North Texas SC finally made its long-awaited professional debut at home against another brand new team, the Chattanooga Red Wolves, and walked away with a solid, though not perfect, 3-2 win. Let's dive a little deeper and see how everything unfolded.

The Tactics

North Texas lined up in a 4-3-3 very reminiscent of Luchi Gonzalez's system with the first team. Pepi got the nod up top as we all expected, with Dante Sealy and Oscar Romero serving as the left and right wingers respectively. Servania, Jatta, and Arturo Rodriguez started in midfield, with Servania as a 6, Jatta as an 8, and Rodriguez playing very much as a typical 10.

North Texas SC Starting Lineup (North Texas SC)

Much like with the first team, the outside backs, Kevin Bonilla and Bryan Reynolds, pushed forward to where they were nearly level with Rodriguez in the average position map. Brecc Evans got the armband from the right hand centerback position, with Callum Montgomery lined up to his left as we've seen throughout preseason.

The two biggest surprises in the XI were the presence of U19 academy defender Kevin Bonilla at left back and Jimmy Maurer in goal. This meant that all four of the first team players made available started (the fifth, Jacori Hayes, traveled to Salt Lake and subbed on in the 65th minute), while Bonilla was the lone academy contract player to start.

The first substitution for North Texas saw an injured Bonilla replaced by his academy teammate Jorge Imanol Almaguer at left back in the 57th minute, followed by the Haitian U20 international Bicou Bissainthe replacing Arturo Rodriguez in the 68th. Bissainthe slotted in deep, playing as a second 6 alongside Servania, giving Jatta room to push further forward and drift wider behind the front three. The final substitution came late, as Ronaldo Damus replaced Dante Sealy at left wing, and saw another noticeable tactical shift away from overlapping play between the two wingers and Jatta.

Average Positions map, with North Texas in blue (USL League One)

Chattanooga lined up with a 4-2-3-1 on paper which ended up looking much more like a 4-1-2-3. Ualefi dropped back to play as the primary defensive midfielder, Connor Doyle pushed forward playing much more like an 8 behind Josue Soto, and both Sito Seoane and Steven Beattie pushed so far forward that their icons nearly cover forward Eamon Zayed's in the average position map.

Tim Hankinson made two moves for Chattanooga in the 63rd minute shortly following the second goal of the night, with Vangjel Zguro and Juan Ignacio Mare replacing Josue Soto and Sito Seoane respectively. Zguro tracked so far back to the point where he was essentially playing as a second left back, while Juan Ignacio Mare pushed forward to play as a second striker ahead of Zayed. Starting left back Jonathan Caparelli was subbed out in the 79th minute with Chattanooga down 3-0 for Amirgy Pineda, who promptly slotted in at left wing leaving Zguro alone at left back.

The Goals

1-0 North Texas goal, 13th minute. After a few early chances end up going wide or getting saved, North Texas gets on the score sheet first with who else but Ricardo Pepi, the first player ever signed by the team. Arturo Rodriguez gets the ball back just outside of the final third along the right wing, plays back to Brecc Evans, who then passes to Oscar Romero. Romero takes two touches before sending in an arcing cross into the box, right in front of a charging Ricardo Pepi. Pepi shakes off Andrew Kendall-Moullin, just barely touching the ball, sending it past Alex Mangels and into the net. The entire sequence takes less than 10 seconds.

2-0 North Texas goal, 62nd minute. Jorge Imanol Amaguer makes a very quick impact off the bench after replacing Kevin Bonilla in the 57th minute. Almaguer wins the ball in midfield and plays a quick forward pass to Alfusainey Jatta. Jatta then sends the ball through to Oscar Romero who crosses the ball through two Chattanooga defenders right to Ricardo Pepi. All Pepi has to do is tap it into a wide open net for his second.

