Afterburn Soccer Show

A good, tight show tonight as we break down FC Dallas and North Texas SC results and news.

The big story was FC Dallas’ draw at St Louis, despite going down to ten men. A huge performance from Jacob Jackson who earns MLS Player of the Week Honors.

North Texas SC also welcomed Ventura County after beating them on the west coast and found a late goal for a draw and PK shootout win. They are above the playoff line.

Lots of good stuff - even a smattering of NFL talk near the end.

Life is good.

Rather than write something up, I popped open my phone camera to share a few thoughts of what was, in my opinion, a solid evening for FC Dallas and North Texas.

FC Dallas held on to an away draw at St Louis, despite like 30 shots on goal and being down to ten players most of the match. Jacob Jackson was a huge presence in this one, but credit to Petar Musa for finding yet another clutch goal. You always take an away point in this league.

North Texas SC couldn’t replicate their big away win against Ventura County but also found a late equalizer from Aaron Essel to earn a draw at home. They went on to confidently claim the extra point in the penalty kick shootout. They are now officially above the playoff line again. Good stuff for this young team.

All in all, with all the adversity these teams have faced, it’s a night we can take as fans and keeps the postseason in contention.

Welcome to the Afterburn Soccer Show.

We hit the topics quick and hard. Apologies in advance for Collin’s audio issues in this one - something up with his phone.

FC Dallas drew at home to LAFC after going down from a golazo by Son Heung-min. Logan Farrington tied it up, but it was Michael Collodi with a huge performance. Are we witnessing a goalkeeper battle? Is Maarten Paes out for a while? Lots to think about.

North Texas SC collapsed after two yellow cards to Mo Cisset. Despite some first-teamers getting time with the squad, it did not look good. North Texas is in dangerous territory as now they have to really claw their way back into postseason contention.

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Special shout-out to the Collodi family!

We hit all the topics in this episode - FC Dallas, Petar Musa’s injury, away draws, depth and formation stuff, and more.

Oh, yeah, and Enes Sali is back with North Texas. That’s a good thing, right?

Welcome back to the Afterburn Soccer Show for August 11, 2025

FC Dallas get a big win at home, 2-0 over the Portland Timbers. What an atmosphere. What a result after a lot of change. Petar Musa opens the scoring. Lalas Abubakar grabs a massive header goal. Michael Collodi is so strong in goal. Lots to like about this performance.

* What did you like, guys?

* Matt Doyle wrote that the Lucho Acosta departure looked like a ton of weight lifted off this team?

Let’s hear from Eric Quill after the game.

* How are confident are you feeling about this team making things interesting in the playoff push?

North Texas, on Friday night, traveled down to Austin FC 2. Augusto Alvaro and Pedrinho started in this one which NTSC led most of the way behind Caleb Swann’s first professional goal. Strong performance, denied late by an Austin goal but winning the PK shootout.

* Is this a good sign that NTSC can find a way to win without their talisman, Sam Sarver?

Lots of roster turmoil:

* Do we expect Dallas to bring in any more players before the window closes?

* Who has the most to gain with Lucho Acosta’s departure?

Predictions:

North Texas welcomes St Louis City 2 on Saturday.

FC Dallas travel down to Austin on Saturday.

If you missed our written interview with Mo, you can find it here.

Otherwise, enjoy this slightly edited audio conversation with Mohamed Cisset, defender with North Texas Soccer Club.

It’s a bonus episode!

Our latest pod is up, breaking down FC Dallas’ continued woes at home after they lost 4-3 at home to NYCFC. A disappointing night again, and head coach Eric Quill is still searching for answers. Is it the roster? Is it the coach? Is it the roster construction? Why can’t this team figure it out?

And what is the future of Lucho Acosta?

North Texas SC, meanwhile, balled out in an impressive win at home against visiting C.D. Tapatio. The two strong academy programs showcased some fun soccer, but it was Pedrinho leading the way with two great goals. Tsiki had two awesome assists. Lots of fun in this one.

Thanks to Chris Winters, Jose Carmona, Collin Coovert, and Mar Cin for joining us on this one.

