’06 F/W).