3-0 North Texas goal, 77th minute. Brecc Evans plays a ball long and high that's misplayed by Chattanooga defender Richard Dixon. Dixon attempts to head the ball to his goalkeeper but Ricardo Pepi gets there first, chipping Mangels and burying it.

3-1 Chattanooga goal, 84th minute. Vangjel Zguro plays a very long ball from inside his own third to just outside the opposite box. Jimmy Maurer comes out to try and play it clear but his clearance pass sends the ball right to Connor Doyle. Doyle passes it high to Eamon Zayed, who quickly plays it back for Steven Beattie. Beattie takes a shot from just outside the penalty arc, and catches Jimmy Maurer off-guard. Some questionable marking from Jorge Imanol Almaguer didn't help.

3-2 Chattanooga goal, 90th minute +2. Zguro takes a throw-in short to Amirgy Pineda, who immediately plays it back. Zguro then crosses to the far post. Richard Dixon storms into the box, dives right at the ball, and heads it past Maurer. Bicou Bissainthe gets caught ball-watching.

The Good

Ricardo Pepi, take a bow. Not only did he score a hat trick in his professional debut, but he also managed five of the team's six shots on target and nearly scored several goals more. The heat map shows just how much ground he covered in the opposing half, and we definitely got the debut we all hoped for. Even the punditry at large are taking notice, as they quite rightly should, and Pepi was named the first-ever USL League One "Player of the Week". Yes, we don't want to over-Adu it, but credit where credit is definitely due.

Alfusainey Jatta arrived from Africa as a largely unknown player with next-to-no information on him available online. He's slotted into a system largely developed by Luchi Gonzalez alongside players with years of experience and looked absolutely at home. He dominated central midfield, making several important runs up both wings, and consistently won the ball back in his own third. He honestly looked like he'd just come out of the academy and had been playing with Servania for years. His role as the 8, or maybe 6/8 hybrid, suits him perfectly, and I can't wait to see how he improves this season.

Both wingers, Dante Sealy and Oscar Romero, had strong games, with Sealy looking particularly dangerous from kickoff. While Sealy didn't actually end up on the box score, he was inches away from a goal and two assists, easily. Romero's pass through to Pepi for the first goal was one for the highlight reels, and he absolutely dominated the left wing.

Brandon Servania's heat map (USL League One)

Brandon Servania has clearly been pursuing his degree in Defensive Midfield Studies from Carlos Gruezo University. I'll let the heat map do the heavy lifting here, but suffice to say, he's hungry for MLS, and he put in the exact sort of performance one wants to see from a player making their case. As a disruptive presence, he made life uncomfortable for Chattanooga, and as a passer, he was precise and accurate throughout midfield.

Bryan Reynolds, much like Servania, knows he's playing for a potential shot at MLS in the near future, and he played his heart out for 90 minutes. I definitely see what Buzz does in Reynolds, and at times we're seeing the same sort of play out of him that we do from Reggie Cannon. Should Reggie get offered a bathtub full of money from Mexico or Munich, Reynolds doesn't look too far from filling those shoes. He just needs more experience playing defensively.

Room for Improvement

Arturo Rodriguez was much more an organizer than playmaker, but that's just what the team needed on Saturday. His accurate passing and comfort on both sides of the ball let Damusand Servania do what they do best, and those brief moments he took to allow the wingers to get in position and find space allowed North Texas to control possession the entire game. We didn't see much of that attacking creativity he showed in preseason, but not a bad outing by any stretch.

Brecc Evans and Callum Montgomery managed respectable outings, though they both had a handful of rookie mistakes. The first goal conceded was the result of Montgomery and Maurer getting tangled up as Jimmy left the box in an attempt to clear, and whether it was miscommunication or a mistake, it wasn't great. Evans looked the better of the two, not surprising given his time in the academy, but with the second goal, young Brecc looked unsure of who to cover, leading both Montgomery and Almaguer trying to cover Zayet. That left Dixon completely unmarked on his run.

