Continuing the trend of premature rematches that started with Saturday’s trouncing of Lansing Ignite, the Young Reds got out of bed extra early Wednesday morning to welcome FC Dallas 2 North Texas SC to the BTG for the second time in two weeks.

Squaring off in front of 500 hyped preteens (and a select group of first-teamers with nothing better to do), certain parties may have expected TFC II to have an easier go of things time this time.

With team (and arguably league) poster boy Ricardo Pepi on Open Cup detail with FC Dallas, it didn’t seem totally hubristic to think the Texans might struggle in front of goal.

Just as well the three of you reading this don’t care enough to call me out for this crap.



He’s Not The Messiah, But He’ll Do

Having played every minute up to this point, Rabasca saw fit to let right-back Dante Campbell sit this one out. Given the opposition, one suspects he might’ve shared my confidence by giving Panamanian loanee Jésus West a run, fresh off four starts at the U20 World Cup.

His name might not be quite as satisfying to shout in a Cockney accent as a certain Nazarene chap, but TFC II can stop worrying about when Dante inevitably picks up that fifth yellow. He doesn’t quite have Campbell’s level of two-way play (we should be so lucky), but he’s defensively adequate and slotted in seamlessly pushing up.

Oh, Jelani…

With Julian Dunn still unaccounted for, Patrick Bunk-Andersen’s partner at centre-back was Jelani Peters. Maybe it was felt that in Pepi’s absence, North Texas was a relatively safe option for the Trinidadian’s first start since May 2017. If only.

Just to be clear, I’m not calling Peters the reason TFC II were comprehensively pantsed in the opening half-hour. If anything, the fault was tactical. The Reds committed absurd numbers forward at times, with even the centre-backs straying north of the halfway line.

One can only assume they were banking on the lines(wo)men bailing them out if the Texans made a quick counter. Alas, after 14 offside calls last week, the visitors seemed to have learnt their lesson in that regard. By the time they were first flagged in this game, they were already 3-0 up.

The third of those may have been why the Trinidadian was withdrawn after the half. Seconds after the restart following the Texans’ second, he hit a pass (ostensibly to Shaff) that Dante Sealy yoinked. His ensuing pass deflected off Jelani’s outstretched foot, into the path of “Le Petit Grenadier” Ronaldo Damus, who proceeded to wrap up his eighteen-minute hat-trick.

Hopefully this won’t shake his confidence too much, though the fact his second-half replacement FRM netted the stoppage-time equalizer won’t help his starting prospects.

Sharing Is Caring

Jordan Perruzza didn’t add to his goal tally in the comeback, but he did clock two assists, and one of them even looked intentional!

The first, a shot of his own that would’ve bounced wide, was cleaned up by Griff Dorsey, whose C$180,000 salary surely makes him the best-paid player in USL League 1 D3. The second, a through-ball to the perpetually-mispronounced Matt Srbely, might actually have been intended as a one-two but the midfielder backed himself to shoot.