FRISCO, Texas– It took years for FC Dallas to finally invest in a USL affiliate. The star-studded academy players needed minutes in a consistent system, monitored by the team.
Dallas invested in a USL League One affiliate, the third division of US Soccer and North Texas Soccer Club was born. Playing players from the academy, first team, and NTSC, head coach Eric Quill was given the task of monitoring the development of the players and pushing for the League One crown.
The process took its first steps to fruition with the team’s 1-0 victory over the Greensville Triumph, winning the inaugural USL League One trophy in front of the home fans at Toyota Stadium Saturday night.
“Our staff put a lot of work together,” Quill said. “We sweat together, we worked together for hours. These guys worked exceptionally hard. The team sees that culture that we set on this second team and with guys coming up, guys coming down, a constant culture says a lot about the Brecc Evans’ and the Arturo Rodriguez of the locker room, that they’re the rocks and the glue.”
Rodriguez, who won the man of the match for the championship, scored the game’s only goal in the 60th minute. After a scramble in the box, Rodriguez ended up with the ball and on a one-time effort, slotted the shot past Greensville keeper Dallas Jaye. It has been a stellar year for Rodriguez, who led the USL League One in assists with 10, pairing it with eight goals on the year.
The game had a rough start, with a feeling out process for both sides. As the Triumph sat deep, frustrating North Texas, the teams began to trade barbs on the pitch. NTSC attempted to hit Greensville with its speed, while the Triumph used its tactical organization to its advantage.
“We approached the game in the right way,” Triumph head coach John Harkes said. “Our mentality was fantastic. The first 20 minutes, we had four really good chances to score. That sometimes opens the door and invites the team back into the match.”
Goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck had a strong match and was one of the key players in North Texas’ victory. He made seven saves, including a key paw in the 88th minute to help secure the victory for North Texas. A veteran on this team, Quill complimented the effort of Zobeck, who hasn’t had regular action on the first or second team.
“Kyle stood on his head,” Quill said. “You don’t have to watch the game, it could be your first time watching soccer, you could tell that Kyle played out of his mind. I’m just happy for Kyle. He’s an extraordinary human being. He deserves that. His experience as why he was chosen, and you just never know what performance you’re going to get. He hasn’t played a lot in MLS this year so maybe confidence you could say is not at his highest but you couldn’t be able to tell that from his performance tonight.”
For a player like Evans, who has lifted trophies at the youth level, winning North Texas’ first-ever trophy is a sweet feeling, especially with the process he’s gone through with the club.
“This is my home,” Evans said. “I’ve gone through the levels. they’ve given me lots of opportunities that I’m not sure any other organization in the US is able to provide. I will always be extremely grateful for FC Dallas and North Texas organizations.”
After years of work, Dallas’ investment in its academy is coming full circle, with many players that may not have a chance on the first team having a place to blossom with North Texas SC.
“Winning is everything,” Quill said. “These guys need to know how to win. Some of these guys came from the developmental academy and that word development– winning and development go together. I think sometimes, we forget that. These guys need to learn how to be winners and they did that. They did that. These guys are winners. These guys are battle-tested to go on to the next level of their career and that’s all we can do, to provide. That’s what I get the most enjoyment out of is these guys getting this moment and what it brings for them after this.”