Fort Lauderdale CF will host reigning USL League One champions North Texas SC at Inter Miami CF Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 8 p.m. ET. The match will air live on ESPN+.
“I think that we look like a team that’s really together. The group has good chemistry, a lot of good camaraderie and I think the group is also understanding the way we want to play,” said manager Jason Kreis. “I’m really pleased with what we’re doing in the first two thirds of the field: how we’re building up from the goalkeeper, how we’re advancing through the mid third, and now I think it’s just about working on what we do in the final third.”
Fort Lauderdale CF earned a point in another away match on Aug. 14 as it traveled to Central Florida to take on Orlando City B. The team pressured the hosts, controlled much of the match, recording 60% possession, and left with a 1-1 draw. Forward Ricky Lopez-Espin, a South Florida native, scored the team’s goal in that match, registering his third of the season, tied for second-most in the league. Goalkeeper Dylan Castanheira also put in another strong performance coming off of two previous Save of the Week awards.
The team has now earned points in successive away matches and will return to competitive action in South Florida with positive momentum ahead of the fifth match in its inaugural USL League One Season.
North Texas SC, an affiliate of FC Dallas, enjoyed a fruitful 2019 campaign, finishing atop the USL League One regular season table and going on to win the league title in just the first year of existence for the team. They finished the regular season with a record of 17 wins, five draws and six losses en route to the playoffs, where they won both their matches without conceding a goal. In 2019 the team was led by a trio of young players in forward Ronaldo Damus, forward Ricardo Pepi and midfielder Arturo Rodríguez.
Damus led the team with 16 goals in 22 appearances and remains with the team in 2020, scoring two goals through the first four matches of the season. Pepi also remains with the club, but has spent the current season with FC Dallas, while Rodríguez was loaned to Real Monarchs.
In 2020, North Texas SC has recorded one win, two draws and one loss. The team has been led by 17-year-old American forward Benjamin Redzic who has scored three goals so far this season.
