Afterburn Soccer Show

Afterburn Soccer Show Notes

First, welcome back to the show after a brief hiatus.

Big story - after a 2-1 loss at Colorado, with Owen Goal posting up, Dallas returns home and gets a big win that might just save their season with goals from Petar Musa and Sebastian Ibeagha.

* Reactions to the match

* Petar Musa is legit, can we agree?

* The first half still gives us lots of question marks

* Jesus Ferreira is back

* Sebastian postgame??

Jose’ trip report - 2-1 loss to Colorado

What does this win potentially mean?

* Nico on Pain clip

North Texas meanwhile remains undefeated

* despite giving up a two goal lead on Dynamo Dos

* Enes Sali is legit

* Lots of talent - a learning moment for this squad?

* Is North Texas playing with more identity than Dallas right now?

What is next?

FC Dallas @ Toronto

North Texas @ SKC 2

Leads are tricky things in any sport.

North Texas Soccer Club learned that the hard way on Sunday evening. Houston Dynamo 2 came to town, hungry for a result, and despite a classy finish from Enes Sali in the first half and stellar fast break goal by Diego Garcia in the second, the visiting side scrapped their way back into the match to draw level. Both goals were a combination of sloppy giveaways and lack of concentration, situations that North Texas keeper Michael Collodi would want back.

A bit of a consolation - Collodi saved the final PK in the ensuing penalty shootout for an extra point.

Gall was reflective after the match. “We feel that we dropped the point tonight, but that’s football. You play against opponents who are desperate. We have to be a little bit more mature.”

All in all, while not the perfect performance that North Texas has been working towards, the game was thoroughly dominated by the home side. However, once any team gets a lead, the game state shifts. The Dynamo had nothing to lose by springing for counterattacks and becoming more aggressive. They created the environment to get back into this one, while North Texas had their own lessons to learn.

Diego Garcia noted this after the game on how the team needed to improve, “Keep the ball more. Move the ball more. Be calm with the ball.”

Pedrinho made his first start for the team, and while not his best performance, Gall is confident the youngster is going to make a big difference down the line.

Sali also looks every bit worth the investment, even if he spends most of his year with North Texas as he gains experience and grows into his role. He is dangerous and shows some classy techniques that will give opponents fits.

North Texas will hit the road against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday evening to continue their undefeated campaign.

First of all, no Afterburn Soccer Show tonight. I think Jose is still traveling back from Colorado, so we’ll look for a trip report as he had to watch FC Dallas lose on foreign soil. Stay tuned for a rescheduled show later in the week.

While FC Dallas continues to struggle, North Texas Soccer Club are striding out of the great, undefeated in their first five matches of the season.

Against the Rapids 2, the young team had a rough first 45, although they remained pesky enough in the backline to ward off potential attacks from the home side. Apparently, head coach John Gall found the right words to motivate the guys. As the second half unfolded, North Texas took control.

First, Pedrinho drew a penalty late in the second half and stepped up to slot the opening goal home.

Then Rapids 2 had a player sent off for a second yellow which opened the game up, as Colorado pushed for an equalizer.

Late in stoppage time, Tarik Scott essentially passed the ball into the back of the net for the game’s second goal, his third of the season.

All in all, the performance from North Texas has the makings of a team hungry to continue to grow and fight for every chance. I continue to be amazed at academy alum Michael Collodi in goal, who is quickly making a case for a look with the senior team down the line. The senior side needs to practice with these kids, maybe get some of the mojo to run around and play with risk, joy, and courage.

I can’t recommend enough to watch North Texas if you are feeling the hurt as an FC Dallas fan right now. At the least, it will give you some hope for the future as young guys fly around and exhibit what fans want to see week in and out in Frisco.

Head coaches are not always comfortable dealing with media. It’s not necessarily why they got into the business, but the job description includes it. Some coaches then are famously tight-lipped, while others try to forge a respectful relationship with reporters.

Often, coaches never share what they say to their players in the locker room. Is there a benefit to displaying dirty laundry when a squad is already struggling? Even when they are extremely disappointed with a performance, some managers choose to stay positive to the outside world, acknowledging mistakes but highlighting the good things from a match.

Hey, athletes are humans. They read the media. They listen to their coaches. If they get bashed publicly, will it motivate them to play better? Or will they get more stuck in a bad run of form?

On Saturday evening, as FC Dallas dropped yet another loss on the road to Colorado, Nico Estevez didn’t have much positive to say. While he didn’t name names or go out of his way to point fingers at his guys, his frustration and disappointment came through loud and clear on the postgame call.

I asked Nico what happened in this match, especially that first half when it seemed that FC Dallas struggled to generate any positive momentum.

“We didn’t show up,” Nico said with bluntness.

Unfortunately, these poor starts are becoming a bigger problem than just one or two bad games. How many times in recent years can we look back to games where Dallas gives up an early goal and has to claw their way back into the match? How many times has this team seemed to hesitate a bit from the opening whistle, like they want to play chess while their opponents are happy to smash and grab their way to a result?

I followed up to ask Nico what might fix this, if there is something the staff need to do differently. He did not have any answers. He acknowledged that the team has great weeks of practice where the team does exciting things. Somehow, between Friday afternoon and Saturday evening, that edge is lost.

One anonymous social media fan said, “It’s like the team is playing not to lose.”

Nico also acknowledged the frustration of bringing on subs without making any tactical changes and seeing a different energy and approach. Those same subs have started before and lacked the same kind of edge. The head coach has yet to find an answer.

The question is - how much longer does Nico have to figure things out?

Jose joined this one a little late, so Nathan starts this one solo.

Hear clips from Nico Estevez and Petar Musa.

And here is the question - what will fix this run of play for FC Dallas? Does time heal all wounds?

Thanks for listening!

We are looking to do a show on Wednesday, folks.

It’s also spring break for my kids.

I visited Paul Arriola’s hometown of San Diego, hoping he might get some fresh energy to help his team turn the corner. It has not been fun for FC Dallas fans. Luckily, we aren’t the only team struggling, but there is only so slow you can start before your luck and postseason hopes fall apart.

Enjoy the view!

Earlier this month, I sat down with John Gall, the new head coach of North Texas Soccer Club, to talk about his journey to FC Dallas, his passion for soccer, and his vision for the club.

We had a slow week this week, due to other work commitments, so this is a bonus episode of sorts before we get back into the swing of things next Monday.