North Texas Names John Gall as Head Coach

Not a surprising move for us, but it does provide a blueprint for how this team moves forward. Here's how it all unfolded.

On Thursday, shocking no one who follows the team, North Texas Soccer Club named John Gall as the fourth head coach in the team’s history, removing his interim tag and locking him in place for 2024 going forward.

Coach Gall took over the reins of the club in the second half of North Texas’ season after the dismissal of then head coach Javier Cano. Cano, in his first year in the position, brought a lot of energy and focus to his team, but the young side struggled. Front office staff decided to change directions, and Gall stepped in at that time.

Coach Cano’s dismissal was a bit strange, considering that the organization appeared comfortable with a strategy that would develop young players and allow them to grow. Injuries forced some North Texas players to spend minutes with FC Dallas, leading to an ever-changing game-day lineup. It also felt like Cano would bring a set of tactics and vision to prepare young players for first-team minutes, aligned with FC Dallas head coach Nico Estevez, but the front office staff didn’t like what they saw.

As interim, John Gall immediately brought similar enthusiasm and energy to the position, even if immediate results eluded the squad and they slipped out of playoff contention. However, North Texas beat two in-state rivals to close the season on a positive note. The team has also announced several intriguing signings to build for 2024 and deepen the talent.

The positive is that John Gall knows the organization well. He was eager to take the position permanently. Perhaps that is a little difference-maker as Javier Cano was an outsider and didn’t have the relationships in place as results soured.

We have long speculated that North Texas should focus on internal hires, not to put a ceiling on the team’s potential or limit the talent available to them, but to build up a stable of coaching candidates from within. There’s always been a what-if about Luchi Gonzalez gaining seasoning as head coach with North Texas before jumping to FC Dallas. Would he have had more success with the club?

All in all, John Gall did enough to show he has the energy and enthusiasm to lead North Texas’ young players to something positive in 2024.