SHERMAN, TX – Texoma FC (0-1-1, 1 Point) lost to USL Championship Side Phoenix Rising FC (1-1-1, 5 Points) at the death in a 5-4 USL Jägermeister Cup thriller.
Match Recap
- Goal 7’ – Brandon McManus; Asst. Donald Benamna (TXO)
- Penalty Goal 20’’ – Charlie Dennis (PHX)
- Goal 23’ –Darius Johnson (PHX)
- Goal 26’ – Diego Pepi (TXO)
- Goal 40’’ – Diego Pepi; Asst. Brandom McManus (TXO)
- Yellow Card 42’ – Patrick Staszewski (TXO)
- Substitution 45’ – Preston Kilwien– ON; Jordan Chavez – OFF (TXO)
- Goal 51’ – Charlie Dennis (PHX)
- Substitution 55’ – Mason McCready & Maciej Bortniczuk– ON; Aren Seeger & Brandon McManus – OFF (TXO)
- Substitution 63’ – Jearl Margaritha & Ascel Essengue– ON; Braxton Montgomery & Jamison Ping – OFF (PHX)
- Substitution 64’ – Luke McCormick– ON; Donald Benamna – OFF (TXO)
- Goal 67’ – Lamin Jawneh; Asst. Leland Gray (TXO)
- Penalty Goal 71‘ – Charlie Dennis (PHX)
- Substitution 78’ – Hope Avayevu & Ihsan Sacko– ON; Darius Johnson & Xian Emmers – OFF (PHX)
- Yellow Card 88’ – Reid Valentine (TXO)
- Substitution 90+3’ – Teddy Baker & Ajmeer Spengler – ON; Lamin Jawneh & Phil Dlamini – OFF (TXO)
- Goal 90+5’ – Emil Cuello (PHX)
- Yellow Card 90+7’ – Preston Kilwien & Will Perkins (TXO)
- Yellow Card 90+7’ – Dariusz Formella (PHX)
- Yellow Card 90+9’ – Emil Cuello (PHX)
Heartbreak in the Cup
Texoma FC’s six-game unbeaten run ends as Phoenix Rising enters town and wins a hard-fought match against Los Pájaros. An eventful first half started as Los Pájaros struck early in the 7th minute as forward Brandon McManus found the bottom right corner off a perfect pass from midfielder Donald Benamna to put Texoma up 1-0. Things began to take a turn for the worse for the home side as Phoenix would find their equalizer as midfielder Charlie Dennis would convert a penalty kick in the 20th minute, and just minutes later, in the 23rd minute, forward Darius Johnson would give the away team the 2-1 lead. Los Pájaros responded quickly in the 26th minute, as forward Diego Pepi would finish a deflected shot to tie it up 2-2 for the home side. Pepi gets his first official goal for the club in his first game back since missing time due to an injury. Diego wasn’t done yet, as McManus found Pepi, who was able to smash it in from 6 yards out to give Los Pájaros the 3-2 lead in the 40th minute, and capped off an entertaining 5-goal first half.
The second half started off with Phoenix equalizing off a corner as Charlie Dennis headed in his second goal of the night to tie it up 3-3 in the 51st minute. Los Pájaros were not content to watch Phoenix Rising attempt to steal a win as in the 67th minute, midfielder Leland Gray played a pass over the defense as forward Lamin Jawneh speeds past the defense and dribbles around the goalie to give Texoma the 4-3 lead. Phoenix wins another penalty as a handball in the penalty area is called in the 71st minute, and Charlie Dennis completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, tying the game at 4-4. Despite the hard-fought efforts and determination from the home side, Phoenix midfielder Emil Cuello put away a shot into the top right corner, giving the away side the 5-4 lead and the win in the 95th minute.
Depth being tested
Tonight’s match saw manager Adrian Forbes fielding a rotated side with Texoma having 3 games in the span of this week. Forbes made 7 changes to the side that defeated Charlotte Independence last Saturday night. Even though no points were won tonight, the players who rotated in the lineup tonight will show Forbes just how strong his team’s depth is. Texoma will need it as Los Pájaros are playing 6 games throughout July. The partnership of Diego Pepi and Brandon McManus will be one to watch going forward, as both played a key role in the 3 goals that the striking duo combined for tonight.
Solo Week
This week was special for Texoma decorated-veteran midfielder Soloman Asante as the two-time USL Championship MVP helped Los Pájaros prepare for the match against his former team, Phoenix Rising. For this special occasion, the club decided to dedicate the week as a celebration of Solo’s magnificent USL career and a half-time tribute during tonight’s match. Asante won MVP for the USL Championship back to back in 2019 and 2020, whilst playing for Phoenix Rising. In August 2023, during his two-year stint with Indy Eleven, Solo became the first-ever USL player to reach 50 career goals and 50 career assists. Texoma is proud and blessed to have Solo a part of the club; his leadership and presence on and off the field have been irreplaceable since he joined the team in February.
Looking Forward