Jimmy Maurer was left behind to play for North Texas instead of traveling to Salt Lake City with the first team, and honestly had some really questionable moments. Yes, he did make some great saves in the first half, and yes, he's still good with the ball at his feet, but coming so far out to try and play a ball clear instead of letting the center backs handle it wasn't the right decision. One could make the argument that both Chattanooga goals happened because of Maurer coming out too far, and they wouldn't be wrong.

Too Soon To Say

Kevin Bonilla subbed off with an injury relatively early in the second half, so we only have 50ish minutes of data on him. Bonilla looked better attacking than defending, which would have been fine with a bit more experience for the center backs. His relative discomfort on the defensive side of the ball gave Chattanooga a bit too much free real estate pushing forward, and very nearly led to an early concession. But he's young and still in the academy.

Imanol Almaguer got called up alongside Bonilla from the academy, replacing his injured teammate in the second half. I've seen him play at the U19 level, where he looked great, but it's clear that he's not quite ready for the professional game just yet. There's a serious difference in pace and physicality from the USSDA even to the third division professional ranks, and Almaguer looked about a step too slow in his stint.

Bicou Bissainthe subbed on for Rodriguez which saw the formation shift slightly to something more akin to a 4-2-3-1, with Bissainthe playing as a second 6 behind Jatta. His passing looked very good, with only one unsuccessful and played solid defensively, choking up Chattanooga's midfield late in the second half. He's definitely still adjusting to the system in place here, as he's never really played much in a 4-3-3 like this before, but he did alright in his 22+2 minutes.

Lingering Questions

Can this team defend for 90 minutes?

I really don't know. Both goals were conceded in the final fifteen minutes, where Chattanooga seemed to have the energy advantage on North Texas. With a young roster, endurance is always a question, and it might be a bit much to expect a full game out of so many young players on defense. Evans and Montgomery, in particular, looked rather ragged at the final whistle, and that's something that Eric Quill has almost certainly been thinking about.

When will Carlos Avilez play? Avilez was signed ostensibly as the primary keeper for North Texas, and yet, Jimmy Maurer got the start on Saturday instead of traveling to Salt Lake City with the first team. Could this be the start of a trend wherein the first team keeper that doesn't start plays for North Texas? If that's the case, then Avilez would likely only play when North Texas is on the road, and I'm not sure that's the right idea. I also don't really like having Kyle Zobeck on the bench over Maurer for a game in MLS, but that's a whole other story.

Who will be the primary left back? Kevin Bonilla started on Saturday out of the academy, but he's at best the second choice and potentially even third on the depth chart, behind both Cesar Murillo and John Nelson. During the home doubleheaders, I firmly expect John Nelson to get the start for North Texas. My best guess as to why Murillo didn't start on Saturday is how late that signing was. Murillo is the most experienced of the three, while John Nelson looks closest to cracking MLS. There's even the chance of Pedroso getting an injury start and Hollingshead getting some League One minutes.

When does David Rodriguez debut? As good as his brother Arturo is, it's the younger Rodriguez that I'm personally more excited to see. David has been stellar in the academy and is currently one of the top academy attacking midfield prospects. Combining him with Jatta and Servania would make for a dangerous and potent midfield trio, and that's something that many of the teams in League One might not have an answer for. Here's hoping we see him on the field soon.

How injured is Kevin Bonilla? He went down hard following a challenge from Alex Dixon and was immediately grabbing his chest. We've seen chest injuries seriously derail the development of Francis Atuahene recently, and it's never good for a young player to get hurt in their debut.

Next Game

North Texas SC has the week off before hosting Forward Madison FC on Saturday, April 13, following FC Dallas's game against Portland. Madison will make its League One debut between now and then, traveling to play the Chattanooga Red Wolves on Saturday, April 6.

Kickoff against Madison is scheduled for 9:20 p.m. on April 13 as the second game of a doubleheader.