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I know there is some kind of All-Star game going on tonight, but FC Dallas fans aren’t really bothered by such diversions.

Instead, we are basking in a 4-point week for our team, a rarity in what has been a tough season.

Of the many questions troubling fans in Frisco, one has been the lack of opportunities for young players trying to make their way through the academy, out of North Texas SC, and into the senior team.

Not, of course, that it has been all bad. Pedrinho, after an excellent championship year with North Texas, has been a welcome surprise this season, chipping in 2 goals and 3 assists as a backup playmaker/starting winger. Kaick, at 19 years of age, started earning minutes pretty quickly and may be beginning to hit his stride — though he was a signing directly from Gremio’s U19 side. Álvaro is another young signing who has had some decent performances with North Texas and now with Dallas.

Beyond that, for a long stretch of games, FC Dallas was mostly turning to underperforming veterans to try to carve out results. Guys like Bernard Kamungo and even Logan Farrington, who spent some formative minutes with NTSC, haven’t been as consistent as needed. Why not play the youth if the guys with more experience are going to struggle?

Suddenly, though, that North Texas to FC Dallas pipeline is looking stronger and stronger.

Josh Torquato bags a homegrown deal as he steps in at left wingback and plays well. Really well for a 17-year-old.

Sam Sarver transferred his scintillating form with the reserve team into an energetic cameo and earned a penalty kick late on Saturday, a quick rise from SuperDraft pick to potential first teamer.

And the fans ate it up. Because we love these kinds of stories. This is what FC Dallas has been about. Yes, we want stars and good players on our roster, but we love it when the youngsters work their way up, get their shot, and make the most of it. We love it when guys like Chris Richards are able to come home and wear the local colors. We believe it when Dan Hunt and company said this team was about building through the academy.

So, hey, in a very strange season that has had plenty of disappointment (so far), let’s take a moment to celebrate with Quill on two young guys who bring inspiration and energy, who are playing well above their years, and potentially helping the team write a different ending to the season.

Here’s to many more.

It’s hard to write the show notes, because we had so much to cover in this episode as we welcomed Chris Winters, who covers North Texas SC for 3rd Degree.

Here are a few highlights:

* How are we feeling about FC Dallas after a 4 point week? Is there hope?

* Has Quill found something in this formation?

* Will Musa break FC Dallas’ season goal scoring record?

* When will Sam Sarver be signed?

* How about them kids?

* What is the future of Lucho Acosta?

* How will North Texas fare without Sam Sarver?

* Jersey-gate with Collin. Shoutout to Dan Hunt!

* A dash of looking ahead at this weekend with games for both North Texas and FC Dallas

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For those fans hoping that a road trip might give the team a chance to flip their play around after three home losses, FC Dallas unfortunately couldn’t deliver, losing to Los Angeles FC 2-0.

Patrickson Delgado turned the ball over in the first half which LAFC quickly delivered into an opening goal via a young talent Nathan Ordaz. A foul on the box was called on Shaq Moore as he went shoulder to shoulder with Dennis Bouanga, an all too familiar situation for teams facing the LA. Bouanga slotted the PK home.

The big drama in this one was seeing Lucho Acosta lose his captaincy and left on the bench to start the game. Pedrinho got the start, but FC Dallas really didn’t get things going. Not that it was all bad - as Quill noted to media after the match, there definitely was some hard work by the team. For a stretch in the first half, they were doing good work staying organized and preventing Los Angeles from finding opportunities.

Maarten Paes also had a solid game with seven saves, showing vital leadership and keeping the team at least with some hope as minutes ticked by.

Ultimately, though, there were once again no answers for a team that is struggling with a lack of confidence and a clear identity. Even when Lucho came back on in the second half, the creative attacker struggled to influence the game.

I was able to send in a couple of questions - listen in to the audio above, shared by FC Dallas.

The big challenge for Eric Quill is to find ways to keep this team at least bought in and heads held high. It’s clear that the mounting run of results are only going to keep dragging the team down unless they can weather the storm and figure things out in real time. The season is slipping away.

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