MATCH NOTES
- FC Dallas Academy goalkeeper Aiden Jordan makes eight saves in professional debut
- Midfielder Edu Nys scored a hat trick in his second pro game
- FC Dallas defender Enzo Newman made his first appearance since April 2025
- Attendance: 1,288
- MLS NEXT Pro Box Score
ARLINGTON, Texas (March 7, 2026) – North Texas SC (1-0-1, 4 points) defeated Colorado Rapids 2 (0-2-0, 0 points) 3-1 on Saturday night at Choctaw Stadium. Edu Nys scored a hat trick for North Texas SC.
PATHWAY TO PRO
FC Dallas Academy goalkeeper Aiden Jordan made eight saves in his professional debut. He is the first FC Dallas Academy goalkeeper to play for North Texas since Julian Eyestone in 2022. Jordan committed to play collegiate soccer at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro earlier this year.
A RETURN A YEAR IN THE MAKING
In the 67th minute of the match, FC Dallas defender Enzo Newman made his return to action after suffering a torn ACL in April 2025. Newman made four appearances last year for North Texas after being drafted 11th overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.
NYS WITH IT
Midfielder Edu Nys scored a hat trick with goals in the 24th, 42nd, and 66th minutes of the match. Nys now has four goals in two matches. His hat trick is the club’s first this season, and the first since Sam Sarver’s hat trick on Decision Day in 2025.
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach John Gall
Thoughts on the match…
“We scored three goals, and when you score three goals it’s hard to lose. In all honesty, I felt there were probably a couple more goals in us, maybe even three. I didn’t feel we had the control of the game that I would have liked. We worked a lot this week on maintaining possession in the mid-zone, and I thought we were a little rushed tonight. We have a lot of players who are excited about being here and playing at this level. A lot of times they want to go forward, and the game can become very transitional. We talked about that at halftime and about managing the game a little better. Even in the second half I felt we were a little too forceful going forward. One thing I like about this group is that they’re hungry. They want to go forward and score goals. They’re exciting. I’ve said since day one that this team is going to be exciting. I told the folks down in Mansfield that we’re going to have a really exciting team when we debut in Mansfield. It was important to win here at Choctaw tonight. We were not very good here last year, so to come back and get the first win of the season in our first home game is really important.”
On Edu Nys…
“Edu is a special player and a special kid. In the offseason, I had a chance to speak with him about the project here at North Texas. He had options elsewhere but we talked about what it would mean for him to play here and how we could help him continue to grow as a young professional. He believed in me and he believed in the project, and I certainly believe in him. Tonight was a great example of that. He scored last week at Real Monarchs and scored three goals today. It’s not just his finishing. His overall play, his energy, his commitment and his effort stand out. His GPS numbers are off the charts. He’s a kid with a very high ceiling and a big future, and he’s in the right place. He’s in a place where the coach believes in him and his teammates believe in him. The best part is that he believes in the coach and in his teammates. We’ve got a good one, but it’s still early in the season. We have to keep pushing forward.”
On Enzo Newman’s return…
“Yeah, he’s a different kid. Even a few days after he tore his ACL last year, he was super upbeat. He said it was a setback, but he was going to come back from it. I watched him progress through his entire rehabilitation. We have a great staff at the club that helped him get to where he needed to be. He’s a special kid with great character and a lot of personality. He brings a lot to the team. It was great to give him minutes tonight. We gave him some minutes in preseason, and we were a little hesitant last week with the turf in Salt Lake, but we felt this was the right moment. We didn’t want to push him too much, so he got about 30 minutes. His personality is infectious. He’s a super competitor. He’s loud, enthusiastic and brings a lot of energy, but he also backs it up with quality play and good decisions. He’s athletic and a good footballer. I’m really proud of him and happy for him. There’s a lot more to come from Enzo Newman.”
Midfielder Edu Nys
On scoring tonight and building team chemistry…
“I feel pretty good. I’m just happy to get the three points, our first three points of the year. I’m happy overall. I think we’re really good with each other off the field. We spend a lot of time together and do a lot of things as a group. For example, going to church is a big thing for our team. We have chapel before games, and almost the whole team shows up. We enjoy spending time together and keeping good vibes around the group. I think that translates onto the field.”
On continuing to build…
“Obviously we still have a lot of things to work on. We just try to make things difficult for the opponent, especially with our pressing. Before every game the coaches tell us what to do, and that helps make it harder for the other team. They may have more possession, but at the end of the day they don’t really do much with the ball. I think if we keep working hard there’s no ceiling for this team. The goal is to win the MLS NEXT Pro Cup, and if we keep working the way we are, anything is possible.”
